La Barranca Park
251 Lighthouse Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
La Barranca Park is dedicated to the Italian immigrants who came to Santa Cruz. La Barranca Park runs alongside Bay Street on the northern side of the street between California Street and Laguna Street. Established in 2003 it features a walking trail, benches and historical information signage.
The park honors the Santa Cruz Italian colony, La Barranca. La Barranca was geographically located between Bay and Gharkey Streets, next to Lighthouse Avenue. Today, there are over 10,000 California descendants from this small village in Italy. The Santa Cruz Genovese Fishing Colony is part of the Pacific Coast chain of Italian communities originating from the Riva Trigoso coastal village of Sestri Levante, a Santa Cruz sister city east of Genova.
The name La Barranca was derived from the early Spaniards who had settled the downtown Santa Cruz area. They referred to the upper west side as the La Barranca. And the Italians adopted the phrase.
— From GeoCaching.com
The park honors the Santa Cruz Italian colony, La Barranca. La Barranca was geographically located between Bay and Gharkey Streets, next to Lighthouse Avenue. Today, there are over 10,000 California descendants from this small village in Italy. The Santa Cruz Genovese Fishing Colony is part of the Pacific Coast chain of Italian communities originating from the Riva Trigoso coastal village of Sestri Levante, a Santa Cruz sister city east of Genova.
The name La Barranca was derived from the early Spaniards who had settled the downtown Santa Cruz area. They referred to the upper west side as the La Barranca. And the Italians adopted the phrase.
— From GeoCaching.com
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