Santa Cruz is a lovely beach town on the northern California coast, about an hour south of San Francisco and west of San Jose. The city is sandwiched between the ocean and the dense redwood forest that covers the surrounding mountains. It's home to UC Santa Cruz, a college campus that resembles the Imperial shield generator bunker located on the forest moon of Endor in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Due in no small part to the presence of UCSC and the bohemian beach vibe, Santa Cruz has long had an extremely active music scene. (This page maintained by Chris)