Aptos, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aptos, California
Unincorporated community Census designated place
Sunset at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos
Location in Santa Cruz County and its location in the state of California
Aptos, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Cruz
Rancho Aptos	1833
Area
• CDP	6.58 sq mi (17.04 km2)
• Land	6.58 sq mi (17.04 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2020)
• CDP	6,664
• Density	1,013.07/sq mi (391.15/km2)
• Urban	21,000
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	95001, 95003
Area code	831
FIPS code	06-02378
GNIS feature IDs	1657939, 2407750

Aptos is a town in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The name "Aptos" comes from the Ohlone people, meaning "The People."

Aptos is not officially governed by its own city council. Instead, it is made up of several smaller communities. These include Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and Seascape. Together, these areas have a total population of about 24,402 people.

Exploring Aptos History

Early Days: Native People and Spanish Explorers

Aptos was first home to the Awaswas tribe of the Ohlone people. The name "Aptos" is one of only three native words still used as place names in Santa Cruz County. The others are Soquel and Zayante.

In 1769, the first European explorers from Spain traveled through this area. They camped near a creek on October 16. A missionary with the group, Juan Crespi, wrote in his diary about a "small stream." While it's not certain which creek it was, it might have been Aptos Creek.

Rancho Aptos and Early Development

In 1833, the Mexican government gave Rafael Castro a large piece of land called Rancho Aptos. It was about 6,656 acres (27 square kilometers). At first, Castro raised cattle for their hides.

After California became a state in 1850, Castro leased his land to Americans. They built a wharf (a dock), a general store, and a lumber mill. The original town of Aptos was located where Aptos Village Square is today. In 1853, a leather tannery was built. Its main building is now a bed and breakfast inn.

The Railroad and the Bayview Hotel

In 1875, Frederick A. Hihn and Claus Spreckels worked together to build the Santa Cruz Railroad. They made sure the railroad went through Aptos. This was because both men had big plans for developing the area. Hihn owned the Loma Prieta Lumber Company, and Spreckels had his Aptos Hotel resort.

Bayview Hotel in Aptos, a historic landmark.

In 1878, Rafael Castro's daughter, Augustia Castro, and her husband José Arano built the beautiful Victorian-style Bayview Hotel. This hotel is a famous landmark in Santa Cruz County. It is the oldest operating hotel in the county. It became a State Historic Monument in 1974 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The hotel was even moved to its current spot after it was first built!

Growth and Challenges

In the mid to late 1800s, the area faced some health challenges. For example, in 1868, there was a widespread illness. People tried to stop it from spreading by blocking roads and even destroying the Aptos Bridge. These efforts did not work, but they show how serious the situation was.

By 1872, Claus Spreckels, a very rich sugar businessman, started buying land from Castro. He built a hotel near the beach and a large summer home with a ranch. He even had a racetrack for his horses. A big area was fenced off and filled with deer for hunting. This area became known as "the Deer Park," which is where today's Deer Park Center is located.

Lumber, Apples, and Aviation

From 1880 to 1920, cutting down redwood trees became the main industry in Aptos. The town grew very quickly. The Loma Prieta Lumber Company cut down trees in what is now The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Another mill, the Valencia Mill, logged areas to the east. Within 40 years, most of the hills were bare.

After the trees were gone, growing apples became the next big industry. The Hihn Apple Barn is a historic building from that time. In 2016-2017, this building was moved to a new spot to become a grocery store. This move made room for a new shopping complex.

On March 16-20, 1905, important experiments happened near Aptos. A new type of glider, designed by John J. Montgomery, was tested. A pilot named Daniel J. Maloney flew the glider after it was lifted high into the air by a hot-air balloon. These flights, starting over 3,000 feet (914 meters) above the ground, were the first high-altitude glider flights in the world. A marker was placed there in 2005 to celebrate 100 years since these achievements.

Modern Development

After Spreckels passed away, new areas like Seacliff Park and Rio Del Mar Country Club were built in the late 1920s. Today, this area is Seacliff State Beach. The Rio Del Mar Country Club had a clubhouse, a large hotel on the cliffs, a beach club, a polo field, and a golf course.

The SS Palo Alto cement ship was brought to the area and turned into an amusement pier. It had restaurants, a swimming pool, and a dance hall. Both Rio Del Mar and Seacliff were popular places during the time when alcohol was forbidden in the United States. These fun times were stopped by the Great Depression and World War II.

In the early 1960s, Aptos started to grow rapidly. New developments included Cabrillo College, the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, the Seascape Resort, and many new homes.

More recently, in the 2020s, Microsoft named a new computer font "Aptos" after this community.

Aptos Geography

Rio del Mar, California, and Aptos Creek

Aptos is located in Santa Cruz County, California. The United States Census Bureau defines Aptos as a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's an area identified for statistics, but it's not an officially incorporated city.

The CDP covers about 6.4 square miles (16.6 square kilometers) of land. The southwestern edge of Aptos is along Monterey Bay. To the northeast, it reaches into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

State Route 1, a major freeway, runs through Aptos from northwest to southeast. The town uses the ZIP codes 95001 and 95003.

People of Aptos

As of 2020, the population of Aptos was 6,664 people.

Fourth of July Parade - "The World's Shortest Parade"

In 2010, the population of Aptos was 6,220. Most residents were White (87.1%). About 9.8% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

There were 2,549 households in Aptos in 2010. About 26.9% of these households had children under 18 living there. The average household size was 2.41 people. The median age of people in Aptos was 46.9 years old.

Parks and Fun in Aptos

Seacliff State Beach and the S.S. Palo Alto cement ship.

Aptos is home to two beautiful California state parks:

• Forest of Nisene Marks State Park: This park is very popular for hiking and mountain biking. The San Andreas Fault Zone is nearby. The center of the strong 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was actually inside this park.
• Seacliff State Beach: This beach is famous for the SS Palo Alto, a concrete ship that was turned into an amusement pier.

Aptos also has Hidden Beach, which has a playground and a path leading to the ocean.

Annual Events

Aptos is known for its annual Fourth of July "World's Shortest Parade." It's called this because the parade route is only about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) long!

Aptos Park is also the place for the yearly Aptos Blues Festival. Many famous musicians have played at this festival. These include B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Leon Russell, Los Lobos, Gregg Allman, the Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, and Al Green.

Learning in Aptos

Cabrillo College is a two-year community college located in Aptos.

Aptos has several public schools for younger students:

• Valencia Elementary School
• Rio Del Mar Elementary School
• Mar Vista Elementary School
• Aptos Junior High School
• Aptos High School

There are also private schools in Aptos, such as Santa Cruz Montessori School, Orchard School, and Twin Lakes Christian School.

Sports in Aptos

The Aptos Little League baseball team had a special moment in 2002. They made it all the way to the Little League World Series! Their journey was even featured in a documentary film called Small Ball: A Little League Story.

Famous People from Aptos

Many notable people have connections to Aptos:

• Frank Drake - A famous astronomer who founded SETI and created the Drake Equation.
• Peter Mel - A professional surfer who went to Aptos High School.
• Trent Dilfer - A National Football League quarterback who also attended Aptos High School.
• Nikki Hiltz - A professional runner who attended Aptos Middle School.
• Dave Draper - A bodybuilder, actor, speaker, and author.
• Mark Eichhorn - A Major League Baseball pitcher.
• Randy Kramer - A Major League Baseball pitcher and professional baseball scout.
• Lou Harrison - A well-known composer.
• Daniel Henry Holmes Ingalls, Jr. - A computer scientist.
• Harry Hooper - A Major League Baseball player and member of the Hall of Fame. He lived nearby and is buried in Aptos.
• Marisa Miller - A model.
• Bill Miller - A Major League Baseball umpire.
• John J. Montgomery - An aviation pioneer.
• Thomas Pynchon - A famous author.
• George Windle Read, Jr. - A United States Army Lieutenant General.

See Also

In Spanish: Aptos (California) para niños