Santa Cruz ranks top five in U.S. based on community well-being

On a beautiful day on the coast, Mike Winet checks out the surf at Steamer Lane. Living in Santa Cruz for 53 years, he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I think people are really happy here,” said Winet. “So it’s fun being here because you’re always around people that are having a good time.”

A Gallop-Healthways report based on Americans’ well-being puts Santa Cruz at number three in the nation. The report considers happiness and health. It measures how residents around the U.S. feel about their physical health, community, and sense of purpose. And to Deputy City Manager Scott Collins, it’s no surprise Santa Cruz made the top five.

“Just that general, you know, sense of place,” said Collins. “You can go surfing today, grab a latte downtown, go hike up in the mountains, you know meet your friend at one of the thousands of micro-breweries that seem to be opening up these days.”

Collins also said that there’s something unique about living and working in the city.

“To work for a community that really cares and is really passionate about the direction we’re heading, that just feeds us and makes us want to do a better job,” added Collins.

And Santa Cruz has another distinction going for it, one that’s all about health. The world known sport of crossfit started in Santa Cruz back in the early 2000’s.

Crossfit coach Leah Polaski with said she enjoys working with such motivated people in Santa Cruz that use values learned in the gym for everyday life.

“It might not be fun, it might not be the way I want things to be going, but I know I’m going to live through this because you’ve kind of endured that kind of stuff in here,” added Polaski.

The report polled more than 300,000 people across 189 cities. Naples, Florida snagged the top spot, Barnstable Town, Massachusetts came in second, third was Santa Cruz then followed by Honolulu, Hawaii and Charlottesville, Virginia.