Zayante / Lompico, San Lorenzo Valley, Ca. Real Estate
Lompico and Zayante are two little mountain residential areas. The are best accessed from Zayante Road from Felton. Both are interesting and have some great entry priced homes.Scroll below the Lompico and Zayante Real Estate listings for more of the interesting history of this area
Zayante / Lompico MLS listings
Lompico Zayante
Custom Built Mtn. Sanctuary Exudes A Zen Quality You...
- Price:
- $680,000
- City:
- San Lorenzo Valley
- Beds:
- 2
- Baths:
- 2
- Type:
- Single Family Residential
- MLS® #:
- 81212248
- Provider:
-
Custom Built Mtn. Sanctuary Exudes A Zen Quality You Must Experience To Appreciate. Feel The Love In...
I Would Live Here! Great Location, Flat Usable Large...
- Price:
- $619,000
- City:
- San Lorenzo Valley
- Beds:
- 4
- Baths:
- 3
- Type:
- Single Family Residential
- MLS® #:
- 81150922
- Provider:
-
I Would Live Here! Great Location, Flat Usable Large Fenced Yard. Sun. Hardwood & Granite In Kitchen....
Worth Seeing! 3 Beds Plus An Office. Maintained By...
- Price:
- $399,000
- City:
- San Lorenzo Valley
- Beds:
- 3
- Baths:
- 2
- Type:
- Single Family Residential
- MLS® #:
- 81202795
- Provider:
-
Worth Seeing! 3 Beds Plus An Office. Maintained By Long Time Owner.nature Lovers?"preppers"? Lots Of...
Beautiful Cabin In The Woods Near Loch Lomond Park....
- Price:
- $380,000
- City:
- San Lorenzo Valley
- Beds:
- 3
- Baths:
- 2
- Type:
- Single Family Residential
- MLS® #:
- 81215311
- Provider:
-
Beautiful Cabin In The Woods Near Loch Lomond Park. Upstairs Nice Master Suite & Bath With Jet Tub,indoor...
The Old Family Homestead On 1.93 Redwood Studded Acres....
- Price:
- $325,000
- City:
- San Lorenzo Valley
- Beds:
- 2
- Baths:
- 1
- Type:
- Single Family Residential
- MLS® #:
- 81148893
- Provider:
-
The Old Family Homestead On 1.93 Redwood Studded Acres. Sunshine And Meadows, Too. The Dwelling Is...
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Lompico and Zayante
Lompico and Zayante are two small residential communities located in North Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz is 8 miles away, Felton is 5 miles away, Scotts Valley and Highway 17 are only 11 minutes away, and Silicon Valley is only 25 miles away. Most of the drive to these communities are through roads of gorgeous redwoods on peaceful winding roads through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Located closely to Loch Lomond Lake Park, Quail Hollow Ranch, and Henry Cowell State Park, there are plenty of outdoor activities to entertain all. Due to the close proximity to Felton, there is always something to do indoors as well. Lompico and Zayante are situated in mainly mountainous terrain and therefore mostly cabins dot the landscape. The median prices of homes are in the $400,000-$500,000 range.
Zayante and Lompico have an interesting history including but not limited to the Zayante Indians that founded the area; the 60's and famed Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead among other notable musicians.
The history of Lompico dates back hundreds of years or more ago when the Zayante Indians were the only ones around. The Indians were able to hunt and fish as the area had plentiful game at that time. The Zayante's were a peaceful tribe.
In 1769 the Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola discovered the land in which is now called the City of Santa Cruz. In 1791, Father Fermin de Lasuen established a mission in Santa Cruz. Over the following years, the Zayante people heard about the Mission and how it would provide food, shelter, and schooling if they came to live there. Most of the Indians chose to do this and unfortunately, Western illnesses annihilated the Indian population and only small clusters remained after 1820.
After the contact with the earliest Spaniards, most of the civilization perished due to the diseases that the Spaniards brought with them from the other continent. The later Spaniard explorers came to believe that Santa Cruz County was their sovereign property, as the earlier Zayante's had been wiped out by disease. Thus, begun the great land grants, enabling them to divide the land into Ranchos. Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821. Lompico became part of the Rancho Zayante, which was established by Mexico in 1834 and comprised over 2,500 acres just north of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. In 1841, a German named Frederick Hoeger and a Dane named Peter Lassen erected a mill on Zayante Creek near where it enters the San Lorenzo River. Supposedly, this was the first power sawmill in California and was then used to mill lumber, from Lompico.
While they were building the mill, the Gold Rush era came to be. A single gold nugget was discovered along Zayante Creek and was worth $32,000 (a lot in the 1800's!) Again, gold was found in 1855 along Zayante Creek. Miners were able to make quite a bit of money that summer, and gold rush fever spread not only throughout the Valley but also up into Zayante Creek and Lompico Creek. It is known that today there is quite a bit of gold still remaining, but the cost is too high to remove it.
By the 1850's Lompico was heavily forested and the redwoods there were the area's largest export. The area was described by the loggers as dense and almost impossible to penetrate. There was also the problem of transportation out of the almost inaccessible location. Grizzly bears also made it a difficult task. Between 1890 and 1900 the entire area around Lompico was eventually clear cut, but the forest has recovered well. By 1915 the area had been over-logged and the companies left. What was left behind is the now famous Roaring Camp Railroad. Families enjoy visiting a piece of history today and there is a great ride in the open cars to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Once logging was over, the Rancho Zayante area was subdivided into what is today, Lompico, Zayante and Olympia. Lompico was officially founded in 1927. The San Francisco Chronicle had a promotion in which every new subscriber would then receive one free plot of land in Lompico. Although not that many were actually given away, it did bring many potential homeowners to the area. In the early days of Lompico (1920's - 1940's) Lompico was an attractive cooler region, which brought many tourists to get away from the Southern California heat. Lompico entertained the visitors with its own brass band. There were many evening concerts in Lompico Park to also entice potential buyers. Up until the 1950's Lompico was mainly a vacation spot, where children could play in freshwater pools and the parents could enjoy the offerings from the Lompico Club House.
In the late 1950's, with a growing population, the City of Santa Cruz was in need of more drinking water sources. It found a large area of land within Lompico and created a man-made lake called Loch Lomond Lake. Not only did it benefit Santa Cruz with the water, but Lompico garnered an incredible park.
The Loch Lomond Recreation Area comprises 180 acres of stunning outdoor beauty and also encompasses Loch Lomond Lake. One can rent an electric or row boat to lazily cruise around the lake fishing, and boating. Due to the fact that the lake is a reservoir for drinking water, swimming is not allowed. Picnicking and hiking are other activities to enjoy at the recreation area. There are also children's play areas, interpretive walks with guides, and a nature center.
In the 1960's, the hippy generation was in full swing when Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin came to Lompico to draw inspiration from the redwoods. Jerry Garcia's family owned a home in Lompico and Jerry grew up there. However, Jerry and his brother's were regulars at the Club House and would play tunes for dancing. They became known as the "Garcia Brothers" and were very much enjoyed by the Lompico community. At the northern end of Lompico is a piece of land known as Islandia. The headwaters of Lompico Creek were there as well as an amazing home that was extremely popular in that time. One of the most famous live-ins was Janis Joplin and her band "Big Brother and the Holding Company". Janis spoke often of how the redwoods around Lompico were a muse for her music.
With the birth of Silicon Valley in the 1970's Lompico again entertained growth. Many of the summer homes were transformed to year-round homes by employees who were happy to find homes at less cost in such astounding surroundings. Many high tech companies also came to have offices in nearby Scotts Valley. These include Nokia, Rainmaker Systems, Seagate, and ASML to name but a few. Today, Lompico is home to locals and some Silicon Valley techies who enjoy the marvelous beauty of the area and a commute that is far easier to take than within the city.
Lompico is home to the Lompico Community Center. The center is an all-volunteer operated board which works to improve Lompico and make it the best community within Santa Cruz County. The community center has an annual summer basketball camp as well as an annual Easter Egg Hunt, both of which are free. The unpaid board worked to lobby the local government for improvements to Lompico Park. They succeeded and the rewards were: electric service, a basketball court, playground, BBQ pit, drinking fountain, public phone, restroom, sports court, soda machine, and picnic tables with benches.
Nearby is also the Zayante Creek Equestrian Center where one can ride, train, or board horses. There are shows for hunter/jumpers as well as schooling shows. The center also sells horses online. According the website, there is a Ranch called Deer Creek.
The Lompico Watershed Conservancy is another important organization within Lompico. The goal of the Conservancy is three-fold. To protect land parcels through purchase or conservation easements; to monitor and make suggestions to the Regional Water Quality Control Board in order to control sediment from logging; and to conduct restoration projects for salmon and steelhead habitats. In all, the Conservancy is abreast of all actions taken by State and local agencies in which their actions affect wildlife and water quality.
Lompico is part of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District. The school district encompasses over 140 square miles, and was founded in 1952. For more information about the schools, this webpage is a great place to visit.
Housing in Lompico is fairly affordable when compared to the rest of Santa Cruz County. Due to restrictions in building, there really are not many areas left to build upon. Although Lompico may not have the curbs, gutters, or sidewalks that other communities have, Lompico does have something much better. There is no smog, traffic, or much crime. There is a lot to be said for a peaceful way of life within Lompico and Zayante.
With a beautiful natural locale; plenty of outdoor and indoor activities, Lompico and Zayante are definitely the jewels of Santa Cruz County.
To find Zayante Lompico homes for sale, contact us.
To see homes call: Gregg Camp (831) 818-7524 www.propertyinsantacruz.com
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Listing information last updated on May 22nd, 2012 at 12:30pm.
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