Brookdale

History

The area was previously known as Clear Creek and then Brookville, and was the site of the Grover Lumber Mill by 1870. Logging and lumber was the major industry throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains at the time. James Harvey Logan, a Santa Cruz judge and creator of the loganberry, purchased the mill in 1900, created a creekside resort with cabins and camping, and established the Brookdale post office in 1902. Brookdale Lodge, a historic resort complex, is the main business in Brookdale. It was famous for decades, known especially for the stream running through its primary restaurant, the Brook Room (closed for renovation as of 2019). It currently has a reputation for being haunted by numerous ghosts. Started by Judge Logan, by 1922 it was owned by Dr. F. K. Camp, a Seventh-day Adventist physician, who envisioned a dining room spanning the creek and hired Horace Cotton of San Francisco to design it. In its day, the Brookdale Lodge was the second most popular resort in California and hosted the rich and famous ... Hollywood stars, prominent families, foreign diplomats, and even President Herbert Hoover visited the scenic lodge. Famous persons passing through Brookdale Lodge included: Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Tyrone Power, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr, and President Herbert Hoover. Shirley Temple and Johnny Weissmuller had homes nearby. Herbert Hoover visited often, and enjoyed fishing off the dining room bridge. And during the San Francisco conference establishing the United Nations, world leaders and diplomats came to the lodge to relax. The lodge was also famous for its first rate entertainment, attracting the best big band and swing groups of the era. There are at least three swing era songs written about the Brookdale including, My Brookdale Hideaway, A…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.8 square miles (10.0 km2), all land. This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Brookdale has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Ocean Grove Charter
  Other · Boulder Creek · 3,023 students · 23.3:1 ratio
• Scotts Valley High
  High · Scotts Valley · 690 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• San Lorenzo Valley High
  High · Felton · 643 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• San Lorenzo Valley Elementary
  Elementary · Felton · 598 students · 23:1 ratio
• Mission Hill Middle
  Middle · Santa Cruz · 544 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Vine Hill Elementary
  Elementary · Scotts Valley · 531 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Scotts Valley Middle
  Middle · Scotts Valley · 481 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• California Connections Academy Monterey Bay
  Other · Scotts Valley · 476 students · 43.3:1 ratio