Capitola

Capitola is a sunny, family friendly beach community nestled in between sea cliffs on a northeast beach of beautiful Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County.

Location & Flavor

Because the sun shines in Capitola 300 days out of the year, the village is especially appealing to those who enjoy being outdoors.

The picturesque view of the colorful beach bungalows dotting the hillside above the town has led many a travel writer to compare Capitola to a Mediterranean seaside village.

The town itself with its art galleries, trendy boutiques and saltwater taffy shops is just what you would expect from a well to do yet laid back California beach town.

Capitola was named by Sunset Magazine as one of the best beach locations in California. It's also one of the best beach communities for raising a family. Nearly half the households have children and the fresh air and abundant sunshine make for the perfect beach playground.

Lest the grown ups forget to enjoy some fun in the sun too, Capitola's official weather page provides a quote from George Bernard Shaw to serve as reminder: "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing."

Another advantage of living in Capitola is that the city is such a nice size. With a population of 10,033, it has a friendly community feel without the constraints of a small town.

Activities & Attractions

The sunshine and the mild climate (70's in the summer and 50s in the winter) makes it easy to enjoy the outdoor activities here, whether its joining a game of beach volleyball, catching a wave, building sand castles or walking the dog (incidentally, Capitola was featured in Fido Friendly Magazine as a "dog-friendly destination").

Capitola also attracts many visitors who come to shop at the boutiques and galleries that line the beach next to the wharf.

Other attractions include Labor Day weekend's sand castle contest and Begonia Festival with its flower draped floats. In the fall, the Capitola Art & Wine Festival brings in over 170 artists and 10 wineries. Fishing charters and boating tours on Monterey Bay and the Capitola Wharf are also popular.

With San Francisco only about an hour and a half drive away, residents of Capitola are never at a loss for the culture and arts that only a large city like San Francisco can offer.

Historical Tidbits

The oldest beach resort on the West Coast, Capitola was named after a popular fictional character of the Victorian era. As we learn at Capitola Historical Museum, in 1874 Samuel A. Hall founded the city, naming it for a rather progressive female character in his daughter Lulu's favorite novel. The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth features fearless Capitola Black, a self-styled female Don Quixote and prototype of many modern-day adventure heroines.