1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park is a state park of California, United States, protecting a secondary forest in the watershed of Aptos Creek and Soquel Creek within the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is located outside Aptos, California, and contains over 40 miles (64 km) of hiking trails and fire roads through 10,223 acres (4,137 ha) of variable terrain.

Day Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 3,409 at the 2010 census.

The Los Gatos Creek runs 24 miles (39 km) in California through Santa Clara Valley Water District's Guadalupe Watershed from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward through the Santa Clara Valley until its confluence with the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose. The Guadalupe River then continues onward into San Francisco Bay. The creek begins in the Santa Cruz mountains near the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz County border, just south of the peak Loma Prieta. It then flows northwesterly to Lake Elsman, a reservoir owned by the San Jose Water Company, then on to Holy City and Chemeketa Park, then northward into the Lexington Reservoir. The creek then flows through the Los Gatos Canyon and through the town of Los Gatos and Vasona Reservoir, then northeasterly through Campbell and San Jose where it meets the Guadalupe River.

Valencia Hall, in Santa Cruz County, California near Aptos, California, was built around 1884 by F.A. Hihn. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.It is a 30 by 40 feet (9.1 m × 12.2 m) structure built entirely of redwood. It was built on Valencia Creek as a meeting place and community center for a community planned to serve millhands and their families.

Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF or SDF) is one of eight Cal Fire-operated Demonstration State Forests totaling 71,000 acres. Collectively, the forests represent the most common forest types in California. The State Forests grow approximately 75 million board feet yearly and harvest an average of 30 million board feet of timber each year, enough to build 3,000 single-family homes. Revenue from these harvests funds a variety of the Department's Resource Management Programs. In addition, the forests provide research and demonstration projects on forest management, while providing public recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection.The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) policy provides that the State Forests shall be used for experimentation to determine the economic feasibility of artificial reforestation, and to demonstrate the productive and economic possibilities of good forest practices toward maintaining forest cropland in a productive condition. The management objectives and plans developed for each State Forest are subject to periodic review and approval by the Board.

Rancho Aptos was a 6,686-acre (27.06 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to Rafael Castro. The grant on the Monterey Bay was immediately downcoast of his sister, Martina Castro's Rancho Soquel, and upcoast of his father, José Joaquín Castro's Rancho San Andrés. Rancho Aptos stretched from the area just to the west of Aptos Creek to parts of Nisene Marks and Day Valley in the north, and Rio del Mar to the east, including present day Aptos.

Amaya Creek is a creek located Santa Cruz County, California, United States. It is part of the Soquel Creek watershed. The creek was named after two brothers who owned the land around it, circa 1860: Casimero and Dario Amaya.

Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. 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. Together, they have a combined population of 24,402.

Aptos High School is a comprehensive secondary school in Aptos, California, USA in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Aptos High serves the communities of Rio Del Mar, Corralitos, Seacliff, Seascape, La Selva Beach, Buena Vista and Watsonville. Historically, Aptos has been one of the largest high schools in Santa Cruz County, but recently Watsonville High School and Pajaro Valley High School have surpassed its enrollment. In addition to standard curriculum, Aptos High School offers video production, computer technology, and various other courses. Some of the music classes, such as guitar, were dropped due to cuts in the California school budget. Recently, however, music classes such as band and drumline have been reintroduced. As of 2008 Aptos High School has a new Performing Arts Center, where school plays are performed. There are also two gymnasiums, used for multiple sports, such as basketball and volleyball, and baseball. The campus included a popular disc golf course for many years, but it was shut down during the 2020 pandemic. In 2010, the Mariners hired Coach Randy Blankenship from Madera to be their new head football coach. Since then, the Mariners football team has been to the playoffs every year. They have won five consecutive league championship and three consecutive section championships. The Girls Cross Country team has won sixteen Central Coast Section titles and two CIF State Championships. The Girls Volleyball team has qualified for the section playoffs for the past 26 years in a row. The Girls Track & Field team owns the second longest dual-meet win streak in California history. Between 1996 and 2005, they won 118 consecutive dual meets.

The Summit Fire was a wildfire that started on May 22, 2008 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Corralitos, California, United States. The fire was fully contained on May 27, 2008. No injuries or fatalities occurred, with the exception of twelve firefighters who received minor sprains, cuts and strains. The fire prompted mandatory evacuations of homes in the area. Several elementary, middle, and high schools were closed following the fire. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Cruz County. The cause of the fire was an unattended burn pile .The fire has approached the area 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east which was consumed in October 2002 - the Croy Fire.

Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 9,700 students per term.

The Loma Fire was a wildfire that broke out on September 26, 2016, in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Clara County, California. By the time the fire was contained on October 12, the fire had burned 4,474 acres (18 km2) of land and had destroyed 12 residences and 16 outbuildings.With the containment of the fire, and rainstorms due in the area, concerns turned to the potential for mudslides in the area. With vegetation that previously held together the soil on the mountain having burned in the fire, the erosion effects of the upcoming rains are heightened. Erosion repair efforts are being coordinated by the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services.According to CalFire officials, the fire was caused by sparks from a portable generator used in marijuana cultivation operations off of Loma Chiquita Road.