Scotts Valley is a scenic Santa Cruz County community just north of the Monterey Bay, partly in the coastal mountains and partly at their base. From there it’s a quick jaunt to the beach at Santa Cruz or other coastal destinations. The region is about 30 miles from San Jose.
In this article we’ll cover:
- An introduction to the city with general information
- Some history of the area
- Real estate and neighborhood information
- Special concerns
Scotts Valley – an introduction
The highly regarded public schools are a definite draw to Scotts Valley and something that I’ve heard mentioned at the top of the list for why people choose to put down roots there.
Some sections of the city feel very suburban and others feel like rural mountain areas.
There are plenty of eateries and shops nearby in the city, including grocery stores, breweries (we have enjoyed dining at Laughing Monk Brewing), a movie theater, and a Target, but malls and additional shopping can be found in adjacent Santa Cruz, nearby Capitola, and elsewhere. Santa Cruz also provides a hospital and many medical, dental, and vision practices just a few minutes away.
The city is small, with just about 15,000 residents over 4.6 square miles, but it’s vibrant! Sundays include a farmer’s market and in late summer there’s an Art, Wine, and Beer Festival, too, among other community building events. There are a number of parks, including a fishing park and a dog park.
This community also boasts less fog than many parts of Santa Cruz, along the Monterey Bay or Pacific Ocean. The rainfall is considerably more than in Santa Clara County, though, with Scotts Valley averaging about 41″ per year, Los Gatos getting about 23″ per year, and downtown San Jose eking out a mere 18″ per year (it gets progressively drier as you go inland).
There are some tech jobs right in Scotts Valley, and also in Santa Cruz, so this area is considered part of the broader Silicon Valley region.
From here it’s a fairly short commute for those working at Netflix in Los Gatos (just “over the hill”, as locals refer to Highway 17). Several of the high tech companies have bus service from Scotts Valley, too, making it an easier commute than many might expect. With a mild climate and scenic vistas, it’s often a popular destination for people working in Santa Clara County.
Looking forward, the city wants to create a new downtown that will be vibrant and pedestrian friendly in the Skypark neighborhood.
Residential areas & neighborhoods
While there are sunny, flat areas, much of Scotts Valley features larger parcels with stunning redwood trees. After seeing it in person, the best way to get a feel for what’s where is to look at the city’s Zoning Map, which is color coded to display where housing is on smaller or larger lots as well as where you’ll find commercial or industrial stretches of the city.
This community truly has something for everyone with higher density housing in the Skypark and other neighborhood, and rural areas with 20 acre minimum parcels in the forest.
Neighborhoods within Scotts Valley and MLS area 39 include these:
- Bethany Park
- Granite Creek Estates
- Skypark
- Whispering Pines
Neighborhoods considered Scotts Valley – North and MLS area 41 (but not incorporated):
- Fontenay Villa
- Glenwood
- Glenwood Acres
Areas just south of the city, called Scotts Valley – South and are MLS area 40 (but not in the city itself):
- Beulah Park
- Pasatiempo
All of these areas appear to be in the jurisdiction of the Scotts Valley Fire District.
Scotts Valley – a little history
Named after Hiram Scott and his legacy, the Scott’s House. Once a stop along the stage coach route through the Santa Cruz Mountains, throughout the last century it has catered to travelers, in the past with the Tree Circus and Santa’s Village, and now with the nearby Roaring Camp Railroads and two nearby state parks. A small community with natural beauty from redwoods to creeks, this small city boasts a few high tech industries.
A fun bit of history is that Scotts Valley was once home to Alfred Hitchcock and his wife! He and his wife purchased a 200 acre property and entertained a good number of celebrities there over the years.
Tourism played a huge role in the city’s history, even before the amusement parks were there.
Scotts Valley used to boast the presence of Santa’s Village (1957-1979, see video here) and The Lost World, with huge dinosaurs and oddly shaped trees (closed in 1969 but many of the trees can now be enjoyed at Gilroy Gardens). Additionally there was the Skypark Airport. Growing up in Santa Clara and Saratoga, I saw and enjoyed seeing these places (most of the time from the car and we made our way to see family or the beach). Their airport was closed in 1983 but was used by President Bush after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake to view the damage that had taken place.
Today these areas are all developed. Skypark is a public park, soccer field, shops, and housing, and if the plans go through it will eventually be part of a new downtown area (where the runways are located today, in addition to other areas with planned development). If you view Skypark from a map’s satellite view and zoom out just a little, the remnants of the runways are visible close to the Target store. (Read more about the airport’s history here.)
From 1950 – 2011, Scotts Valley was home to Bethany Bible College (also known as Bethany University and a few other names), but eventually it closed due to low enrollment. That campus is now a wellness retreat center.
Wineries were and continue to be a part of Scotts Valley’s living history.
Beginning in August of 2020 with a huge lightning storm, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned more than 85,000 acres in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties (see map here must scroll in to view). At one point much of Scotts Valley as well as the Pasatiempo area of Santa Cruz had to be evacuated. As I recall, the evacuation line went all the way to Highway 17.
In recent history, Scotts Valley made international news when a tornado touched down near a shopping mall on Mount Herman Road on December 15, 2024. Several people were hospitalized with injuries (thankfully no fatalities), vehicles were flipped, trees came down – including one crashing into the middle school, and damage totaled at least $100,000.
The city’s website has more info on local history which can be seen at this link.
The Scotts Valley real estate market
Scotts Valley offers more affordable housing than homes in Santa Clara County (they are about half as much as homes in Los Gatos), and that is a big draw.
How’s the real estate market in Scotts Valley? Find a full analysis for Scotts Valley and more in our ReReport (MLS area 39). Also available is “Scotts Valley North” (MLS area 41, appears to be mostly unincorporated areas). These reports are updated monthly, usually between the 5th and 10th of the month. You can sign up to them delivered to you (also available are Capitola, Aptos, etc.).
Homes for sale in Scotts Valley – zoom in and click on the icons to learn about listings of homes on the market.
Special concerns in and near Scotts Valley
Scotts Valley is an extremely attractive community and my experience is that it offers something for everyone. As with all communities, there are challenges and hurdles especially in the wake of the pandemic and a slow economic recovery coming out of it for some businesses. Many of these are not unique to this area.
Over the last 50-60 years there’s been a lot of growth in the town, a lot of changes, and for some residents that’s been hard. This could probably be said of most cities within 50 miles of here. As one who grew up playing in the orchards which later all turned into housing, I get it. Happily there are a good number of parks in SV, and the city looks to be taking future development very seriously.
The need for affordable housing and the need for more mental health support for youth seem high on the priorities list. Additionally, this area doesn’t really have a downtown (much like the City of Santa Clara), and the plan appears to be moving forward toward converting the old runways at Skypark Airport, along with other changes, to develop a useful and attractive downtown area.
Any forested, hilly area in California is at risk for fires and this has been exacerbated by the climate change in recent decades. This is obviously a very serious threat to life and limb as well as property damage. Most of incorporated Scotts Valley does not appear to be in the Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) as published in the Cal Fire Map (zoom in to view it), it is surrounded by zones of increased fire risk. I strongly suggest that anyone in or near the hills in this area look into fire hardening and defensible space improvements to increase safety.
Related to that is a homeowners insurance crisis in California, particularly in the FHSZ or within 1,000 feet of them. (Insurance companies don’t publish their maps.)
Many homeowners have had their policies canceled, and those who didn’t get theirs canceled have seen prices skyrocket. I have had people tell me that in the Santa Cruz Mountains some folks are paying between $15,000 and $30,000 per year for insurance. Often that means cobbling together the CA Fair Plan with some sort of wraparound policy to cover risks other than fire. It’s far from perfect and the Fair Plan does not seem to have enough money if there were several huge fires all in the same year.
Anyone in a hillside home will need to work to keep water routed away from their foundation and take care of other issues.
Summary
Scotts Valley enjoys a beautiful Mediterranean climate, great access to the beaches nearby, and a decent commute to Los Gatos or nearby areas for work. The schools are highly regarded. The scenery is gorgeous, whether someone lives in a grove of redwood trees or enjoys views of or from the mountains. The air is clean. There’s a lot to love about Scotts Valley!
Related reading
Homeowners insurance (on our Valley of Heart’s Delight blog)
Commissioner Lara continues bold insurance reform agenda with landmark FAIR Plan modernization (CA Dept of Insurance website)
