Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz, California is a city north of Monterey Bay. Santa Cruz is about 100 miles (60 km) south of San Francisco. Santa Cruz was first settled by Ohlone Indians, Native American hunter-gatherers. Santa Cruz was colonized in the mid-1700s by the Spanish. They created a mission, (Mission Santa Cruz). The Spanish forced the Ohlones in the mission. Their populations began to decline because of diseases and overworking.

Americans first arrived in Santa Cruz in the 19th century. They were immigrants from Italy, China and Portugal. Around the same time, forestry and commercial fishing were the first industries. There were also diary farming and leather production. Santa Cruz is most famous for their university. The University of California, Santa Cruz was built in the 1960s. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake had a major effect in Santa Cruz. It killed five people.

The industries that are present in Santa Cruz are agriculture, tourism and high technology. The climate in Santa Cruz is Mediterranean. This means that they have mild summers because of fog. Winters are usually rainy; however, the city has dealt with many droughts.

Other websites

 * Santa Cruz City official site
 * Santa Cruz Wiki – The People's Guide to Santa Cruz, California
 * Via Riva Trigoso Sister City street
 * Pogonip Open Space Preserve
 * Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce