Aptos, California
Aptos is a community of 6,404 people in Santa Cruz County, California.
Why visit Aptos
Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 25 parks and trails, 42 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Hihn Building, Rispin Mansion, Anna Jean Cummings Park and Aptos Seascape Golf Course.
September is the warmest month, with average highs of 77°F; December lows average 41°F.
Weather in Aptos
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Aptos
Aptos (Ohlone for "The People" or "Meeting of Two Streams") is an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and Seascape. As of the 2020 census, Aptos had a population of 6,664.
From the Wikipedia article Aptos, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks11
Hihn Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Commercial building in Capitola, California
Rispin Mansion
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
Historic mansion in Capitola, California
Valencia Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Community center in Santa Cruz County, California
Venetian Court
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Historic district in California, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds25
Anna Jean Cummings Park
Park · 3.6 mi
Park in United States of America
13 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes42
Taqueria Los Pericos
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.2 mi
36 Rancho Del Mar, Aptos
Mo-Sa 09:00-23:00; Su 09:00-22:00
Venus Pie Trap
Restaurant · Pizza, Coffee Shop, Dessert · 1.6 mi
113 Esplanade, Aptos
Mo-Su 07:00-17:00
Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen
Restaurant · Burger, American, Seafood · 1.6 mi
131 Esplanade, Aptos
Mo-Fr 16:00-21:00; Sa-Su 12:00-21:00
Marianne's Ice Cream
Ice cream · 1.5 mi
218 State Park Drive, Aptos
Mo-Th,Su 10:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-24:00
30 more on the map.
History
Aptos was traditionally inhabited by the Awaswas tribe of Ohlone people. The name is one of only three native words that have survived (in Hispanicized form) as place names in Santa Cruz County (the others are Soquel and Zayante). In the Awaswas Ohlone language, Aptos may mean "the people" according to Gudde and Bright (2004) or "meeting of two streams" according to Golla (2011).
The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, passed through the area on its way north, camping at one of the creeks on October 16, 1769. The expedition diaries don't provide enough information to be sure which creek it was, but the direction of travel was northwest, parallel to the coast. Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi, traveling with the expedition, noted in his diary that, "We stopped on the bank of a small stream, which has about four varas of deep running water. It has on its banks a good growth of cottonwoods and alders; on account of the depth at which it runs it may be that it cannot be utilized to water some plains through which it runs." Crespi diary translator Herbert Bolton speculated that the location was Soquel Creek, but it could have been Aptos Creek.
From the History section of Aptos, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
Seacliff Inn Aptos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Motel and hotel · 1.3 mi
7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos
Churches and places of worship9
Shopping11
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries35
Healthcare3
Map of Aptos
147 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°F | 41°F | 6.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 64°F | 43°F | 6.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 66°F | 44°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 69°F | 46°F | 2.0 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 71°F | 49°F | 0.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 74°F | 52°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 74°F | 54°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 76°F | 55°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 77°F | 53°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 50°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 67°F | 44°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 62°F | 41°F | 6.0 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Santa Cruz Hcn (6 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Santa Cruz County has had 22 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-04-13: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-08-22: Wildfires (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Seacliff 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Soquel 3 mi west, about 5 min by car
- Day Valley 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley 4 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Live Oak 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- La Selva Beach 5 mi southeast, about 8 min by car
- Freedom 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- Corralitos 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Santa Cruz 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
- Watsonville 8 mi southeast, about 13 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Seacliff at sunset, Prg, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Aptos Creek - panoramio, Thomson M, CC BY 3.0
- Bayview Hotel, Aptos, California, W Nowicki, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Aptos Creek pay phone, Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aptos Street - panoramio, mr_write, CC BY 3.0
- Aptos Creek 2017-04-16, Schmiebel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aptos Creek birds, Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Seacliff, Aptos, CA 80 - panoramio, Vince Migliore, CC BY 3.0
- Aptos shore 798 - panoramio, Vince Migliore, CC BY 3.0
- Aptos shore 813 - panoramio, Vince Migliore, CC BY 3.0
- Hihn Building - Santa Cruz County, California, Mrwrite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- USA-Capitola-Rispin Mansion, Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Venetian Court, Capitola, California, W Nowicki, CC BY 3.0
- ISS063-E-6855 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS063-E-6856 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS052-E-12959 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Douglas iris (28611081608), Peter D. Tillman from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gymnoconia peckiana 136435817, mushroomshindig, CC BY 4.0
- Gymnoconia peckiana 136435847, mushroomshindig, CC BY 4.0
- Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railroad at Soquel Drive and Spreckles Drive pano, Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Marty Klein 2017, Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2011-10-06 Cantharellus californicus Arora & Dunham 176460, This image was created by user Jeff Riedenauer (Tamsenite) at Mushroom Observer , a source for mycological images. You can contact this user here ., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Crepidotus mollis 109165528, mushroomshindig, CC BY 4.0
- Crepidotus mollis 109165522, mushroomshindig, CC BY 4.0
- My breakfast at a convenience store near New Brighton Beach State Park, Santa Cruz (21573348101), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- One of many signs marking the way (21573150111), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Erythranthe glaucescens JEPS109856 in cultivation (9970076106), Dean Wm. Taylor, CC BY 2.0
- ^14080 - Flickr - DeanWmTaylor, Dean Wm. Taylor, CC BY 2.0
- Euphorbia ocellata ssp. rattanii - 12271, Dean Wm. Taylor, CC BY 2.0
- Euphorbia ocellata ssp. rattanii - 16124 jpg, Dean Wm. Taylor, CC BY 2.0
- Valencia Hall, Mrwrite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rio del Mar, California (1) (cropped), Cristiano Tomás, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rio del Mar, California (1), Cristiano Tomás, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Crithmum maritimum (9844829433), Dean Wm. Taylor, CC BY 2.0
- SS Palo Alto as of 23 June 2024, Sharth, CC BY-SA 4.0
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