An emerging luxury market near the beach with freeway access
Live Oak is a sleepy census-designated place east of Santa Cruz with a population close to 18,000. Once a more modest community of midcentury homes, the area is emerging as a luxury market as many make the move 40 miles south from Silicon Valley. “Over the last five years, prices here have absolutely skyrocketed,” says Compass broker associate Sebastian Frey, a Bay Area native selling real estate since 2003. “Live Oak has so much going for it. It’s got an enviable climate, it’s flat, it’s got great freeway access, and it’s next to the beach. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Live Oak offers a quite suburban life in Santa Cruz.
Corcoran Beach is a popular spot among locals in Santa Cruz.
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Climbing housing prices as people migrate south from Silicon Valley
In early 2025, the 12-month median price for a single-family home in Live Oak was around $1.2 million, about three times the national number and well over the broader California median of $900,000. “Prices here are high, but they are 40% less than Silicon Valley, so you have a lot of local people being priced out as people from the Bay Area move south,” Frey says. The primary housing stock was built out between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, so there is a broad mix of architecture. “One knock against this being an unincorporated area is that there’s a lot of different land use, so you might have a $2.5 million home next to an upscale trailer park or contemporary condo complex,” Frey says. New construction in the community consists of older homes being torn down and consolidated, replaced with four-to-eight-unit buildings or, in some rare cases, 20 to 30 units.
In Live Oak the majority of homes are single story homes with spacious yards.
The suburban dream is alive and well in Live Oak.
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Santa Cruz City High School District gets high marks from Niche
The Live Oak Elementary School District is graded B by Niche, while the Santa Cruz City High School District is graded A. Live Oak is just over 5 miles from the University of California at Santa Cruz. “One of the big draws to this area is UC Santa Cruz, which is becoming ever bigger and more renowned,” Frey says. The university’s student body is around 20,000.
Live Oak Elementary provides quality education for students in Santa Cruz.
Soquel High School supports academic achievement.
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Many community parks around town and beach access
The community has several parks, including Chanticleer Avenue County Park, Broomer Street County Park and Santa Cruz Gardens County Park, each with an array of amenities like walking trails, playground equipment and sports facilities. The biggest outdoor attraction is the beaches along the Pacific Coast, which are within a few miles, depending on where you are in the community. Popular nearby beaches include Seabright, Twin Lakes, Black’s and Corcoran.
Chanticleer Avenue County Park in Live Oak is full of people on weekends.
Twin Lakes is the perfect place to take an afternoon walk in Live Oak.
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Multiple commercial stretches but not much fine dining in the area
Live Oak has two major commercial stretches along 41st Avenue anchored by grocery stores like Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market; big-box retailers like Target and The Home Depot; and chain dining like Taco Bell and Starbucks. "In terms of other restaurants, we don't have anything super high-end. It's very Cali casual with flip flops, no dress code and you can bring your dog places with you," Frey says. "Breakfast burritos are big. Acai bowls, coffee, avocado toast — we eat a lot of stereotypical California things around here."
Capitola Mall is just a short drive from Live Oak.
Trader Joe's offers inexpensive yet quality produce in Live Oak.
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Glassblowing at the annual Glass Pumpkin Patch event
Santa Cruz has many events throughout the year, and Live Oak is home to a few. The farmer’s market is every Sunday at 9 a.m. on Eastcliff Drive. Held over two days in the fall, the Glass Pumpkin Patch is a family-friendly event celebrating an annual collection of hand-blown glass pumpkins and gourds. Guests get to participate in glassblowing activities and take home a glass pumpkin of their own making.
Traffic on state Route 1 sometimes cuts through Live Oak
Live Oak has direct access to state Route 1, which cuts through the middle of town and connects the 4 miles west to Santa Cruz. “Highway 1 can be pretty congested, but they are widening it right now, which should alleviate some of the crowding,” Frey says. “There is through traffic here, though. Many people drive through Live Oak rather than sit on the freeway.” For those who rely on public transportation, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District operates bus routes along some major thoroughfares, and Amtrak offers service to San Jose about 35 miles north. To catch a flight, San Jose Mineta International Airport is the closest, though Oakland International and San Francisco International are within about 60 miles.
Ideal temperate climate with summertime temps in the 70s
The climate in Live Oak is temperate year-round. Proximity to the Pacific Coast keeps dry, breezy summer temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s, and winters are wetter with temperatures in the 60s. “The weather here is ideal. San Diego might be a little better because it’s warmer, but it’s so nice here in the summer that it’s very rare in Live Oak to have air conditioning,” Frey says.
Live Oak has a few environmental risks, “but I wouldn’t say anything too significant," Frey says. "We’re not around highly forested areas, so wildfire risk is minimal. The biggest issue is probably rising sea levels and coastal erosion." Earthquakes are possible, but Frey says everything is built to code, minimizing potential destruction.
Crime statistics were not immediately available for Live Oak.
Written By
Amber Steinmetz-Cole
Photography Contributed By
Teal Mandzik
Video By
Jeffrey Knight
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Jeff Wickum,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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