Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is one of four incorporated cities in Santa Cruz County, and its county seat. Timeline:

• 1769 - Explorers of the Portola expedition named a creek they found Arroyo de Santissima Cruz (Most Holy Cross Creek).
• 1791 - Mission Santa Cruz was established, taking its name from the creek.
• 1834 - the mission was secularized, along with the community that had grown up around it, and most of the former mission land was assigned to a secular mayor domo (administrator)
• 1850 - Santa Cruz County was established, with its seat in the former mission community
• 1866 - The Town of Santa Cruz was incorporated, its first street map and property survey were commissioned, and a county courthouse was built on Cooper Street
• 1876 - The Town was chartered as the City of Santa Cruz, and the first City Hall was built on Front Street
• 1905 - A large area east of the San Lorenzo River was annexed, including the former Villa de Branciforte