Aptos Hills

The hills of Aptos demonstrate what makes this area so special - the redwoods, firs and oaks of Nisene Marks State Park, abundant orchards and vineyards, homes of every shape, size and style, and a diverse group of residents, human and otherwise. Roughly bounded by Cabrillo College to the west, Highway 1 to the south, the Pajaro Valley to the east and south, and stretching up into the hills to the east, it is one of the most desirable sites in the county, due to the sunny climate and natural beauty.

Any tour of the area should begin in Aptos Village. Theoretically founded in 1855, it was a gathering place for eons before that, for the Native Americans of the area. Their name for the spot was "Awatos", translated as "the place where waters meet", due to the confluence of Aptos and Valencia Creeks. These creeks cut deep ravines as they approached the ocean, creating challenges to travel that persist to this day. The village persists today, and serves as a down-home center for dining, shopping and services. There are big plans afoot to develop mixed-use buildings, providing housing, retail and office space. Given the transportation challenges posed by the ravines and old-school bridges that bracket the area, let's hope someone's thinking about the traffic aspects of this development.

Nisene Marks State Park, over 12,000 acres of Santa Cruz Mountains from the village of Aptos all the way to the Summit, was donated by the Marks family to the State Park system. It offers incredible running and mountain biking trails, historic sites, and lots of open space, and is minimally developed. It is the location of the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that devastated Northen California on October 17th of that year.

Homes in the area can be humble hillside cabins, restored or replica farmhouses, or grand Mediterranean villas. There are few subdivisions in the contemporary sense of the word; Meadow Ranch Estates and Forest and Meadows are 2 higher-end locations of million-dollar-plus homes. Farming in the area tends to the gentleperson-farmer style, with wine grapes, olive trees, avocados and high-value crops replacing the traditional apple orchards. Apples, once the mainstay for farmers throughout South Santa Cruz County, have suffered from rising property values and low value in the now global market for fruit.

Living and working my own small farm in the Aptos Hills, as well as helping numerous clients find their dream home or land, has given me an unparalleled perspective on what makes it a great place to buy or live. If you'd like to talk more about special places here, give me a call. I'd love to chat!