La Selva Beach (''La Selva'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "The Forest") is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Santa Cruz County,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. La Selva Beach sits at an elevation of . The

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

reported La Selva Beach's population was 2,531. La Selva Beach is one of the several small communities located in and around

Aptos Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

. It neighbors Seascape to the north, Corralitos to the east, and

Watsonville Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, located in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 according to the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self- ...

to the south. When founded, the small beach community was surrounded by dense conifer woods.

Geography

La Selva Beach lies near the

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly through California. It forms the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is Fault (geology)#Strike-slip fau ...

, and was close to the epicenter of the October 17,

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP covers an area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²), all of it land.

History

In 1925 it was founded as Rob Roy by real estate developer David Batchelor. The now-defunct (since 2000) Rob Roy Video Store was the only business in the area to make note of this heritage. In 1935 the name was changed to La Selva Beach by the new developer, Edward Burghard. Most of the existing houses were built in the early 1960s. In the 1970s the residents convinced state government to remove "Beach" from the direction signs. Officially the name is still La Selva Beach.

Demographics

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that La Selva Beach had a population of 2,843. The population density was . The racial makeup of La Selva Beach was 2,399 (84.4%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 27 (0.9%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 23 (0.8%) Native American, 116 (4.1%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 3 (0.1%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 146 (5.1%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 129 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 372 persons (13.1%). The Census reported that 2,592 people (91.2% of the population) lived in households, 245 (8.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6 (0.2%) were institutionalized. There were 1,076 households, out of which 289 (26.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 592 (55.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 86 (8.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 56 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 67 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 251 households (23.3%) were made up of individuals, and 91 (8.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 734

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

(68.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.80. The population was spread out, with 612 people (21.5%) under the age of 18, 228 people (8.0%) aged 18 to 24, 528 people (18.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,049 people (36.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 426 people (15.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. There were 1,376 housing units at an average density of , of which 727 (67.6%) were owner-occupied, and 349 (32.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 1,723 people (60.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 869 people (30.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Parks and recreation

La Selva Beach is adjacent to

Manresa State Beach Manresa State Beach is a state-protected beach on Monterey Bay near Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, California. Manresa State Beach has two different State owned and operated facilities associated with it: Manresa Main State Beach, and Manresa U ...

where one can fish, surf, and boogie board. These breaks are not as popular as others in Santa Cruz County. La Selva Beach does have direct public access and public parking is available near by. The central park of La Selva Beach is Triangle Park. The park is triangular in form and enhanced by a triangular structure with the flags of the world. There is also a horseshoe pit. In the summer, one can witness children practicing their baton-twirling/hurling skills and building floats, while their parents practice library push-cart choreography in preparation for the La Selva Beach 4th of July Parade. This parade is shorter but less known than the so-called "World's Shortest Parade" which takes place concurrently in

Aptos, California Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

Education

Rio del Mar Elementary school and the

Monterey Bay Academy Monterey Bay Academy (MBA) is a private school in Santa Cruz County, California. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education, Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system. Description Mont ...

are the nearest educational institutions. The Aptos Academy was a private school in the area from 1999 through June 2013.

Notable residents

* Aaron Bates, professional baseball player. *

Don Bunce Dr. Don Bunce (January 17, 1949 – April 15, 2003) was an American football quarterback and orthopedic surgeon. Early years Born in Redwood City, California, Bunce graduated from Woodside High School in 1967 and attended nearby Stanford Un ...

, Star Rose Bowl quarterback and orthopedic surgeon. *

Jason Jessee Jason Jessee (born December 29th is an American professional skateboarder and automotive designer best known for his stint with Santa Cruz Skateboards in the late 1980s. He was identified as the 24th most influential skateboarder of all time by ' ...

, professional skateboarder.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Santa Cruz County, California Populated coastal places in California Census-designated places in California