RV Rentals Santa Cruz, California

Explore Santa Cruz, California, in an RVshare RV Rental

Long before the arrival of Spanish soldiers, explorers, missionaries, and colonists in the late 18th century, Santa Cruz County had been inhabited by indigenous peoples for at least 12,000 years. Most of the region was home to the Awaswas tribe, which was a fairly small tribe made up of no more than 1,000 people. It was, however, just one of many that lived in numerous small villages that were scattered around the Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay areas. 

The first Europeans arrived in the region in 1769 via an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá. In 1791, Father Fermín Lasuén established La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz, which was the 12th of the 21 Spanish missions established in the area as a means of converting local indigenous tribes to Christianity and teaching them the Spanish way of life. The missions themselves became small communities, however, and the communities that grew up around them generally took on the name of the mission. In the 1820s, the region fell under the control of a newly independent Mexico. The new government attempted to rename the community that had grown up around the Santa Cruz Mission, but the new name didn't catch on and the community went right on being called Santa Cruz. 

In the 1840s, immigrants from the eastern portion of the ever-expanding United States began to arrive in steadily increasing numbers. In 1848, following the Mexican–American War, Mexico ceded the territory of Alta California to the U.S. Alta California consisted of what would later become the states of California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as parts of Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. In 1850, California became the first region in the territory to become a U.S. state. That same year, Santa Cruz County was established, and Santa Cruz was incorporated as a town in 1866.

While you're in Santa Cruz, you'll definitely want to visit one of the area's most famous attractions, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Fans of '80s movies will recognize this location as the scene of the cult classic vampire movie "The Lost Boys." 

Events Near Santa Cruz, California

• Gilroy Garlic Festival - This event takes place every August in nearby Gilroy.

• Carmel Bach Festival - California's oldest music festival, which has been held for 80 years, takes place every fall. 

• Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival - This raucous festival takes place each summer in Monterey.