Santa Cruz Makes List Of '30 Best Small Cities In U.S.'

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Bay Area, you don't have to travel far to visit at least one destination on National Geographic Traveler magazine's newest list. Santa Cruz, the coastal Northern California city of about 62,800 residents nestled on Monterey Bay, is considered by the magazine to be among the "30 Best Small Cities in the U.S." Unveiled just this week, the rankings are featured in the February/March 2018 issue of National Geographic Traveler as part of the publication's effort to identify the country's "Cities on the Rise."

Traveler says to identify these rising cities, it worked with "global destination branding advisers Resonance Consultancy in developing a Small Cities Index, a survey that drew from statistics and social media mentions to determine which cities rank highest in a variety of distinctive, fun categories including green spaces, coffee shops, live music and even Instagrammable moments."

"At Traveler we’re passionate about tales of urban renewal, about communities that have collaborated to improve their main streets, about smart cities that have pursued development policies that produce happiness," said George Stone, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler. "In this article we report on authentic small cities that each embody a surprising superlative. Happy places for locals are also rewarding places for travelers. Our index of small cities on the rise is based on unconventional metrics that we think produce happiness: green spaces, coffee shops, breweries, music venues, Instagrammable moments and puppies!"

Santa Cruz made the list for being "Musically Grooviest." Here is what the folks at Traveler had to say about Santa Cruz:

Thanks to a clutch of music and record stores and live music venues, the beach town of Santa Cruz rates grooviest for rock and folk fans. At Streetlight Records, new and used CDs and LPs fill a warehouse-like space where local bands frequently gig. The Starving Musician sells African drums and electric guitars. The new Abbott Square restaurant-and-market zone downtown offers free Saturday night concerts, and the long-running Catalyst Clubhosts big-name bands on the site of a former bowling alley.

Here is Nat Geo Traveler's full list, with Santa Cruz and Healdsburg representing California:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico (Sudsiest)
• Anchorage, Alaska (Trending- Most Caffeinated)
• Ann Arbor, Michigan (Greenest)
• Annapolis, Maryland (Trending- Dog Friendly)
• Asheville, North Carolina (Most Artsy, Sudsiest)
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Best Groomed)
• Boulder, Colorado (Hipster Friendly, Musically Grooviest, Most Caffeinated, Sudsiest)
• Charleston, South Carolina (Most Instagrammed, Most Artsy)
• Charlottesville, Virginia (Most Literate)
• Columbia, South Carolina (Best Groomed, Meatiest)
• Greenville, South Carolina (Meatiest)
• Hagerstown, Maryland (Best Groomed)
• Healdsburg, California (Trending- Greenest)
• Hickory, North Carolina (Hipster Friendly)
• Honolulu, Hawaii (Musically Grooviest, Most Instagrammed, Most Artsy)
• Kansas City, Missouri (Trending- Most Artsy)
• Lakeland, Florida (Most Dog Friendly)
• Louisville, Kentucky (Trending- Meatiest)
• Madison, Wisconsin (Greenest)
• New Orleans, Louisiana (Trending- Hipster Friendly)
• Newport, Rhode Island (Trending- Best Groomed)
• Olympia, Washington (Most Caffeinated, Greenest)
• Omaha, Nebraska (Trending- Musically Grooviest)
• Pensacola, Florida (Most Dog Friendly)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Trending- Sudsiest)
• Portland, Maine (Most Instagrammed)
• Rapid City, South Dakota (Trending- Most Instagrammed)
• Reno, Nevada (Meatiest, Most Dog Friendly)
• Santa Cruz, California (Musically Grooviest)
• Spokane, Washington (Hipster Friendly, Most Caffeinated)

"Every city is unique," said Resonance Consultancy President Chris Fair. "Our approach to analyzing millions of consumer-generated ratings and reviews to create indexes such as these is an innovative new approach to revealing the characteristics that differentiate one place from another. We’re excited to be working with National Geographic to share this data and its insights with travelers around the world."

Buy the print edition and/or read more about the lists online at Natgeo.com/bestsmallcities.

Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone