CNN and Money Magazine list Santa Cruz as one of the best places in the nation to find your rich and single soul mate. According to CNN, almost half of Santa Cruz County’s population, 45 percent, is single, and the average family income here is $91,162. Without the family, you have more time to enjoy everything that Santa Cruz has to offer, from the beaches to the forest to Shakespeare Santa Cruz. It’s the perfect mix of nature and high culture.
Not everyone is convinced, however. Just because you’re not married doesn’t mean you’re single, as too many of us are often reminded. In fact, Santa Cruz has a high percentage of unmarried couples living together, whether it’s because marriage just isn’t for them, or they think it’s cheaper that way, especially in a town as pricey as this.
According to another observer, Santa Cruz is one of those places where it is actually “hip to be poor,” and where the cosmetic dirt of high school idealism is translated into low paying jobs complement the trust fund. Katy Oursler, director of Outstanding in the Field, notes that many people here are self-described farmers or students of the culinary arts, but that the salaries for these jobs are usually so low that you need the backing of Mummy and Daddy just to make ends meet.
Still, others disagree, claiming that just because you don’t flaunt your wealth doesn’t mean you have it. Then, of course, when you are single, it does seem like all the “good ones” are taken or gay (or straight, if you happen to be gay). Doesn’t it? According to CNN, that doesn’t mean the rich and single aren’t out there.
