Formed February 18, 1850 (18th county)
Santa Cruz County (270,869), Santa Cruz (62,968)
A Modern Brutalist style structure is the 1966 courthouse. Rockwell and Banwell were the building architects. The 1896 courthouse was rebuilt in 1908 and remodeled in 1949. Santa Cruz has been the only county seat. February 18, 1850 was when this county was created as an original county. It was the 18th county. It is sited on Ocean Street just south of Water Street. California State Highways 1/17 end as a freeway 10 blocks north of the site. An Administration Building is connected. There is an augmenting courthouse in Watsonville. Santa Cruz means “Holy Cross” in Spanish. The Mission Santa Cruz was the namesake for the county and city and the mission’s name was provided by the founder, Father Lausen.
Santa Cruz County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) Eleven Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Santa Cruz County (judicial.) The county is on the Pacific Ocean southwest of San Jose, California and northwest of Salinas, California. The county center is in Santa Cruz 4.4 miles Northeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey counties and the Pacific Ocean and San Mateo County. The county is a fat rope with the Pacific Ocean as its southern border. Santa Cruz is slightly south of center on the ocean. Santa Cruz is the county seat and the largest city. It is 23.3% of the county population. The county and county seat are pronounced SAN-TA CRUEZ.
The area of the county is 446 square miles. It is 57 out of 58 in the state. It ranks 25 out of 58 in population in the state. It has a density of 607.3 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 58 in the state. Santa Cruz County has 50.9% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. This county is in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Capitola
Santa Cruz
Scotts Valley
Watsonville
