If you are planning to buy an Aptos Beach house or condo, the Rio Del Mar area is great for that. With some of the best ocean views in the county, Aptos beach homes are favorites for many generations.

If you travel further inland though, you can get some awesome panoramic  ocean views, in the Aptos hills. The beauty of Aptos is that you can be in a tranquil inland or mountain top setting and yet be only 15 minutes from the sand. The longest stretch of  Santa Cruz county’s beaches run through Aptos for a stretch of approximately 15 miles of uninterrupted sandy beach. Nearby you will find Niscene Marks State Park near historic Aptos. The roads of Aptos wind around to Mt. Madonna on 10,000 acres of fantastic redwoods and interesting canyons, and spectacular views of the Pajaro Valley.

In the Aptos hills you will find small farms, orchards and country estates as the area extends into the hills of Corralitos & Larkin Valley where you will find wide settings of old farms and original wineries and beautiful apple orchards,and horse ranches.

Located alongside Rio Del Mar with another nice beach,easily accessible from  Highway 1, is the well know and prominent ocean landmark, the  ” Palo Alto”, a huge cement ship, out at Seacliff State Beach. This two mile, sandy beach at the foot of sandstone cliffs, has lots of leisure activities, with RV camping on the beach, day parking and picnicking. You can also spend your time  swimming, fishing or bicycling and trying out your new roller blades along the walkway facing  Aptos beach. Seacliff State Beach has a pier that extends to the sunken ship and has delighted fisherman young and old for years.

What is the story behind the name of Aptos? It is believed that Native Americans who lived here thousands of years before Mission Santa Cruz was completed by the Spanish in 1794, named this part of the county Awatos or “where the waters meet.” The name honors the spot where two creeks joined before traveling together to the Monterey Bay. During the time of Mexico’s reign of the early 1800’s, the land was used for cattle. Property was leased for a wharf, general store, lumber mill. After California declared itself a US state in 1850, the sugar king, millionaire Claus Spreckels bought property and built a hotel near the beach in 1872. He also built a summer mansion and ranch with a racetrack for horses and a large fenced area stocked with deer for hunting known as “The Deer Park.”

Spreckels also helped finance the Santa Cruz Railroad which opened in 1876. The original steam engine “Jupiter” is now in the Smithsonian Institute collection in Washington D.C. With the coming of the railroad, the town moved to the other side of Aptos Creek. Spreckels brother-in-law Claus Mangels built a mansion, and Rafael Castro’s son-in-law Joseph Arano built the Bayview Hotel. The hotel then was called the Arrow Hotel, and was located right along Trout Gulch Road. It was later moved to it’s present location. The Hotel Bayview is a  Bed & Breakfast Inn. For the next 40 years, Aptos experienced a boom as redwood timber harvesting made its mark. In those 40 years, all the trees were cut down in the region and industry put itself out of business! It is hard to imagine now, just looking at the wooded forests that the area was completely cut down, but there is great and diverse eco system here,

Today, you’ll feel right at home in Aptos with accommodations ranging from beautiful beach homes and country estates, with gorgeous panoramic ocean views of the Monterey Bay. From the rugged, outdoor sports experience to shopping, wine tasting, golf and visits to several museums, Aptos is a fun loving community which boasts the smallest 4th of July Parade in the World. The Aptos Farmers’ market, free musical and theatrical events, demos by local restaurants, the California Open Tennis Tournament, the Cabrillo College Music Festival and the Aptos Blues Festival each summer, are a few of the town’s highlights.