Twin Lakes, California
Twin Lakes is a community of 5,073 people in Santa Cruz County, California.
Why visit Twin Lakes
Townapedia lists 20 museums and landmarks, 53 parks and trails, 77 places to eat, 9 places to stay and 7 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Five Branches University, Santa Cruz Breakwater Light, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and Branciforte Adobe.
September is the warmest month, with average highs of 77°F; December lows average 41°F.
Weather in Twin Lakes
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Twin Lakes
Twin Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 4,944 at the 2020 census, up from 4,917 at the 2010 census.
From the Wikipedia article Twin Lakes, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do7
Five Branches University
School · 0.4 mi
Private university located in California, United States
Santa Cruz Breakwater Light
Lighthouse · 0.6 mi
Lighthouse in California, United States
Museums and landmarks20
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Museum · 1.0 mi
1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Tu-Fr 11:00-16:00, Sa-Su 10:00-17:00
Branciforte Adobe
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Historic house in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Glen Canyon Covered Bridge
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Former bridge near Santa Cruz, California, USA
Golden Gate Villa
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Historic house in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Hihn Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Commercial building in Capitola, California
Hinds House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Historic building in Santa Cruz, California, US
Hotel Metropole
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Former hotel building in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Octagon Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Historic building in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Rispin Mansion
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Historic mansion in Capitola, California
Santa Cruz Downtown Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Historic district in Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
Santa Cruz Looff Carousel and Roller Coaster
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Joint heritage listing in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Venetian Court
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Historic district in California, United States of America
8 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds53
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Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Sports field and stadium · 1.4 mi
Amusement park in Santa Cruz, California
400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz
Anna Jean Cummings Park
Park · 2.9 mi
Park in United States of America
41 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes77
Cafe El Palomar
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.5 mi
2222 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Mo-Th 08:00-22:00, Fr-Su 07:00-22:00
Canton
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.5 mi
900 41st Avenue, Santa Cruz
Su 11:30-21:30, Mo-Tu 16:30-21:30, We-Th 11:30-21:30, Fr-Sa 11:30-22:00
Johnny's Harborside
Restaurant · Seafood · 0.7 mi
493 Lake Avenue, Santa Cruz
We 16:30-19:30; Th-Su 15:30-19:30
La Posta
Restaurant · Italian · 1.0 mi
538 Seabright Avenue
Tu-Th 17:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 17:00-21:30; Su 17:00-20:30
Süda
Diner · American · 1.4 mi
3910 Portola Drive
Mo-We 17:00-21:00, Th 17:00-22:00, Fr-Sa 10:00-22:00, Su 10:00-21:00
The Crow's Nest
Restaurant · Seafood, American, Regional · 0.5 mi
2218 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Mo-Fr 07:30-14:30, Sa 07:30-15:00, Su 07:30-15:30, Mo-Fr...
Linda's Seabreeze Cafe
Restaurant · 1.0 mi
542 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz
Mo-Sa 06:00-14:00, Su 07:00-13:00
65 more on the map.
Where to stay9
Churches and places of worship18
Mission Santa Cruz
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Santa Cruz Assembly of God Church
Church · Assemblies Of God · 1.1 mi
1275 30th Avenue, Santa Cruz
Shopping10
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries50
Alternative Family Education
School · 1.8 mi
840 North Branciforte Ave., Santa Cruz
California Connections Academy Monterey Bay
School · 5.9 mi
108 Whispering Pines Dr. Ste. 115, Scotts Valley
Costanoa Continuation High
School · 1.8 mi
840 North Branciforte Ave., Santa Cruz
Healthcare3
Map of Twin Lakes
250 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 (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
Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Pleasure Point 1 mi east, about 2 min by car
- Live Oak 2 mi north, about 3 min by car
- Capitola 2 mi northeast, about 4 min by car
- Santa Cruz 3 mi west, about 4 min by car
- Soquel 3 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Seacliff 4 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Rio del Mar 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Aptos 6 mi east, about 9 min by car
- Scotts Valley 7 mi north, about 11 min by car
- Felton 7 mi northwest, about 12 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
- Family on Twin Lakes State Beach (8509609608), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Twin Lakes State Beach and lighthouse, Don DeBold, CC BY 2.0
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - 4652510977, Josta Photo, CC BY 2.0
- Mission Santa Cruz, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Brancifotre Adobe, Mrwrite, Public domain
- Hihn Building - Santa Cruz County, California, Mrwrite, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hotel metropole 1908, East elevation new building, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- USA-Capitola-Rispin Mansion, Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- USA-Santa Cruz-Golden Gate Villa-2, Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Venetian Court, Capitola, California, W Nowicki, CC BY 3.0
- USA-Santa Cruz-Octagon Building-1, Eugene Zelenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- A- J- Hinds House 2012-09-03 13-21-11, jdlrobson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- LOOFF CAROUSEL, SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Santa Cruz (California) MAH facade, WCCasey, CC BY-SA 3.0
- IMG 9846Santa Cruz Lighthouse, ravas51, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Walton Light, Benjamin Cody, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Beached deceased pilot whale calf 02, Bastique, CC BY 3.0
- Beached deceased pilot whale calf 01, Bastique, CC BY 3.0
- Beached deceased pilot whale calf 02 (cropped), Bastique, CC BY 3.0
- Life Guard Station and Lighthouse (8508498499), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Looking for Treasure on the Beach (8508501259), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Women talking on the Beach (8509607978), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Santa Cruz (8508495755), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Santa Cruz (8509602686), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Couple with Dog Walking on the Breakwater near dusk (15964544802), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Walton Lighthouse Near Dusk (15345572093), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ligthhouse Silhouette (15777795958), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Walton Lighthouse Near Dusk (15345575463), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Walton Lighthouse Near Dusk (15939433966), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- On the Beach by Walton Lighthouse (8509607416), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Walking on the Beach (8508502117), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- The great solar eclipse 2017 santa cruz, Mutante, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Woman on the Beach (8508496545), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Love You Beach (8508500445), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Lifeguard Tower by Santa Cruz Harbor (6868332135), Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- While passing through town, I listened over the air, rather than on the internet tho it was overloading my radio right here (21376274658), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Radio tower art in the KSCO parking lot (20942923033), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Bird watching in the same lagoon as the radio towers (20942998713), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- Forgive me, I'm interested in radio and AM towers (21537945776), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
- More art in that driveway and my shadow (20942912263), Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0
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