All of us are very fortunate to live in a very diverse area of California reaching from the mountains at the edge of Silicon Valley to the sea. Santa Cruz County is the Gateway to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, has 29 miles of beaches and includes six state parks and six state beaches. Its quaint shops and restaurants, coupled with a multitude of cultural and recreational activities, including sailing, fishing, golf, tennis and hiking, provide a wealth of leisure activities.

 

Here is a brief description of our neighborhood communities and links to there information sites to the left of this page. Beginning with Los Gatos bordering the north end of the County we will travel through the county going south to Watsonville. 

 

Los Gatos and the Los Gatos Mountains

 

Los Gatos is located 60 miles south of San Francisco and sitting at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains, acting as a natural gateway between the greater Santa Clara basin and the beautiful Pacific Coast and the County of Santa Cruz. Homes are mostly upscale, ranging from cottages in the village itself to 7- or 8-million-dollar large custom homes in the surrounding hills. As the housing becomes more rural, farther away from the downtown, moving towards summit, the prices are more affordable. Los Gatos is noted for its small but upscale downtown, with many chic shops and restaurants. It is also a preferred destination for antique shopping.

 

Boulder Creek

 

Boulder Creek in located in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains on Highway 9 from Saratoga to the north and Santa Cruz to the South. Boulder Creek is in the heart of a rainforest. Redwood trees are beautiful in this area, some topping 250 feet! It is near enough to the coast of California that you can see the ocean from the top of some of the mountains in the area. Boulder Creek is the small size of the community replete with a wonderful volunteer fire department. There are NO fast food restaurants or big chain stores. Easy to know your neighbors if you call this home.

 

Brookdale

 

Brookdale is a small community in the heart of San Lorenzo Valley located between Boulder Creek & Ben Lomond. The town is set amongst towering redwood with recreational activities that include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more. The Brookdale Lodge, located in the heart of town, has a long history of entertaining celebrities, beautiful weddings, and nightly music & dancing. One of the more unusual aspects of the lodge is the beautiful dining room with the natural brook running through it. Many people like to visit the lodge for the rumors of ghosts. Witnesses have sworn to seeing the ghost of a little girl in a formal dress run through the lobby and then disappear into thin air. Others have claimed to hear strange voices in empty rooms. A favorite spot in the lodge has always been the Mermaid Room where you can spy on swimmers from an aquarium view of the pool.

 

 

Ben Lomond

 

Named by a Scottish Immigrant who missed his homeland, Ben Lomond is a warm and inviting community nestled between Brookdale and Felton with Highway 9 running through the middle of it. Topography is made up of areas of Redwoods and open sandy areas with sprawling Oaks and Manzanitas. The area boasts a few well known tourist spots such at Highland Park that hosts the annual Highland Games Festival, the Tyrolean Inn, known for its annual Oktoberfest Extravaganza and Ciao Bella, an unusual dining experience with hilarious entertainment and excellent Italian food.

 

Felton

 

 

The Felton community located only a few miles from the Santa Cruz & Scotts Valley. Surrounded by beautiful redwood groves and forests, the region features hiking trails, an amusement park where kids can pan for gold and ride an old-fashioned train and a landmark covered bridge. When visiting Felton, take a ride on the Beach Train to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk or the Steam Train narrow-gauge excursions to Bear Mountain. It is one of the oldest and most historic lines in California providing an authentic experience that takes you back in time. Located at Roaring Camp five miles east of Scotts Valley in Felton, the route opened in 1875. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is adjacent to Roaring Camp and features 20 miles of hiking and riding trails through a forest that looks much the same as it did 200 years ago. The tallest tree in the park is about 285 feet tall, and about 16 feet wide. The oldest trees in the park are about 1400 to 1800 years old.

 

Scotts Valley

 

Scotts Valley is named after businessman Hiram Scott, a Maine native who settled in Santa Cruz and bought Rancho San Agustin. Incorporated in 1966, the city is partly situated on Scott's ranch site. It is surrounded by hills and redwoods and is located close to the beach. Scotts Valley's popularity comes primarily from its location six miles north of Santa Cruz, 30 miles southwest of San Jose. It is the easiest commute to Silicon Valley jobs, one of the major employers of Santa Cruz County residents. Scotts Valley is well known for its school district, community involvement and Art Under the Oaks, the Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival. It is often called the gate community to Santa Cruz County.

 

Bonny Doon

 

An unincorporated community northwest of Santa Cruz. It was founded in the 1850s as a logging camp. John Burns, a Scotsman living in Santa Cruz, named Bonny Doon. Bonny Doon has no "city center" or shops, but features several wineries, a couple of churches, Bonny Doon Elementary School and the private-use Bonny Doon Village Airport. A nude beach of the same name is nearby. The area is on a slope with higher elevations in Redwood forest, maritime chaparral, and lower elevations descending toward the coastal zone. There are ocean views from parts of the area on days when fog is not present. The University of California, Santa Cruz is a short drive down Empire Grade, and Bonny Doon is popular with residents both who work there and those who work from home and telecommute in various genres of computing.

 

Santa Cruz

 

Santa Cruz is located in the center of Santa Cruz County. It is divided into 3 areas, the west side of Ocean Street & east side of Ocean Street both incorporated as the city and the unincorporated area of Live Oak. It has an ideal Mediterranean climate with low humidity and sunshine 300 days a year. The east side is called the Banana Belt, is has the most days of sun. Santa Cruz is the quintessential beach town. It was here that Hawaiian royalty first introduced surfing to the mainland--and locals and visitors alike have been riding the waves ever since. Not far from the surf break, calliope music and laughter fills the air at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the West Coast's last remaining seaside amusement park. A few blocks from the beach is Santa Cruz's newly renovated downtown. The pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined streets are filled with vibrant shops and galleries, outdoor bistros and sidewalk musicians, all in keeping with Surf City's offbeat personality.

 

Capitola

 

Capitola is a beach village between Aptos and the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz. It was ffounded as "Camp Capitola" by Samuel A. Hall in 1874 and is known as the oldest beach resort on the West Coast. Capitola Village is located along a wide beach with views of Monterey Bay and is home to numerous craft galleries, boutiques and restaurants & nightly entertainment. The Begonia Festival takes place each Labor Day weekend, featuring flower-draped floats and the must-see sand castle contest. Each fall the village also hosts the Annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival, which brings in over 170 artists, 10 wineries and numerous food vendors. Other visitor attractions include the Capitola Historical Museum, Capitola Wharf, and the Capitola Mall.

 

Soquel

 

The warm & friendly town of Soquel has a rural feel with beautiful valleys and farmland, many of our horse properties and an easy commute over Old San Jose Road onto Summit and Highway 17. Located a short distance inland from the beach community of Capitola, Soquel has numerous antique shops, fine restaurants, and craft galleries there is something for everyone. Bargetto Winery, Hunter Hill Vineyard and Winery & Soquel Vineyards, a few of our great wineries are located here. The homes vary from condominiums to ocean view homes, and the land stretches from ranches to the Santa Cruz & Los Gatos Mountains.

 

Aptos

 

Aptos is located on highway 1 in Santa Cruz County. Developed first as a cattle ranch, then as a lumber town, Aptos is now a tourist region. Pristine beaches, world class golf Seascape Golf Course and the Cement Ship Palo Alto at Seacliff State Beach. At the Aptos Station, visitors will be reminded of the past in a “walking tour” from 1500 A.D. until the present day with a timeline that takes us through Aptos and world history. Learn the stories of Claus Spreckles, Nisene Marks and the forest that bears her name, Butch Voris, the founder of the Blue Angels, Lucile Aldrich who was the reason behind the first Worlds Shortest Parade, the Ohlone Indians, the Chinese that built the railroad and so much more.

 

Corralitos

 

Corralitos is situated north of Watsonville, mostly rural residential and agricultural parcels. It is famous for its apple orchards and the Corralitos Market which smokes its own meat and sausage. You will see corner fruit & veggie markets, local festivals and long time family friends and acquaintances. Many of the homes are large estates with ocean views, sprawling vineyards or just small time organic farmers. A nice temperate climate that sees nice warm days in the spring, some fog in the summer, an all around lovely place to live.

La Selva Beach


La Selva Beach is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County. La Selva Beach boarders Aptos to the north, Corralitos to the east, and Watsonville to the south. The name "La Selva" is Spanish for "the jungle" and possibly an allusion to the jungle of fog that regularly envelopes the small beach community. La Selva Beach is a small quaint community with many ocean view homes. La Selva Beach is home to both La Selva Beach and Manresa State Beach where one can fish, swim, and boogie board.

 

Watsonville

 

Situated in the farthest south in Santa Cruz County in the lush Pajaro Valley, Watsonville some of the most affordable homes for sale now. The majority of our new condos, townhomes and single-family homes have been built over the last 6-10 years in Watsonville. Many of these homes are available to eligible low- or moderate-income, first-time homebuyers. Down payment assistance loans from the Redevelopment Agency are available to eligible buyers of these homes. Settled in the 1850s, Watsonville is an agricultural centre for local strawberries, mushrooms, dairy goods, apples, vinegar, lettuce, and other products.