Summit, Santa Cruz County, California facts for kids
Summit is a small community nestled in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains in California. People who live here often call it the Loma Prieta Community. It's located mostly in Santa Cruz County, California, but a small part is also in Santa Clara County, California. Summit gets its name because it sits at the highest point, or "summit," along Highway 17. This highway is an important road that connects the Silicon Valley (near San Jose) with the Monterey Bay area (near Santa Cruz).
The area around Summit is known for being a convenient rest stop for travelers crossing the mountains. It's also one of the few places in the San Francisco Bay Area that gets snowfall during winter. Sometimes, if there's too much snow, Highway 17 might even close at this spot! The closest town to the south is Scotts Valley, California, and to the north is Redwood Estates, California.
History of Summit
Long ago, before a big earthquake in 1906, there were lakes around Summit where people enjoyed fishing and other fun activities. However, the powerful 1906 San Francisco Earthquake changed the way water flowed, and these lakes eventually dried up.
The original road connecting Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties was a bit to the east of where Summit is today. The community of Summit really started to grow when Highway 17 was built in the 1930s. Many of the businesses you see in Summit now have been around since the 1950s.
Old Railroad Days
Summit was once home to old railroad towns and tunnels from the South Pacific Coast Railroad. This railroad operated trains through the mountains until the 1940s. Today, these old railroad sites are abandoned, but they are a reminder of the area's past. Public transportation, like buses, no longer serves the Summit Road area. For example, a bus route called VTA route 76 stopped running in 2010, and the Highway 17 Express bus only stops in Scotts Valley.
Location and Details
Summit is unique because it sits right on the border between Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County. It's located just south of another community called Lexington Hills, California. Summit and Lexington Hills even share the same ZIP Code, which is 95033. The phone area code for the community is 408.
