Scotts Valley, California
Encyclopedia
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County
, California
, United States
, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose
and six miles (10 km) north of Monterey Bay
, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains
. As of the 2010 census
, the city population was 11,580. Principal access to the city is supplied by State Route 17 that connects San Jose and Santa Cruz
.
The City of Scotts Valley was incorporated in 1966.
tribes occupied areas along watercourse
s in Scotts Valley such as creeks, spring and seep areas, areas along permanent and seasonal drainages, and flat ridges and terraces. These early settlements probably occurred as early as 2000 BC. Therefore, areas along watercourses are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Several watercourses, including portions of Carbonera Creek
, Bean Creek
, MacKenzie Creek and the San Lorenzo River
, are within the city. Permanent villages were usually placed on elevations above seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were thence used for hunting and seed, acorn
, and grass gathering.
Scotts Valley was named after Hiram Scott, who purchased Rancho San Agustin
, including the valley, in 1850 from Joseph Ladd Majors.
Before Majors, the property was owned by José Bolcoff. Bolcoff was the original settler and first European to claim title and live in what was to be Scotts Valley. He was born Osip Volkov around 1794 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
, Siberia
. Working as a fur trader around 1815, Bolcoff jumped ship on the Monterey Bay shoreline, quickly assimilated into the Spanish culture, and was well received by the Spanish authorities. Volkov had his Russian Orthodox Baptism validated in Mission Soledad in 1817, and was given the Spanish name José Antonio Bolcoff. Bolcoff lived with and traveled with Alta California
's governor Pablo Vicente de Solá
, acting as an interpreter.
Becoming a Mexican citizen in 1833, Bolcoff moved his family to his 4400 acres (18 km²) land grant building, an adobe casa historians speculate was located near present-day Kings Village Shopping Center. Bolcoff relinquished his interest in the Rancho San Augustin, selling and accepting $400 from Joseph Ladd Majors, also known as Don Juan José Mechacas. July 7, 1846 marked the shift of power in the region
from Mexico to the United States.
Hiram Scott built the Greek revival style
Scott House in 1853. Situated behind City Hall, it is a Santa Cruz County Historical Trust Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house originally stood on Scotts Valley Drive, near where a Bank of America
branch is now located.
Scotts Valley's most famous resident was film director Alfred Hitchcock
, who lived in a mountaintop estate above the Vine Hill area from 1940 to 1972. Florence Owens Thompson
, made famous by Dorothea Lange's
Migrant Mother photograph, died in Scotts Valley in 1983.
, the Scotts Valley area has provided services to travelers. With the growing popularity of the automobile in the early 20th century, the area became commercialized and tourism developed as a local industry.
In the early 1920s, Edward Evers established Camp Evers at the junction of the State Highway and Mt. Hermon Road. Camp Evers consisted of a small store, gas pumps, dance hall and tents, becoming a resort and rest stop for travelers.
The Beverly Gardens were established in the 1930s and featured a collection of exotic birds and animals, a restaurant, and cabins.
Axel Erlandson
opened The Tree Circus in 1947, featuring trees grafted and trained in strange and unusual shapes. Bright "life size" painted dinosaurs overlooking Highway 17 were added to the Tree Circus in 1964 when it changed its name to The Lost World. Surviving trees have since been moved to Gilroy Gardens
.
Santa's Village, one of three locations in America's first theme park chain, was established in 1956. It was the most popular of the many attractions, attracting millions of visitors to Scotts Valley for over twenty years, and it was the last of Scotts Valley's theme parks to close its doors, in 1979. H. Glenn Holland
, who had already developed a Santa's Village elsewhere the previous year, leased 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) at the former Lawridge Farm, which was a portion of the former Rancho San Augustin for the Scotts Valley location of Santa's Village. The park maintained a historically correct team of Mexican burros that lived on the back 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) field. Four reindeer from Unalakleet, Alaska
, pulled Santa's sleigh. All the buildings were designed to look like log chalet-type structures, replete with snowy roofs and gingerbread trim. One chalet housed a legendary fresh gingerbread bakery. Theme-appropriate music flowed from speakers hidden in towering redwood trees. In 1977 the Santa's Village Corporation had filed for bankruptcy, and in 1979 the park's gates were finally closed. The site is currently a playing field at the former headquarters of Borland.
Scotts Valley is also near Big Basin Redwoods State Park
, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
, and Roaring Camp Railroads. The town is surrounded by coast redwood forests. The city of Santa Cruz
lies to the south. A relatively large municipal skateboard park, where pro skateboarder Eric Costello died October 2005 due to improper helmet use, is near Skypark, the site of a former airport, in central Scotts Valley.
Two hotels operate in Scotts Valley: a Best Western
hotel is located near the Granite Creek entrance to Highway 17, and a Hilton
hotel is located near the Mount Hermon junction with Highway 17.
were established in the year 1990.
Many high technology businesses are located in Scotts Valley, including the headquarters of Seagate Technology
(the world's largest producer of computer hard drives), E-mu Systems
and Sessions
, a company that makes clothing for snow, skate and surf-boarding. Borland Software Corp.
was formerly headquartered in Scotts Valley.
Netflix
first headquarters were established in Scotts Valley by Reed Hastings, a Stanford graduate, in 1997. The headquarters were later moved to nearby Los Gatos.
was 2,520.4 people per square mile (973.1/km²). The racial makeup of Scotts Valley was 9,958 (86.0%) White, 101 (0.9%) African American, 57 (0.5%) Native American, 590 (5.1%) Asian, 18 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 292 (2.5%) from other races
, and 564 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,158 persons (10.0%).
The Census reported that 11,308 people (97.7% of the population) lived in households, 264 (2.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 8 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,426 households, out of which 1,588 (35.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,423 (54.7%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 474 (10.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 189 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 206 (4.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 43 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,054 households (23.8%) were made up of individuals and 516 (11.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55. There were 3,086 families
(69.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.
The population was spread out with 2,863 people (24.7%) under the age of 18, 969 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 2,513 people (21.7%) aged 25 to 44, 3,660 people (31.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,575 people (13.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
There were 4,610 housing units at an average density of 1,003.4 per square mile (387.4/km²), of which 3,248 (73.4%) were owner-occupied, and 1,178 (26.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%. 8,558 people (73.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,750 people (23.7%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 11,385 people, 4,273 households, and 2,969 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,473.7 people per square mile (955.6/km²). There were 4,423 housing units at an average density of 961.0 per square mile (371.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.63% White, 0.48% African American, 0.40% Native American, 4.62% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races
, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.40% of the population.
There were 4,273 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income
for a household in the city was $72,449, and the median income for a family was $88,573. Males had a median income of $74,183 versus $40,492 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $35,684. About 0.9% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Scotts Valley is located in the 15th Senate
District, represented by Republican
Sam Blakeslee
, and in the 27th Assembly
District, represented by Democrat
Bill Monning
. Federally, Scotts Valley is located in California's 14th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +18 and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo
.
, a four-year private
Christian
university
, operated by Olivet University
since 2011 and will retain the Bethany University name. The school enrolls about five hundred students each year.
The Scotts Valley Unified School District
operates four public schools: Scotts Valley High School
(grades 9 to 12), Scotts Valley Middle School (grades 6 to 8), and two elementary school
s: Vine Hill School (grades Kindergarten to 5) and Brook Knoll School. They also operate an Independent Study/Home School program. Together these schools serve more than 2,600 students each year.
A single private school, Baymonte Christian School, serves students from pre-Kindergarten through eighth grades. Baymonte is a non-denominational Protestant Bible school that was founded in 1968. In 2003, it earned the distinction of being a Blue Ribbon School, a distinction awarded to one school in 25 across the nation.
, centered at 37°3′5"N 122°0′48"W (37.051381, -122.013236). State Route 17 connects Scotts Valley to Santa Cruz to the south and to Los Gatos, San Jose
, and the South Bay area to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, it has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), all land. It is in central Santa Cruz County, in the northern portion of the North Central Coast Air Basin.
Air in Scotts Valley is typically maritime in origin, as it moves over the land from the Pacific Ocean. Summers are warm and dry, while winters are mild and generally rainy. Most rain falls as a result of winter Pacific storms between the months of November and April. Sound levels in Scotts Valley are typically in the range of 57 to 65 dBA
, except for somewhat higher levels within 150 feet (46 m) from Highway 17.
is supplied to the City of Scotts Valley by the Scotts Valley Water District and the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. Domestic water supplies are obtained solely from groundwater
sources extracted by wells. Wastewater
in Scotts Valley is treated at the Scotts Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant at Scotts Valley and Mount Hermon Roads. Treated wastewater effluent
is pumped via the city of Santa Cruz into the Pacific Ocean
.
Bus service from Scotts Valley to Santa Cruz, California
, the San Lorenzo Valley
, and San Jose, California
is provided by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
.
The Santa Cruz Sky Park
, a small recreational airport, closed in 1983.
is spelled with an apostrophe
.
Scotts Valley is home of ZERO Motorcycles INC., a company who designs and produces electric motorcycles.
Tim Brauch , (Deceased) Professional Skateboarder / Skateboarding Pioneer
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and six miles (10 km) north of Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, the city population was 11,580. Principal access to the city is supplied by State Route 17 that connects San Jose and Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
.
The City of Scotts Valley was incorporated in 1966.
History
OhloneOhlone
The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...
tribes occupied areas along watercourse
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
s in Scotts Valley such as creeks, spring and seep areas, areas along permanent and seasonal drainages, and flat ridges and terraces. These early settlements probably occurred as early as 2000 BC. Therefore, areas along watercourses are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Several watercourses, including portions of Carbonera Creek
Carbonera Creek
Carbonera Creek is a watercourse in Santa Cruz County, California, that eventually flows to the San Lorenzo River.The stream rises in the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains and flows in a generally southwesterly direction. The city of Scotts Valley is situated within the watershed of Carbonera Creek and...
, Bean Creek
Bean Creek
Bean Creek is a stream that rises on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains and discharges to Zayante Creek. This stream traverses relatively rugged, forested lands and is the locus of an important fossil bearing formation. These fossils are embedded in the Lower Santa Margarita Formation...
, MacKenzie Creek and the San Lorenzo River
San Lorenzo River
The San Lorenzo River drains a large watershed in Santa Cruz County, California. The headwaters originate in the Santa Cruz Mountains at an elevation of , and the river flows through the San Lorenzo Valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Monterey Bay...
, are within the city. Permanent villages were usually placed on elevations above seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were thence used for hunting and seed, acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
, and grass gathering.
Rancho San Agustin
Rancho San Agustin was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Antonio Bolcoff...
, including the valley, in 1850 from Joseph Ladd Majors.
Before Majors, the property was owned by José Bolcoff. Bolcoff was the original settler and first European to claim title and live in what was to be Scotts Valley. He was born Osip Volkov around 1794 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Working as a fur trader around 1815, Bolcoff jumped ship on the Monterey Bay shoreline, quickly assimilated into the Spanish culture, and was well received by the Spanish authorities. Volkov had his Russian Orthodox Baptism validated in Mission Soledad in 1817, and was given the Spanish name José Antonio Bolcoff. Bolcoff lived with and traveled with Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
's governor Pablo Vicente de Solá
Pablo Vicente de Solá
Pablo Vicente de Solá , the last Spanish governor of Alta California from 1815-1822....
, acting as an interpreter.
Becoming a Mexican citizen in 1833, Bolcoff moved his family to his 4400 acres (18 km²) land grant building, an adobe casa historians speculate was located near present-day Kings Village Shopping Center. Bolcoff relinquished his interest in the Rancho San Augustin, selling and accepting $400 from Joseph Ladd Majors, also known as Don Juan José Mechacas. July 7, 1846 marked the shift of power in the region
Battle of Monterey
-Preliminaries:Prior to the Mexican-American War the Californio forces had already driven the Mexican appointed Governor Manuel Micheltorena and most of his soldiers from Alta California...
from Mexico to the United States.
Hiram Scott built the Greek revival style
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
Scott House in 1853. Situated behind City Hall, it is a Santa Cruz County Historical Trust Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house originally stood on Scotts Valley Drive, near where a Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
branch is now located.
Scotts Valley's most famous resident was film director Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, who lived in a mountaintop estate above the Vine Hill area from 1940 to 1972. Florence Owens Thompson
Florence Owens Thompson
Florence Owens Thompson , born Florence Leona Christie, was the subject of Dorothea Lange's photo Migrant Mother , an iconic image of the Great Depression. The Library of Congress entitled the Migrant Mother image, "Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two...
, made famous by Dorothea Lange's
Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration...
Migrant Mother photograph, died in Scotts Valley in 1983.
Tourism
From its early years as a stop on the stage route across the mountainsCalifornia Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
, the Scotts Valley area has provided services to travelers. With the growing popularity of the automobile in the early 20th century, the area became commercialized and tourism developed as a local industry.
In the early 1920s, Edward Evers established Camp Evers at the junction of the State Highway and Mt. Hermon Road. Camp Evers consisted of a small store, gas pumps, dance hall and tents, becoming a resort and rest stop for travelers.
Axel Erlandson
Axel Erlandson
Axel Erlandson was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus."...
opened The Tree Circus in 1947, featuring trees grafted and trained in strange and unusual shapes. Bright "life size" painted dinosaurs overlooking Highway 17 were added to the Tree Circus in 1964 when it changed its name to The Lost World. Surviving trees have since been moved to Gilroy Gardens
Gilroy Gardens
Gilroy Gardens is a garden-themed family theme park in Gilroy, California and current location of the world-famous Circus Trees created by Axel Erlandson. It was founded by Michael and Claudia Bonfante after selling their Nob Hill Foods supermarket chain to build the park. The park was constructed...
.
Santa's Village, one of three locations in America's first theme park chain, was established in 1956. It was the most popular of the many attractions, attracting millions of visitors to Scotts Valley for over twenty years, and it was the last of Scotts Valley's theme parks to close its doors, in 1979. H. Glenn Holland
Glenn Holland
Harold Glenn Holland was a developer from Arcadia, California who established the first franchise of amusement parks, Santa's Village.-Early life:...
, who had already developed a Santa's Village elsewhere the previous year, leased 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) at the former Lawridge Farm, which was a portion of the former Rancho San Augustin for the Scotts Valley location of Santa's Village. The park maintained a historically correct team of Mexican burros that lived on the back 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) field. Four reindeer from Unalakleet, Alaska
Unalakleet, Alaska
Unalakleet is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2000 census the population was 747. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon and king crab harvests; the residents rely heavily on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk , and...
, pulled Santa's sleigh. All the buildings were designed to look like log chalet-type structures, replete with snowy roofs and gingerbread trim. One chalet housed a legendary fresh gingerbread bakery. Theme-appropriate music flowed from speakers hidden in towering redwood trees. In 1977 the Santa's Village Corporation had filed for bankruptcy, and in 1979 the park's gates were finally closed. The site is currently a playing field at the former headquarters of Borland.
Scotts Valley is also near Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many...
, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a California State Park located in Santa Cruz County, primarily in the area in-between the cities of Santa Cruz, Felton, and Scotts Valley, and the University of California at Santa Cruz, and it includes an extension in the Fall Creek area.-Geography:The main...
, and Roaring Camp Railroads. The town is surrounded by coast redwood forests. The city of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
lies to the south. A relatively large municipal skateboard park, where pro skateboarder Eric Costello died October 2005 due to improper helmet use, is near Skypark, the site of a former airport, in central Scotts Valley.
Two hotels operate in Scotts Valley: a Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
hotel is located near the Granite Creek entrance to Highway 17, and a Hilton
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
hotel is located near the Mount Hermon junction with Highway 17.
Redevelopment and high technology
Evidence regarding blighted conditions in the Redevelopment Area of Santa's Village and the Skypark AirportSanta Cruz Sky Park
Santa Cruz Sky Park was an airport located in Scotts Valley, California, within Santa Cruz County.-Historical Timeline:-Sources:* 1 Appendix A Santa Cruz Sky Park was an airport located in Scotts Valley, California, within Santa Cruz County.-Historical Timeline:-Sources:* 1 Appendix A Santa Cruz...
were established in the year 1990.
Many high technology businesses are located in Scotts Valley, including the headquarters of Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...
(the world's largest producer of computer hard drives), E-mu Systems
E-mu Systems
E-mu Systems, Inc. is a synthesizer maker and pioneer in samplers and low-cost digital sampling music workstations.-History:Founded in 1971 by Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum, E-mu began making modular synthesizers...
and Sessions
Sessions (clothing company)
Sessions is an American apparel company located in Scotts Valley, California .-History:In 1983, Sessions was founded in Sunnyvale, California by Joel Gomez, a skater from Santa Cruz, as a retail store and clothing line that bridged skateboarding, snowboarding, and music. Sessions started a mail...
, a company that makes clothing for snow, skate and surf-boarding. Borland Software Corp.
Borland
Borland Software Corporation is a software company first headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, Cupertino, California and finally Austin, Texas. It is now a Micro Focus subsidiary. It was founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad and Philippe Kahn.-The 1980s:...
was formerly headquartered in Scotts Valley.
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
first headquarters were established in Scotts Valley by Reed Hastings, a Stanford graduate, in 1997. The headquarters were later moved to nearby Los Gatos.
Top employers
According to Scotts Valley's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seagate Technology Seagate Technology Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979... |
880 |
| 2 | Threshold Enterprises | 548 |
| 3 | Aviza Sumitomo Precision Products Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd. is an integrated manufacturer of aerospace equipment, heat exchangers, hydraulic controls, wireless sensor networks, sensors, micro-electronics technology, and environmental systems... |
259 |
| 4 | Central California Alliance for Health | 146 |
| 5 | Embarcadero Technologies Embarcadero Technologies Embarcadero Technologies is an American computer software company that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services related to software through its various dynamic product divisions... |
111 |
| 6 | Oak Tree Villa Brookdale Senior Living Brookdale Senior Living is a company that operates senior's residences, established in 1978. It is a New York Stock Exchange listed company. Brookdale is the largest owner and operator of senior living communities throughout the United States", operating over 570 senior or retirement communities... |
85 |
| 7 | The Camp Recovery Center | 75 |
| 8 | Comcast Comcast Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the... |
74 |
| 9 | Nob Hill Foods | 74 |
| 10 | Safeway Safeway Inc. Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern... |
73 |
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Scotts Valley had a population of 11,580. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,520.4 people per square mile (973.1/km²). The racial makeup of Scotts Valley was 9,958 (86.0%) White, 101 (0.9%) African American, 57 (0.5%) Native American, 590 (5.1%) Asian, 18 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 292 (2.5%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 564 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,158 persons (10.0%).
The Census reported that 11,308 people (97.7% of the population) lived in households, 264 (2.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 8 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,426 households, out of which 1,588 (35.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,423 (54.7%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 474 (10.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 189 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 206 (4.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 43 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,054 households (23.8%) were made up of individuals and 516 (11.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55. There were 3,086 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(69.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.
The population was spread out with 2,863 people (24.7%) under the age of 18, 969 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 2,513 people (21.7%) aged 25 to 44, 3,660 people (31.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,575 people (13.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
There were 4,610 housing units at an average density of 1,003.4 per square mile (387.4/km²), of which 3,248 (73.4%) were owner-occupied, and 1,178 (26.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%. 8,558 people (73.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,750 people (23.7%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 11,385 people, 4,273 households, and 2,969 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,473.7 people per square mile (955.6/km²). There were 4,423 housing units at an average density of 961.0 per square mile (371.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.63% White, 0.48% African American, 0.40% Native American, 4.62% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.40% of the population.
There were 4,273 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $72,449, and the median income for a family was $88,573. Males had a median income of $74,183 versus $40,492 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $35,684. About 0.9% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Scotts Valley is located in the 15th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Sam Blakeslee
Sam Blakeslee
Samuel Norman Blakeslee is a Republican California State Senator representing California's 15th State Senate district, a former California State Assemblyman from California's 33rd State Assembly district, and a former State Assembly Republican Leader...
, and in the 27th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Bill Monning
Bill Monning
William "Bill" Monning is an American educator, lawyer and politician. Monning was elected to the California State Assembly from the 27th Assembly District in the 2008 Assembly election....
. Federally, Scotts Valley is located in California's 14th congressional district
California's 14th congressional district
California's 14th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is located between San Francisco and San Jose. The district includes portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties and most notably contains part of Silicon Valley. Major cities in...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +18 and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo
Anna Eshoo
Anna Georges Eshoo is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which includes part of Silicon Valley, includes the cities of Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto...
.
Education
Scotts Valley is home to Bethany UniversityBethany University
Bethany University was a four-year private Christian university located in Scotts Valley, California in Santa Cruz County. It operated from 1919 until closing in 2011 and was endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal denomination, and was the denomination's oldest college at the time of...
, a four-year private
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, operated by Olivet University
Olivet University
Olivet University is a private Christian institution of biblical higher education that is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education to award Certificates, Bachelor and Master’s degrees.-Mission statement:...
since 2011 and will retain the Bethany University name. The school enrolls about five hundred students each year.
The Scotts Valley Unified School District
Scotts Valley Unified School District
The Scotts Valley Unified School District is a public school district located in Santa Cruz County, California, U.S. which operates four schools educating about 2,700 students.- Schools :...
operates four public schools: Scotts Valley High School
Scotts Valley High School
Scotts Valley High School is a public high school located in Scotts Valley, California. It was founded in 1999 and is a part of the Scotts Valley Unified School District, which is in Santa Cruz County. SVHS serves approximately 900 students from the communities of Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz...
(grades 9 to 12), Scotts Valley Middle School (grades 6 to 8), and two elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s: Vine Hill School (grades Kindergarten to 5) and Brook Knoll School. They also operate an Independent Study/Home School program. Together these schools serve more than 2,600 students each year.
A single private school, Baymonte Christian School, serves students from pre-Kindergarten through eighth grades. Baymonte is a non-denominational Protestant Bible school that was founded in 1968. In 2003, it earned the distinction of being a Blue Ribbon School, a distinction awarded to one school in 25 across the nation.
Geography and environment
Scotts Valley is in the west hills of the Santa Cruz MountainsSanta Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
, centered at 37°3′5"N 122°0′48"W (37.051381, -122.013236). State Route 17 connects Scotts Valley to Santa Cruz to the south and to Los Gatos, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, and the South Bay area to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, it has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), all land. It is in central Santa Cruz County, in the northern portion of the North Central Coast Air Basin.
Air in Scotts Valley is typically maritime in origin, as it moves over the land from the Pacific Ocean. Summers are warm and dry, while winters are mild and generally rainy. Most rain falls as a result of winter Pacific storms between the months of November and April. Sound levels in Scotts Valley are typically in the range of 57 to 65 dBA
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
, except for somewhat higher levels within 150 feet (46 m) from Highway 17.
Infrastructure
Drinking waterDrinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
is supplied to the City of Scotts Valley by the Scotts Valley Water District and the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. Domestic water supplies are obtained solely from groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
sources extracted by wells. Wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
in Scotts Valley is treated at the Scotts Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant at Scotts Valley and Mount Hermon Roads. Treated wastewater effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
is pumped via the city of Santa Cruz into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Bus service from Scotts Valley to Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, the San Lorenzo Valley
San Lorenzo Valley
The San Lorenzo Valley, often referred to locally as "SLV," is in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Cruz County, California. It was once a center of the logging industry of California and is still home to millions of Sequoia sempervirens, or redwood trees...
, and San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
is provided by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District , or simply the Santa Cruz Metro, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California....
.
The Santa Cruz Sky Park
Santa Cruz Sky Park
Santa Cruz Sky Park was an airport located in Scotts Valley, California, within Santa Cruz County.-Historical Timeline:-Sources:* 1 Appendix A Santa Cruz Sky Park was an airport located in Scotts Valley, California, within Santa Cruz County.-Historical Timeline:-Sources:* 1 Appendix A Santa Cruz...
, a small recreational airport, closed in 1983.
Miscellaneous
A computer virus discovered in Scotts Valley in September 1990 was named after the city, although Scott's Valley (computer virus)Scott's Valley (computer virus)
is a computer virus, a member of the Slow virus family and distantly related to the Jerusalem virus family. It was discovered in September 1990 in Scotts Valley, California....
is spelled with an apostrophe
Apostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
.
Scotts Valley is home of ZERO Motorcycles INC., a company who designs and produces electric motorcycles.
Notable People
Jack Fogelquist , Professional Mountain Bike RiderTim Brauch , (Deceased) Professional Skateboarder / Skateboarding Pioneer
External links
- City of Scotts Valley official site
- Information for Scotts Valley visitors from the Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council
- Wikitravel's article on Scotts Valley