LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Santa Cruz: City
built 233 days ago
Set along the treasured Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary (the largest such sanctuary in the USA), guests to Santa Cruz can't help but fall in love with the stunning surroundings. A closeness with nature is evident as you make your way to Santa Cruz from other tourist destinations such as Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey and San Francisco. The city is framed by and surrounded with redwood forests where vacationers on holiday can enjoy hikes, bicycling and train rides through the woods. To quench the traveler's number one thirst and sport, guests can dine on gourmet vegetarian foods, sip the locally-grown boutique wines, and stroll through villages with shopping areas in Santa Cruz, Capitola and Aptos. The many recreational activities, business and educational opportunities and perfect climate help produce a higher than average number of independent thinkers, artists and creative types who prefer less convention in their diets.
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R[E]cently, Santa Cruzans successfully beseeched their City Council to not allow huge national chain stores in their town center because they support their small locally owned shops. They said they did not want somebody in New York who sells display promotions to publishers to decide their reading tastes.
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In 1769 the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà arrived in the land area which is now known as the City of Santa Cruz. When he came upon the river, he named it San Lorenzo in honor of Saint Lawrence. He called the rolling hills above the river, Santa Cruz, which means holy cross.
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Music fans are in luck; the Catalyst features headline rock, pop, punk and reggae acts almost every night thanks to Santa Cruz's position between LA and the Bay Area. Blues bars, world beat clubs and the well-known Kuumbwa Jazz Center round out the offerings in this very lively city.
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I[T]'s been an arduous undertaking to make Santa Cruz a pantheon for outdoor enthusiasts. The payoff is great: Magnificent hikes, wildlife preserves, four state parks within the city limits, and seven in the immediate area.
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