While Sonoma County enjoys a world-wide reputation for fine wine, it offers much more than beautiful vineyards. Coastal hills and valleys shelter herds of cattle and sheep.
There are majestic stands of redwoods. The benign climate and rich soil foster...
Aptos was named by Native Americans for the confluence of Aptos Creek and Valencia Creek. The name is Ohlone, meaning "the meeting of two creeks".[2] Aptos is usually pronounced "app-toss."
In 1833 the government of Mexico granted Rafael Castro the 6,656-acre (26.94 km2) Rancho Aptos. Initially...
Founded as "Camp Capitola" by Samuel A. Hall in 1874, Capitola was named for the heroine of The Hidden Hand, a novel by the popular author E.D.E.N. Southworth, favored by Hall's daughter Lulu. Capitola is known as the oldest beach resort on the West Coast.
Highway 17 connects Highway 1 and Interstate 880. The highway navigates through the Santa Cruz Mountains and is often used to reach San Jose, which has the nearest train station and international airport.
The portion of Route 17 in Santa Cruz County south of Glenwood Road, between post-mile 5.91...
The term Santa Cruz comes from the Portuguese words meaning Holy Cross. The name was that given to a church that existed on a site on the western side of the railway station, at the site presently occupied by the Sacred Heart Boys High School/Sacred Heart Church on Swami Vivekanand Road, and which...
The first La Habra Post Office was established in 1898 in a corner of Coy's Store at Central (now La Habra Boulevard) and Euclid Street.
The City was incorporated under general law on January 20, 1925 with a population of 3,000. The Police Force was organized in 1926 and employed a Chief, Traffic...
The town's founding dates to the mid-1850s with the building of a flour operation, Forbes Mill, by James Alexander Forbes along Los Gatos Creek. The mill's two-story stone storage annex has been preserved as a museum just off of Main Street.
The settlement that was established in the 1860s was...
Rio del Mar (From Spanish: Río del Mar, meaning Sea's River) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The name "Rio Del Mar" was chosen as a "catchy" name to promote real estate in the area during the 1920's.[1] There is no body of water by that name in...
San Lorenzo is located on the Rancho San Lorenzo Mexican land grant given to Guillermo Castro in 1841. San Lorenzo was mostly farmland, a significant center of production of fruit and flowers, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.
Many of the early inhabitants have been laid to rest...
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the eighteenth century, Santa Cruz was home to the nomadic Ohlone Native Americans.
[edit] Mission and Pueblo period
In 1769 the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà accidentally arrived in the vicinity while attempting to travel to Monterey.[2] He named the...
Ohlone tribes occupied areas along watercourses in Scotts Valley such as creeks, spring and seep areas, areas along permanent and seasonal drainages, and flat ridges and terraces.[1] These early settlements probably occurred as early as 2000 BC. Therefore, areas along watercourses are considered...
Seacliff is known for its long stretches of sand and bluffs and great accessible facilities including picnic areas, an interpretive center, and RV camping. The Seacliff beach is a popular swimming spot, and features a fishing pier and fossils of extinct marine creatures in the bluffs. Seacliff sits...
The name Soquel has a somewhat unknown history. One local tale of its name comes from a story in which a bartender yells, "Soak Hell" at a patron. Another says the name comes from a local Native American tribe called the Soquel Indians. The Mexican land grant Rancho Soquel was given Martina Castro...
Watsonville is located on the Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro Mexican land grant made to Sebastian Rodríguez in 1837. Judge John H. Watson and D.S. Gregory laid out the town in 1852. Watsonville was incorporated on March 30,1868.
New Homes For Sale in Watsonville, California
$749,000
Single Family
5 Bed,
2+ Bath
Victorian,Craftsman
$359,000
Single Family
4 Bed,
2.5 Bath
$375,000
Single Family
4 Bed,
3 Bath
Contemporary,Mediterranean
The term Santa Cruz comes from the Portuguese words meaning Holy Cross. The name was that given to a church that existed on a site on the western side of the railway station, at the site presently occupied by the Sacred Heart Boys High School/Sacred Heart Church on Swami Vivekanand Road, and which...