City of Scotts Valley | |
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City | |
Back view of the Scotts Valley Civic Center and City Hall
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Location in Santa Cruz County and the state of California |
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Location in the United States | |
Coordinates: 37°3′5″N 122°0′48″W / 37.05139°N 122.01333°WCoordinates: 37°3′5″N 122°0′48″W / 37.05139°N 122.01333°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Santa Cruz |
Incorporated | August 2, 1966 |
Area | |
• Total | 4.595 sq mi (11.900 km2) |
• Land | 4.595 sq mi (11.900 km2) |
• Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
Elevation | 561 ft (171 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 11,580 |
• Density | 2,500/sq mi (970/km2) |
Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
ZIP codes | 95060, 95066, 95067 |
Area code(s) | 831 |
FIPS code | 06-70588 |
GNIS feature ID | 0277598 |
Website | City of Scotts Valley |
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose and six miles (10 km) north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,580. Principal access to the city is supplied by State Route 17 that connects San Jose and Santa Cruz. The city was incorporated in 1966.
Approximately ten thousand years ago there was a lake in the lowest elevation of Scotts Valley, and Paleo Indians lived near its shores. The lake receded to form a peat bog. Later, around 2000 BC, Ohlone people occupied areas along the remaining creeks, spring and seep areas, along permanent and seasonal drainages, and on flat ridges and terraces. Therefore, areas along watercourses are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Several watercourses, including portions of Carbonera Creek, Bean Creek, MacKenzie Creek and the San Lorenzo River, are within the city. Permanent villages were usually placed on elevations above seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were used for hunting and seed, acorn, and grass gathering.
Scotts Valley was named after Hiram Scott, who purchased Rancho San Agustin, including the valley, in 1850 from Joseph Ladd Majors. Before Majors, the property was owned by José Bolcoff. Bolcoff was the original settler and first European to claim title and live in what was to be Scotts Valley. He was born Osip Volkov around 1794 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Siberia. Working as a fur trader around 1815, Bolcoff jumped ship on the Monterey Bay shoreline, quickly assimilated into the Spanish culture, and was well received by the Spanish authorities. Volkov had his Russian Orthodox Baptism validated in Mission Soledad in 1817, and was given the Spanish name José Antonio Bolcoff. Bolcoff lived with and traveled with Alta California's governor Pablo Vicente de Solá, acting as an interpreter.