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Aptos is a community in unincorporated Santa Cruz County, California. It consists of several smaller communities including Aptos Village, La Selva Beach, Rio Del Mar, Seacliff and Seascape. It is home to approximately 10,000 residents.
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Aptos Education
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The local schools are part of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Students from Aptos typically attend schools within the North Zone of the district including Bradley Elementary, Mar Vista Elementary, Rio Del Mar Elementary, Valencia Elementary, Aptos Junior High and Aptos High School.
Aptos is also home to Cabrillo College, a California community college.
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Aptos History
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Aptos was named by Native Americans for the confluence of Aptos Creek and Valencia Creek. The name is Ohlone, meaning "the meeting of two creeks". Aptos is usually pronounced "app-toss."
In 1833 the government of Mexico granted Rafael Castro the 6,656-acre (26.94 km2) Rancho Aptos. Initially Castro raised cattle for their hides, but after California became a state in 1850, Castro leased his land to Americans who built a wharf, general store, and lumber mill. The original town was located where Aptos Village Square is now. In 1853 a leather tannery was built, and the main building is now the Apple Lane Bed & Breakfast Inn.
By 1872, Claus Spreckels, the sugar millionaire, began buying the land from Castro. He built a hotel near the beach and a summer mansion and ranch with a racetrack for his horses. A large area was fenced and stocked with deer for hunting, and became known as "the Deer Park," home of today's Deer Park Center. With the coming of the railroad, the town moved to the other side of Aptos Creek.
From 1880 to 1920 redwood timber harvesting became the major industry, and Aptos became a boom town. The Loma Prieta Lumber Company logged all of what is now The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. The Valencia Mill logged everything to the east. Within 40 years the hills were bare, and apples became the next industry. Village Fair Antiques is now located in the old apple packing plant.
After Spreckels' death, Seacliff Park and Rio Del Mar Country Club (today's Seacliff State Beach) were developed in the late 1920s. Rio Del Mar Country Club included a clubhouse, a grand hotel on the bluffs, a beach club, a polo field, and a golf course. The estuary was filled in, and the S.S. Palo Alto cement ship was moored and converted into an amusement pier with restaurants, swimming pool, and a dance pavilion. Both Rio Del Mar and Seacliff were popular during prohibition as drinking and gambling were discreetly available. These amusements were interrupted by the great depression and World War II.
In the early 1960s Aptos began a period of rapid development, including Cabrillo College, Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, the Seascape Resort development, and many residential developments.
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Aptos News
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Search for "Aptos CA" - Back Burner: Sept. 8, 2010 - Santa Cruz Sentinel
| A ketchup-red building on Scotts Valley Drive is now home to Dawgs restaurant, which opened Aug. |
- Name Dropping, Sept. 5: Sam Farr pays a visit to Santa Cruz SCORE - Santa Cruz Sentinel
| More than 400 families and four-legged companions flocked to the San Lorenzo Benchlands in August for the Dog Days of Summer festival, organized by the Santa Cruz SPCA. |
- Back Burner: Sept. 1, 2010 - Santa Cruz Sentinel
| Michael's on Main in Soquel has announced its Tuesday night buffet-style food and wine pairings. |
- Harry Domash, Online Investing: The ABCs of MLPs - Santa Cruz Sentinel
| Given the state of the overall market, this might be a good time to consider Master Limited Partnerships MLPs, especially those that operate natural gas pipelines. |
- More Short Lists, Some Substitutions, and a Few Tidbits - The Horse
| Jennifer Bryant, of West Chester, PA, has been a full-time freelancer since 1998, during which time she has edited one magazine , written or co-written three books , written numerous articles, and edited several books. |
- Coast Lines: Aug. 2, 2010 - Santa Cruz Sentinel
| University of Arizona psychologist Dr. Victor Shamas comes to Unitarian Universalist Fellowhip of Santa Cruz County Aug. |
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Aptos Weather
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