Brookdale, California

Brookdale
census-designated place
The Brookdale Lodge in Brookdale, California
Brookdale Location in California
Coordinates: 37°06′21″N 122°06′38″W / 37.10583°N 122.11056°WCoordinates: 37°06′21″N 122°06′38″W / 37.10583°N 122.11056°W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Cruz
Area[1]
• Total	3.847 sq mi (9.964 km^2)
• Land	3.847n sq mi (9.964 km^2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km^2)  0%
Elevation[2]	405 ft (123 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,991
• Density	520/sq mi (200/km^2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	95007
Area code(s)	831
GNIS feature ID	2582951
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Brookdale, California

Brookdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, California.^[2] Brookdale sits at an elevation of 405 feet (123 m).^[2] It is located in the San Lorenzo Valley between Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond on Highway 9. The 2010 United States census reported Brookdale's population was 1,991.

The ZIP Code is 95007 and the community is inside area code 831. There is no mail delivery in Brookdale, though no home is more than 1.5 miles from the post office.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.8 square miles (10.0 km²), all of it land.

Climate

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.^[3]

The Brookdale Lodge

The Brookdale Inn & Spa, formerly known as the Brookdale Lodge, is known for the stream running through its primary restaurant, the Brook Room. The original lodge was built in 1890 at the site of the Grover Lumber Mill by James Harvey Logan a botanist and Judge (also responsible for the cultivation of the Logan berry). Before Judge Logan's development, the area was known as Clear Creek and Brookville.^[4] The Brook room once boasted live redwood trees growing right through the ceiling along with Victorian style indoor gables and balconies. The so-called Mermaid Room is another unique feature of the restaurant, in which guests can look through a large aquarium glass into the deep end of the indoor pool while sitting in a mood-lit lounge area and bar. The property is accompanied by apartments in the back of the main structure (that were burning in the fire)and motel rooms above what used to be cafes, shops and liquor stores. It was a popular spot during the times of prohibition and the 1950s especially for Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean (of whom there is a mural on the side of the building facing highway 9)The Lodge is no longer in use, due to closure after several fire code violations, and some public health department concerns. It is rumored to be haunted by Sarah Logan, a niece of James Harvey Logan, but the official proof of her existence does not exist.1912.^[5][6] However, the inn was built around the river after 1922 while it was owned by Dr. Camp.^[7] It is said to be also haunted by a number of other unidentified entities from different time periods, that have reportedly been seen by employees and guests alike. James Logan had one child, a daughter.^[8] The lodge was purchased by a new owner in 2007^[9] and the name was changed to Brookdale Inn and Spa. The lodge underwent many structural changes followed by neglect and eventual abandonment. The property has once again been sold and is undergoing intensive renovations.^[10]

2009 Fire

Damaged section of the lodge after the 2009 fire

On August 18, 2009, a fire engulfed a two-story section of the lodge near the rear of the main building that contains apartments mostly occupied by lodge employees. There were no reports of injuries to anybody staying at the inn, though some firefighters suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze.^[11]

There have been two other large fires at the Lodge, the first fire occurred on October 24, 1956. In that fire the dining room and an adjoining 12-room house were destroyed. A group of stores adjacent to the dining room were also badly damaged. Damage from the 1956 fire was estimated at $200,000. The second fire occurred in 2005 in the same area of the main hotel as the 2009 fire.^[11]

The origin of the fire is still under investigation and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping to determine the cause of the three-alarm fire. According to the Boulder Creek Fire Chief the fire started under suspicious circumstances.^[12]

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census^[13] reported that Brookdale had a population of 1,991. The population density was 517.5 people per square mile (199.8/km²). The racial makeup of Brookdale was 1,790 (89.9%) White, 9 (0.5%) African American, 12 (0.6%) Native American, 19 (1.0%) Asian, 8 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 66 (3.3%) from other races, and 87 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 202 persons (10.1%).

The census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.

There were 806 households, out of which 235 (29.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 352 (43.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 75 (9.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 43 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 75 (9.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 242 households (30.0%) were made up of individuals and 44 (5.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47. There were 470 families (58.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.09.

The population was spread out with 425 people (21.3%) under the age of 18, 155 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 494 people (24.8%) aged 25 to 44, 751 people (37.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 166 people (8.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males.

There were 912 housing units at an average density of 237.1 per square mile (91.5/km²), of which 61.0% were owner-occupied and 39.0% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 65.4% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34.6% lived in rental housing units.

References

1. U.S. Census Archived 2012-01-24 at WebCite
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Brookdale, California
3. Climate Summary for Brookdale, California Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
4. Index to Leon Rowland’s Card Files, UCSC University Library Special Collections, Transcribed & Indexed by Joan Gilbert Martin & Stanley D. Stevens 2004-2005 Archived September 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2007-01-18
5. Haunted Bay, "Brookdale Lodge" Archived May 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2007-01-18
6. Ross Eric Gibson, San Jose Mercury News, October 19, 1993, "Historical Memories Haunt Brookdale" Archived July 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., accessed May 18, 2007
8. James Harvey Logan
9. Coast Lines, October 27, 2007: Brookdale / Brookdale Lodge Sells for $5.3M Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
10. Amid Renovations, a History of Negligence Haunts Brookdale Lodge Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine..
11. Ramona Turner and Kurtis Alexander, Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 19th, 2009,"Fire chars historic Brookdale Inn:" Archived July 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine., accessed April 30, 2010
12. Crime Watch, CBS News, August 21st, 2009,"ATF Joins Brookdale Lodge Fire Investigation", accessed April 30, 2010
13. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Brookdale CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.