Spectacular Santa Cruz Homes

When I first arrived in Santa Cruz last year, I was blown away by what a pretty town it is. Nestled between the beach and the redwoods, with only 60 000 people, it was always going to be an attractive place. But throw in the beautiful homes, and the aesthetic value goes into overdrive. Some of the houses are so stunning, it's hard not to end up in a traffic accident. I took to driving around with my camera on my lap, and pulling over at random intervals, or snapping out of the window while at traffic lights.

So without further ado, may I present to you Nat's Pick of Santa Cruz's Finest Real Estate.

Kicking off with the immaculate turquoise "Munster House" on Highland Drive:

 

Adorable white lace work on Center Street:

 

This next one is an old favourite that I stumble upon and can never quite find when I deliberately go looking for it. I think it could be on Laurel Street, if the location of the church is anything to go by:

Just your typical downtown homes, shot on a drive-by!

This one is on Mission Street, en route to work (ignore rearview mirror, although the angle does tell you I wasn't driving):

Okay, so not strictly a house, but this square just above the downtown area is my favourite part of Santa Cruz for beautiful architecture. First, the square itself, looking across to the Mission Church:

 

And now, my absolute favourite home, that faces the square. I have a bunch of better photos of this house/mansion from my visit last year, but this year I stopped to show Petra, and the weather wasn't quite as nice.

The house you can just see in the background is also amazing. (Who ruined this shot by parking their baby truck in front of the house?!)

It has a beautiful garden also.

 

Front door. I want one!

Again, not strictly a house, but you can't have a post about Santa Cruz architecture and not include the clock tower. It's featured on every "Downtown" direction signpost.

Petra's hotel on West Cliff Drive, and right near the wharf, was directly opposite from these mansions:

(by night)

 

(by day!)

Clearly, one has to be something of a multi-millionaire to own one of these fine pieces of Santa Cruz architecture.

On a bit of a budget? How about something closer to the harbour, instead?

Overlooking the marina: 

Live like you're in a lighthouse:

Or you can come and live in my neighbourhood. From these fine East Cliff Drive homes, you can watch the surfers at Pleasure Point.

(I took this shot to illustrate the abundance of Spanish-influenced architecture - i.e. the home on the right)

Or perhaps you'd prefer a little house made of stones:

Or you can live in a pretty wood shingle house, watching the waves and enjoying the beach.

Or even a little pink cottage :-)