Watsonville, California, United States

🇺🇸 Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The Pajaro Valley, where Watsonville is located, has a climate that is around 60 to 70 °F throughout much of the year. This climate makes Watsonville an attractive coastal environment for the neighbouring inland communities with very hot summers. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District has an enrolment of about 18,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self-designated sanctuary city. Located on the central coast of California, the economy centres predominantly around farming and food processing.

History Watsonville's land was first inhabited by an Ohlone nation of Indigenous Californians. This tribe settled along the Pajaro Dunes since the land was fertile and useful for the cultivation of their plants and animals.

Spanish era In 1769, the Portolá expedition, the first Europeans to explore the area, arrived from the south, where soldiers described a big bird they saw near a large river. The story survived in the river's name, Rio del Pajaro (River of the Bird).

The Portolá expedition continued north through the area, camping at one of the lakes north of town for five nights, on October 10–14, 1769. Many of the expedition's soldiers had scurvy, so progress was slow. While the sick recuperated, scouts led by Sergeant Ortega looked for the best way forward. On the fifth day, Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi, traveling with the expedition, wrote in his diary, "This afternoon the explorers returned. The sergeant reported that he had gone ahead twelve leagues without getting any information of the harbor that we are looking for, and that he went to the foot of a high, white mountain range".

During the October 10 march, the explorers first saw the Coast redwood tree (Spanish: palo colorado). A bronze plaque at Pinto Lake (now a city park) commemorates the event. On October 15, the expedition continued to the north-west past today's community of Freedom, camping that night at Corralitos Lagoon.

The area became part of the Spanish colonial province of Las Californias, and in 1804 the northern part was split off to form Alta California. The area's pasture lands were assigned to the Spanish mission to the south, in Carmel.

Mexican era When Mexico gained independence, it took possession of Alta California. The Spanish missions were secularized in the 1830s, and the future Watsonville area became Rancho Bolsa del Pajaro, a land grant made to Sebastian Rodríguez in 1837. Under Mexico's more liberal land-ownership laws, immigration to the area from Europe and the U.S. increased.

In 1833, Governor José Figueroa granted Rancho San Andrés to José Joaquín Castro, who came to California as part of the 1776 Anza Expedition and later became patriarch of a locally prominent Californio family. His son, Juan José Castro, built the Castro Adobe, the only two-story hacienda in the area at the time. Today, the adobe is owned by California State Parks and is undergoing restoration to serve as the Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe State Historic Park.

Post-Conquest era Following the American Conquest of California and the ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the region began to receive large waves of migrants, mainly Americans from the East Coast and Europeans.

John H. Watson and D.S. Gregory laid out the town in 1852. The community was incorporated as the Town of Watsonville on or about March 30, 1868, named after Watson. It became the City of Watsonville about 1889. Voters adopted a charter in 1903.

Modern era From 1904 to 1913, the Watsonville Railway and Navigation Company operated an interurban railway to Port Watsonville on Monterey Bay, where it connected with an overnight produce packet boat to San Francisco.

The Watsonville riots were a period of racial violence in the 1930s against Filipino American farmworkers committed by White Americans.

Watonsville's present city charter was adopted on February 16, 1960.

In 1985, cannery workers in Watsonville went on strike for 18 months to protest a decrease in their wages and benefits. In the end, they won a new contract. The movement was led by primarily Latina women, and was noted as a historic labor rights win for the Mexicano/Chicano community.

Geography Watsonville is in the Monterey Bay area, at the southern end of Santa Cruz County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 6.8 square miles (18 km²), of which 6.7 square miles (17 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) is water.

Watsonville has habitat areas that support the endangered species Santa Cruz Tarweed on the California coastal prairie ecosystem. Population has grown considerably since 1980, requiring preparation of a number of Environmental Impact Reports, with resultant development removing certain lands of the city from productive natural habitat.

Most of the coastal land adjacent to Watsonville is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Another protected natural resource is the Watsonville wetlands, a system of fresh water sloughs with open water and native vegetation that extend from the city to the ocean. The slough system is only one of a few remaining wetland areas of its kind in the California Coastal Region. Not only are the wetlands home to approximately nine species of fish and over 200 species of waterfowl, raptors and songbirds; they are also a vital stop on the Pacific Flyway for thousands of migrating birds. In 1990, private and municipal organizations worked together to stop development and protect this resource. The Watsonville Wetlands Watch was established at that time with the task of restoring and protecting the slough's natural habit.

Economy Watsonville's main industries are construction, agriculture and manufacturing. Some of the largest companies headquartered in Watsonville are Monterey Mushrooms, Driscoll's, Martinelli's, Fox Racing Shox, Nordic Naturals, Graniterock, Granite Construction, West Marine, California Giant, A&I Transport Inc. and Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.

Watsonville is known for producing crops and goods in the agricultural business along the Northern Pacific Coast. Its economy depends on its agro-business market and on distributing crops to different parts of the world. Crops fundamental to the economy include strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, natural plants, and raspberries. Companies such as Driscoll's and California Giant spend around $280 million every year to processing and transport fresh food to cities in the area, such as San Jose, Castroville, and Santa Cruz, where the numbers of these fruits and vegetables do not meet the demand. The city ranks among the most important U.S. farming cities for its agro-business market.

Watsonville is the nation's 21st-largest city in which Latino workers are 75% of the total population.

Economy: Top employers According to the City of Watsonville's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's top employers are: 1 Pajaro Valley Unified School District; 2 Monterey Mushrooms Inc.; 3 Watsonville Community Hospital; 4 Granite Construction; 5 Lakeside Organic Gardens LLC; 6 City of Watsonville; 7 Salud Para La Gente; 8 S Martinelli & Co.; 9 Fox Factory; 10 West Marine Products.

Parks and recreation Watsonville maintains 28 parks, including a skate park, indoor soccer field, lake with boat rentals and RV camping, BBQ areas, handball courts, an art gallery, tennis courts, and volleyball courts. It also provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, boating, sports, bird-watching, and beach access.

Watsonville Wetlands There are hiking trails throughout the city, and a nature centre provides an intimate view of The Watsonville Wetlands.

Pajaro River There are several trailheads in the city that provide access to the Pajaro River and its tributaries via The Pajaro River Levee Trail Park. The levee trails are a popular spot for walking, running, and biking. In 2010, the City of Watsonville received a $424,000 grant to create a public access point to the Pajaro River for canoes and kayaks, including a parking lot, trail and public restroom.

Pinto Lake The city operates one of two parks at Pinto Lake, which includes a small watercraft launch ramp, group picnic areas, an RV park, a baseball field, volleyball, children's playground, boat rentals, fishing, and bird watching. Because Pinto Lake often turns a thick green due to different types of algae, the city prohibits the eating of fish caught in Pinto Lake. The second park at Pinto Lake is operated by the County of Santa Cruz and includes nature trails, disc golf, sports fields, and the Monterey Bay Center of the California Conservation Corps.

Pajaro Dunes The Pajaro Dunes area of Watsonville attracts tourists to its high-end beachfront condos and timeshares.

Culture Watsonville is home to the annual Strawberry Festival, which includes a wide variety of strawberry-based foods, live music, vendors, and rides.

Near the end of every summer, the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds draws visitors from across and outside the county to its attractions, including rides, food, art exhibits, flower exhibits, pony rides, petting zoos, dog shows, and live music performances.

The fairgrounds also host a number of other events, including car races at the Ocean Speedway, dog training programs, wedding receptions, the annual Santa Cruz County Science Fair, and the Scottish Renaissance Festival.

Government Watsonville uses the council–manager government model. The city is divided into seven districts, each of which elects a representative to the city council. The mayor is not elected; the office rotates annually in December.

Watsonville became a sanctuary city on April 11, 2017.

Watsonville's overall crime index is 24.1% lower than Santa Cruz's, 15.4% lower than Salinas's, and 38.4% higher than Gilroy's.

State and federal representation In the California State Legislature, Watsonville is in the 17th Senate District, and the 30th Assembly District.

In the United States House of Representatives, Watsonville is in California's 19th congressional district.

Education Watsonville's public schools fall under the jurisdiction of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which has an enrollment of about 18,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Local high schools include Watsonville High School and Pajaro Valley High School.

Cabrillo College operates a branch campus in Watsonville.

All charter schools in Watsonville are under the jurisdiction of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. They include Diamond Technology Institute, Alianza Charter School, Linscott Charter School, Pacific Coast Charter School, Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, and Ceiba College Preparatory Academy.

Private schools in the city include Green Valley Christian School, Moreland Notre Dame, Monte Vista Christian, Mount Madonna School, Potter's House Community Christian School, St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School, and Salesian Elementary and Junior High Schools.

Media Watsonville and the surrounding area is served by the local newspaper, the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian. KQET operates in Watsonville as a simulcast of the Bay Areas's KQED.

Radio stations based in Watsonville include KSCO, KLVM, KAPU, and KPIG-FM.