Capitola Beach — Local services in Capitola

This is one of those destinations that few people know about but for those of us who do, this place is a pleasant departure from the hectic life of the city!

Over the years, I've made many trips here with my friends to fish or to dine at one of their exceptional restaurants along the coast!

There are no major fascinations here but a nice hideaway from city life. With a population of less than 10,000 residents, there isn't much to do other than to take in the spectacular views of the pacific which keeps bringing Californians like myself back!

When we drive to Monterey and take the coast highway, it's basically the scenic route and adds about an hour onto your trip.

What you get out of the trip is the views of the pacific coast and you take in all these small towns that you wouldn't normally see. They're shops along the way that are unique to the area and worth stopping in for that someone special.

This has to be one of those gems that I recommend stopping into! There are other cities that are much older than Capitola, but no one has ever challenged it, so it still bills itself as the oldest resort city!

These cities were initially established as missions, pueblos, or presidios rather than vacation destinations. For more than 125 years, Capitola professes to be the oldest settlement founded as a resort.

As the history of this place goes, Capitola is built on the location of an Indian village that existed for more than a "thousand years ("of course, we came along and wrecked everything!")."

The native inhabitants, known as the Soquel Indians, were removed to the Mission Santa Cruz when it was established in 1791. Since then, nearly all traces of the Soquel "Rancheria" and its culture vanished.

In 1833, In the Mexican Era that followed, the territory became part of the Soquel Rancho granted to Martina Castro and husband Michael Lodge.

In 1850, California became a state and Santa Cruz County was formed. As settlers engaged in logging and agriculture, the beach became a busy shipping point known as Soquel Landing.

In 1857, a wharf built and was expanded to 1,200 feet a few years later. Gradually, a small fishing colony of Italian immigrants settled at its base.

In 1865, Frederick Hihn, a native of Germany came to California during the Gold Rush and obtained the land that is now Capitola Village. A few years later, Hihn leased the parcel near the wharf at Soquel Landing to S. A. Hall.

In 1874, his daughter, Lulu Hall Wolbach, suggested that he set up a tent camp along the beach for the summer. It's believed that Lulu, a former Soquel teacher named the resort "Capitola" after the heroine in a series of popular novels.

In 1874, Camp Capitola, welcomed its first guests. The Hall family set up the tents along a dirt path every summer for five years, until increases in rent forced them to give up the lease.

In 1883, with the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Railroad, Capitola had become the destination of thousands of summer visitors who wanted to escape the sweltering heat of the state's interior.

In 1884, Hihn himself took over direction of the resort's progress and created a subdivision map and began to sell lots for summer homes.

In 1935, a small dance hall was built alongside the Golden Poppy Beer Garden. The New Hawaiian Gardens on Capitola Avenue was then chopped into sections and dragged the few blocks to the water's edge and became the Capitola Ballroom but was burned down in 1957.

In 1946, Capitola tried to be incorporated but failed because of petty squabbling on both sides, pro and con, although the community was increasingly bold in asserting itself on common issues.

In 1948, Capitolan's took concrete steps toward incorporation just as the new highway neared completion.

In 1949, the City of Capitola was officially incorporated and is now guided by its city government and soon plans to celebrate its 50th birthday as a...

If you like your beach with noise, this is your place on sunny weekends all year from about noon onward. In the summer, multiply by tourists.High decibel bands in the bars and restaurants, children's 'outdoor' screams, adults yelling, high population of visitors, the rumble of traffic as drivers constantly circle looking for parking -- great for extroverts, music lovers, beach starved folk, et al. If you like your beach quiet, come early in the day. Free parking before 8:00 a.m.. Glorious sunrises, maybe fog in the summer, maybe rain in the winter. No bands. Some children, generally with indoor voices. Morning is best for beachcombing when fewer people have been there. A fine time all round for simply being at the beach, as opposed to doing at the beach. It's always beautiful. And no matter the weather, i don't go there on weekends or evenings except for the autumn friday night movies in esplanade park, and extremely rarely for the ukelele concert at the bandstand. Disclaimer: i'm an introvert, dog walker, lover of the beauty of creation and all that therein is, including extroverts, loud music lovers, weekend escapees, et al. I like music but not noise. I like people, in small doses. I like visitors, also in small doses. I like locals, also in small doses. If you're at all like me, mornings at the beach are your time,...

GORGEOUS Beach 😍👏👏 I stumbled onto by accident driving to Soquel Calif to buy a television from Best Buy😂😂 The views and beachfront properties are simply breathtaking. The Water feels Glorious and inviting💓 Plenty of Restaurants & Shopping is offered as well as a Pier to walk ALONG... I've only been to beaches in Southern California but today's trip here opened my eyes to the plethora of opportunities that OUR GREAT STATE HAS 2 OFFER‼💯 I Feel like in my 43 year's on dis earth I've barely scratched the surface of sight seeing the wonders of WHAT dis big 🌎 has available to VISIT & explore👌👍😄🌈⭐ Be advised THERE'S a 3 hour max parking meters but OTHER than dat I highly recommend people to discover dis hidden TREASURE u...