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Watsonville

  • C-
    Overall Grade
  • Town in California
  • 79 reviews
C-
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    C-
  2. Crime & Safety
    C
  3. Housing
    D-
  4. Nightlife
    B-
  5. Good for Families
    C-
  6. Diversity
    B+
  7. Jobs
    C-
  8. Weather
    A+
  9. Cost of Living
    D+
  10. Health & Fitness
    A
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    B+
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Watsonville is a town in California with a population of 53,452. Watsonville is in Santa Cruz County. Living in Watsonville offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Watsonville there are a lot of parks. Many families live in Watsonville and residents tend to be liberal.
Population
53,452

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$397,900
National
$184,700
Median Rent
$1,325
National
$949
Area Feel
Urban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    58%
  • Own
    42%
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Watsonville Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
C
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    344.9
    282.7
  • Murder
    1.8
    6.1
  • Rape
    75.6
    40.7
  • Robbery
    127.2
    135.5
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    462.9
    500.1
  • Theft
    1,834.9
    2,042.8
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    857.5
    284
Home Security Options for Watsonville
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  • 24/7 Whole home protection with no contract
  • CNET Editor’s choice winner 2018

Residents

Diversity
B+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Age
  • <10 years
    19%
  • 10-17 years
    12%
  • 18-24 years
    13%
  • 25-34 years
    14%
  • 35-44 years
    13%
  • 45-54 years
    11%
  • 55-64 years
    9%
  • 65+ years
    9%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    3%
    12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    8%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    24%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    24%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    41%
    13%

Working in Watsonville

Jobs
C-
Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
Median Household Income
$51,548
National
$55,322
Search for Jobs in Watsonville
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  • Private Schools
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Watsonville Reviews

79 reviews
All Categories
I have lived in Watsonville for most of my life and I have to say that I like where I live. The only real flaw that Watsonville contains are gangs and violence, however, they are not extreme. Violence in watsonville occurs occasionally. Some locations where it might occur are in schools or in certain areas where gangs are located at. Other than this, watsonville is an awesome place to live. It contains many fun places to visit like the theaters, sport locations involving baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields, skateparks, etc, and exiting beaches!
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Being white in Watsonville can feel very isolating at times. Many small establishments only speak Spanish, or address everyone in Spanish regardless of race. Some people dislike white people dating latino people and will vocalize it. Sometimes I like the isolated feeling, sometimes not so much. I do enjoy aspects of the culture and the food very much and all of my friends are Latino or mixed. Living here has broadened my horizons. It’s an excellent place for bike riding through the country, hiking, and going to the beach. Our nature areas are less packed than Santa Cruz and there are less issues with drugs and homelessness here. The traffic is also minimal as compared to Santa Cruz. Some neighborhoods have major issues with trash, barking dogs, fireworks, etc. Others are very tame. Little to no nightlife, especially for non-latinos. Good nightlife in Santa Cruz and Monterey, 30 minutes in either direction.
Watsonville is a pretty interesting place when you scratch past the surface. The town is predominantly Latino, a lot of people joke and call it little Mexico but it's quite unique in that way. The social services in the town are very involved and are really trying quite hard to create a network of resources to strengthen the local community and give youth opportunity and access to the world at large. It's easy to get stuck in this place because it is the most affordable housing in the Santa Cruz area (which is one of the most beautiful places in the world). Watsonville is an hour and a half from Big Sur and 15 min. from Santa Cruz, 35 min. from Monterrey and an hour and half from San Francisco. As far as location is concerned it's nestled in a perfect middle ground of West Coast wonders. I would recommend Watsonville for small family's and those looking to live somewhere quiet but not too far from all the action.