Pleasure Point is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) in Santa Cruz County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Pleasure Point sits at an elevation of . The 2020 United States census reported Pleasure Point's population was 5,821. Prior to the 2010 census, this CDP was called Opal Cliffs.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP covers an area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it is land, and 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²) of it (62.78%) is water.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Pleasure Point had a population of 5,821. The population density was . The racial makeup of Pleasure Point was 71.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 11.5% from other races, and 12.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 22.1% of the population. The census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 2,572 households, out of which 21.9% included children under the age of 18, 39.2% were married-couple households, 10.4% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 27.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 23.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 32.5% of households were one person, and 14.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.25. There were 1,407

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(54.7% of all households). The age distribution was 16.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% aged 18 to 24, 28.5% aged 25 to 44, 29.6% aged 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.8years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. There were 3,056 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,572 (84.2%) were occupied. Of these, 55.2% were owner-occupied, and 44.8% were occupied by renters.

Culture and history

Pleasure Point, on the northern

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via California S ...

in Santa Cruz County, California, is a world-renowned surf location, traditionally defined as the area along the coast from 41st Ave to Moran Lagoon, up 30th Ave to Portola and over to 41st Ave down to the sea at the "Hook". It has a firmly rooted

surf culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish ...

Early history

The

Ohlone The Ohlone ( ), formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the l ...

were the early inhabitants of the Central Coast, prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1769. The Spanish sent missionaries to introduce indigenous people to Christianity. The Spanish missions held onto their land and power for twelve years after the independence of Mexico from Spain in 1821. The Mexican government seized the Mission lands and distributed it to a few powerful families, among them the Rodriguezes and the Arandas.

Mexican land grants

Rancho Arroyo del Rodeo was granted by Gov. Figueroa to Francisco Rodriguez. This area was used for

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

round ups by the Rodriguez and Castro families, in a natural amphitheater where the freeway crosses Rodeo Gulch. Also known as "Los Coyotes", a one-quarter square league from Rodeo Gulch to Soquel Creek, from the sea up. Rancho Encinalitos (little live oak ranch), owned by Alejandro Rodriguez, ran from Corcoran West and included the lands to Woods Lagoon.

Daubenbiss and Hames

The conclusion of the

Mexican American War Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

in 1850 resulted in more immigration. Americans and Europeans joined with the Mexican Rancho families or through purchase gained land in the area. In 1845 John Daubenbiss and John Hames bought from Alexander Rodriguez. The Daubenbiss house is on the rise coming out of Soquel Village. The 1855 grant was confirmed by the land commission. Originally surveyed as in 1858, it was resurveyed in 1861 as . In 1869, after a second notice they appealed yet were held to the smaller size because they didn't object in time. H. and E. Pagels patented part of the lands in 1868. Hames and Daubenbiss patented this

Rancho Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California ** List of California Ranchos * Ranchos, Buenos ...

in 1882.

Nineteenth century

* M. Leonard owned east of Woods Lagoon- The

Yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

Harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

and Arena Gulch to Schwan

Lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

- the twin lakes area. *Schwan owned 72 acres from Schwan Lagoon to near Blacks Point. He built the Inn in 1892. Helped develop Twin Lakes trolley station. Property landscaped by N.A. Beckwith with naturalistic landscape including

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

. *Henry Johans owned 85 acres from the Blacks Point and Sunny Cove area to 17th Ave. * James Corcoran owned 183 acres of land west of Rodeo Gulch, from the Sea to Santa Maria, along the SCRR (Santa Cruz Rail Road) above the Schwan's and the Johan's lands, to upper Schwan Lake, the state park area by the Simpkin swim center of 17th Ave. * Moran Patrick Moran and Rosa Smith 1866. Blacksmith in 1870 bought 237 acres of land from Rodeo Gulch/ Corcoran Lagoon to 33rd Ave- Lynskey property. Both sides of Moran Lagoon. From the sea to the RR, including Soquel Point and Pleasure Point. Barn on 26th, now in Advent / Pleasure Point

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. Ship, ''Helen Merrian'' Cap. Nelson, with cargo of telegraph poles wrecks off ranch. 1896 - Son Patrick, 17, died of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

. 1897 - Divorced due to drinking. Son, Martin, drowned off Blacks Point in Jan 1901. Victorian house on beach. Burned March 1901. 1906 - Son, Edward died from mistakenly drinking

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

, at his grandfather's ranch in Watsonville. Died in 1904. *Walter Lynskey owned 54 acres from 33 Ave to 38th. Died 1918 and land sold. *W. Hawes 1907 owned land along proposed E Cliff. *F. A. Hihn owned around 120 acres from 38th to 41st the sea to Capitola Road. This included the Road House/ Casa Del Mar, on E. Cliff *1876

narrow gauge railroad A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...

from SC to Watsonville built by Hihn, whose locomotive ''

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

'' is in the Smithsonian. *M. Leonard owned 108 more acres The Hook to Capitola Road, Opal Cliffs. *G Wardwell owned 58 acres to Capitola Rd. Lower Opal cliffs. * March 2, 1891, Corcoran, Moran and Johann gave to the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Ladies' Aid Society * June 1892 Hotel Santa Maria Del Mar opened.

Twentieth century

* 1906 The

Chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

opened. *Moran sold to Nellie Houghton in 1904 in an estate sale on Rosa's death. She bid $2,500 in gold coins. Built a family house at the end of 30th called the Owls, because of the many

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s in the area. Mr. A. D. Houghton was an engineering consultant to

John D Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern history. Rockefeller was born into a larg ...

. Children went to Santa Cruz high on the Capitola Street car. They planted the eucalyptus windbreak that still shelters the area now. They also provided over wintering for the

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. I ...

. The house burned on 12.14, 1915. * 1920 Neillie owned 6.25 acres at the end of Houghton/30th Ave. * 1929 John C. Kleist owned the property *C Thompson developed the Pleasure Point subdivision. *Dr Norman Sullivan renamed Eucalyptus Dr, Pleasure Point Dr. *The Plunge was opened in 1934. The

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

was built in the basement of the Houghton home. 1934 managed by Mrs. Thompson. 1955 re opened by Edward Maloney. 1962 was removed because of a large crack. *Trolley Union Traction Twin Lakes to Capitola 1903-05 - 1925 *1907 East Cliff Dr proposed auto speedway from SC to Capitola. 75–100 feet wide. *1907 Lamb and Burton owned 44 acres from UT to proposed E Cliff-33rd-38th. The Breakers. * 1920s had 17.5 acres that developed as The Breakers 1921 Breakers Bonanza Beach LOTS $5 down, $5 mo. 75–90 ft. Free water to lot, golden Waukesha mineral water. Free beach, . long. Free camping. * Rodeo Club 1922 meet at Larsen house on 38th to improve E Cliff 26-41st. * Beltz 1920 off 30th 1929 70 acres Moran Lagoon to 38th 1948 Beltz Haven 38th-34th 1936 permission to develop water system around Breakers Beach 1938 seeks to lay water mains in Live Oak 1938 sued by Breakers for poor water. * Birds fly into homes in Capitola and Pleasure Point.

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

, reading of this, makes the movie, '' The Birds''. * Pleasure Point Night Fighters *1920s Volunteer firefighters to protect the Point from fires and rowdy crowds during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

1919-1933. At this time

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

runners dropped off on the beaches. Rumor is that the Pleasure Point roadhouse 2-3905 E-Cliff was used in these endeavors. * The Pleasure Point roadhouse had one of the early gas stations along the Santa Cruz coast. It was a retreat with access to the

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

and waterfowl that filled the

lagoons A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

and wetlands in the area. 1870s F. A. Hihn owned the property. 1900s was owned by J. Henchy, a saloon keeper from San Francisco, who built the Pleasure Point roadhouse. *1920Nick Neary from San Francisco owned the property. *1926 A&E Peterson traded for their grape ranch in Chowchilla. *1986 L Naslund *

Jack O'Neill Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the MGM's military science fiction franchise ''Stargate'', primarily as one of the main characters of the television series ''Stargate SG-1''. Richard Dean Anderson played O'Neill in all th ...

of the

wetsuit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on the water. ...

patented the name " Surf Shop" in SF 1952. Moved to SC in 1959, first to Cowells and then to 41st Ave in Pleasure Point. *''Gion v. City of Santa Cruz'' (Cal. 1970) The use of the beach from at least 1900 lead to dedication of property to public use and prescriptive rights *

O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the Nor ...

bought Gion property along the coast of Pleasure Point. Formerly Breakers Beach owned by Hawes. 33rd-38th *The PPNF, Pleasure Point Night Fighters, was reconstituted in the 1950s. As the contests between the surfers from Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point increased, the Pleasure Point Surfing Association reinvigorated the PPNF in the 1960s with the inspiration from Jim Phillip's, renowned surf art-skate artist under Harry Contie. *PPNF began Pack Your Trash. In the 1970s Pack Your Trash Day's began as one of the first beach clean ups in response to visitors who had not learned to respect the

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

environment. *1980 The PPNF Park was planted across from Elizabeth's Market, the old Port O Call market for Breakers Beach. *Many

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

contest are held in this location, including the No Cord Classic developed by Keven Cante, in response to the use of shock cords or surf cords, now called surf leashes. The early version was attached to the board with a suction cup. *1970s Development of 41st Ave as a commercial district. Pleasure Businesses followed. *1995 the road across from the Pleasure Point roadhouse failed. As a result, the one way road is all that remains.

21st century

*2001- The

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...

on lower 30th was the beginning of the end of the surf community, where many lived in an environment similar to that found at the State Park of Crystal Cove. Crushed house

* With new "

Curb Appeal ''Curb Appeal'' is a half-hour television series that has aired on HGTV in the United States from September 30, 1999 to the present, exploring how a house's outside " curb appeal" will be updated. Various hosts over the years (including Sasha A ...

Realtors Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

and developers rush in to replace the historic beach

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s with larger homes. Many long term renters left as vacation rentals and large houses used for a few weeks in the summer replace the small

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

s with

cottage garden The cottage garden is a distinct garden style that uses informal design, traditional materials, dense plantings, and a mixture of ornamental plants, ornamental and edible plants. English in origin, it depends on grace and charm rather than grandeu ...

s. The pattern seen in

Ocean Beach, San Diego, California Ocean Beach (also known as O.B.) is a beachfront neighborhood in San Diego, California. Geography Ocean Beach lies on the Pacific Ocean at the estuary of the San Diego River, at the western terminus of Interstate 8. Located about northwest of ...

and many Southern California beach cottage communities begins to transform one of the last surf communities along the coast. *2001 Park designation for openspace on the S-Turn *2001 The Rodgers project is opposed with a petition signed by a 1000 people against loss of small beach cottage used by surf community and removal of trees that protect

monarch butterflies The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. ...

of Moran lagoon. *2002 Becomes a sanctuary for

herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...

, and other

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

after local concern. *2003 Seawall proposed, but turned down by the California Coastal Commission because of a lack of consideration of alternatives to fight coastal erosion. *2004 Proposal to have a lower pathway along East Cliff by Coastal Commission. *2004 permission to build on the beach across from Moran Lagoon turned down *2004-Permission to build town house next to Roadhouse, on one of the last undeveloped lots. Though out of compliance with Neighborhood compatibility standards for similar scale, bulk and style to the surrounding homes; the project is approved much to the dismay of many long term members of the community. *2005- Attempt to list The Pleasure Point roadhouse as a Cultural Resource NR-5. The trustees, with the help of realtors and developers fight the designation in opposition the community desire to save it for a museum and community center. *2007 community meetings to decide design guidelines in keeping with the historic beach cottage environment. *Aug 14, 2007 County investigates Roadhouse as a park site *Dec 2007 Coastal Commission permits Sea Wall from 33rd Ave to 36th and at the Hook on the end of 41st Ave. *Aug 2012 Construction finished on the Sea Wall and improved Pleasure Point Park, now with bathrooms, showers and picnic tables and garden. The Dirt Farm has also been modified to handle more parking, though most of it is left as it was, including the bench. *Sept 2015 The walk along East Cliff Drive from 32nd Ave to 41st Ave has now become a destination for a variety of people. Locals pushing baby carriages, tourists enjoying the unobstructed views of the surfers performing graceful acrobatics or spectacular "wipe-outs," dog walkers with their leashed dogs investigating the "p-mail" along the split-rail fence, Older folks being invigorated by the soft sea breezes, and just friendly folks stopping to chat and admire the ocean. There is a separate bike lane for the bicyclists and skateboarders. The Pleasure Point Path is from 12–24 ft wide and has two kinds of walking surfaces, packed dirt and asphalt.

Surfing

The beach at

O'Neill's O'Neills Irish International Sports Company Ltd. is an Irish sporting goods manufacturer established in 1918. It is the largest manufacturer of sportswear in Ireland, with production plants located in Dublin and Strabane. O'Neills has a long r ...

has long been used for surf access and gathering. Directly in front of O'Neill's house is the

surf break A surf break (also break, shore break, or big wave break) is a permanent (or semi-permanent) obstruction such as a coral reef, rock (geology), rock, shoal, or headland that causes a Wind wave, wave to Wind wave#Wave breaking, break, forming a ...

called "Insides" and next to it on the land is a dirt field called "The Dirt Farm". Jack is kind enough to let the community use the property for running local dogs off leash or surf contests sponsored by the (Dirtfarm surf club]. All contestants must use surf boards built before 1970 with no leashes and wear an item like O’Neill. Famous surfers, including WSL Surfer Reilly Stone, Peter Mel, Jay Moriarty, Adam Repogle, Chris Gallagher, Kieran Horn, Marcel Soros, Flea Virostko, Kevin Reed, Richard Schmidt, Tanner Beckett, Christiaan Bailey, CJ Nelson and Homer Hernard. The early big wave rider Fred Van Dyke and the inventor of the

, Jack O'Neill, are historic figures associated with this area. Two more spots surfed in the early 1970s are Little Wind & Sea and 26th. Both are just west of Sewers, First Peak, Second Peak, and sometimes at 26th Avenue to 36th Ave.

References

External links

History of Soquel link

Early Surfer

A history of Live Oak

Santa Cruz History link
{{authority control Census-designated places in Santa Cruz County, California Census-designated places in California Santa Cruz, California Geography of Santa Cruz County, California Surfing locations in California Sports in Santa Cruz County, California Tourist attractions in Santa Cruz County, California