Woods St, Santa Cruz

Woods Street offers great beachside living adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, without being completely 100% on the beach. It is within walking distance of a small shopping center and the fantastic Seabright Brewery. Rather than sing this street's praises or complain about its flaws, here is a breakdown of the Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Five-minute walk to the (less crowded) beach
One-minute walk to Seabright Brewery
Adjacent to shopping center, Java Junction, Pizza
Understated, low-key suburban neighborhood
Great weather year-round
Easy to park on for any of the aforementioned destinations

Cons:
Easy to park on for any of the aforementioned destinations (a con if you are a resident)
More traffic than the average suburban street
Not as accessible to downtown Santa Cruz

Overall, this is a great spot to live on if you are at all a fan of the ocean and don't want to spring for the price of oceanfront views.