Watsonville, Santa Cruz County
Watsonville was founded in 1852 and named for John Watson, a judge who claimed land here. Its downtown plaza, with a bandstand and old cannons, dates to the 1860s. Many nearby buildings were lost in the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989, and have since been rebuilt. A chain of freshwater sloughs winds through the city toward the bay, lined with walking trails.