Brookdale, California
Brookdale is a community of 1,378 people in Santa Cruz County, California.
Why visit Brookdale
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 15 places to eat, 15 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Park Hall, The San Lorenzo Valley Museum and Ben Lomond County Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 90°F; December lows average 37°F.
Weather in Brookdale
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Brookdale
Brookdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. Brookdale sits at an elevation of 405 feet (123 m). It is located in the San Lorenzo Valley between Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond on Highway 9. The 2020 United States census reported Brookdale's population as 2,043.
From the Wikipedia article Brookdale, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks3
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Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes15
Henfling’s Bar & Grill
Bar and pub · American · 1.6 mi
9450 Highway 9, Ben Lomond
Mo-Su 00:00-02:00,12:00-24:00
Boulder Creek Brewery
Bar and pub · Burger, American · 1.4 mi
13101 Central Avenue
Mo-Su 12:00-21:00
Boulder Creek Roasting Company
Cafe · 1.6 mi
13226 Central Avenue
Mo-Fr 05:00-19:00, Sa-Su 06:00-19:00
Jenna Sue's Café
Cafe · 1.4 mi
13090 Central Avenue
Mo-Fr 06:00-14:30; Sa-Su 07:00-14:30
La Placa Family Bakery
Bakery · 1.7 mi
9280 Highway 9, Ben Lomond
Tu-Su 07:00-20:00
The Red Pearl
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.5 mi
13151 Central Avenue
3 more on the map.
History
The area was previously known as Clear Creek and then Brookville, and was the site of the Grover Lumber Mill by 1870. Logging and lumber was the major industry throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains at the time. James Harvey Logan, a Santa Cruz judge and creator of the loganberry, purchased the mill in 1900, created a creekside resort with cabins and camping, and established the Brookdale post office in 1902.
From the History section of Brookdale, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay15
Quality Inn & Suites Santa Cruz Mountains
Motel and hotel · 1.4 mi
9733 Highway 9, Ben Lomond
Churches and places of worship7
Grace Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church
Church · Orthodox · 1.2 mi
9980 Highway 9, Ben Lomond
Boulder Creek United Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 1.2 mi
12855 Boulder Street
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Santa Cruz Public Library System Boulder Creek Library
Library · 1.7 mi
13390 West Park Avenue, Boulder Creek
Healthcare3
Creekside Wellness/Creekside Collective
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.0 mi
12599 Central Avenue, Boulder Creek
Map of Brookdale
72 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65°F | 37°F | 10.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 67°F | 39°F | 9.7 in | 0.1 in |
| Mar | 71°F | 40°F | 7.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 75°F | 42°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 80°F | 46°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 86°F | 49°F | 0.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 51°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 90°F | 51°F | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 49°F | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 83°F | 44°F | 2.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 40°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 37°F | 10.4 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Ben Lomond #4 (2 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
San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 miles away.
- Boulder Creek 2 mi northwest, about 3 min by car
- Ben Lomond 2 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Bonny Doon 5 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Felton 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Scotts Valley 6 mi southeast, about 10 min by car
- Lexington Hills 8 mi northeast, about 12 min by car
- Santa Cruz 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Live Oak 11 mi southeast, about 18 min by car
- Los Gatos 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Saratoga 12 mi north, about 20 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
- Dick Dale at Brookdale Lodge 2007 (1461449703), Miles Gehm from San Jose, USA, CC BY 2.0
- ISS042-E-97608 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-18T152209 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-20T112838 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-20T112636 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-20T122840 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-18T145649 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-19T084912 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-19T084548 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-2012-05-18T153747 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Grace Episcopal Chrurch, Mrwrite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SLV Museum - panoramio, mr_write, CC BY 3.0
- US-CA-BenLomond-QuakerCenter-Haven-2012-05-18T191925 v1, Brylie Oxley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Marshall Creek, Ben Lomond, CA, Elaine with Grey Cats from Mountain View, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2025-08-10 10 19 47 View north along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just north of Lomond Street in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 19 45 View north along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just north of Lomond Street in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 19 44 View north along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just north of Lomond Street in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 20 21 Buildings along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just north of Lomond Street in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 21 06 Buildings along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just north of Forest Street in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 21 51 View north along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just south of California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 22 32 Buildings along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) near California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 17 30 View south along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just south of California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 16 29 A small tree with leaves turning color along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just south of California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder, Santa Cruz County..., Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 15 24 View south along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) at California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 16 40 Leaves turning color on a tree along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) just south of California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder, Santa Cruz County..., Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 23 12 View north along California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) at California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 44 16 Coast Redwood sapling on a very steep slope along Brier Drive in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 47 49 View east along Brier Drive as it winds between large Coast Redwoods in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 48 07 View east along Brier Drive as it winds between large Coast Redwoods in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 48 27 Coast Redwood sapling along Brier Drive in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 14 45 48 Palm tree along California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 16 08 22 A Colorado Blue Spruce and a palm tree growing side-by-side along California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 14 33 Buildings along California State Route 9 (Central Avenue) near California State Route 236 (Big Basin Highway) in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wee Kirk - Ben Lomond California, Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2025-08-10 10 44 55 Coast Redwood seedling on a very steep slope along Brier Drive in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, California, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
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