Paradise Park, California

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km), all of it land. ==Demographics==

Paradise Park first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census. The whole population lived in households. There were 187 households, out of which 51 (27.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 86 (46.0%) were married-couple households, 17 (9.1%) were cohabiting couple households, 43 (23.0%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 41 (21.9%) had a male householder with no partner present. 43 households (23.0%) were one person, and 22 (11.8%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.96. The age distribution was 47 people (12.8%) under the age of 18, 31 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 68 people (18.5%) aged 25 to 44, 125 people (34.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 96 people (26.2%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 50.9years. For every 100 females, there were 106.2 males. There were 384 housing units at an average density of , of which 187 (48.7%) were occupied. Of these, 160 (85.6%) were owner-occupied, and 27 (14.4%) were occupied by renters. ==History==

The California Powder Works was built on the site in 1861 as supplies of explosives from the east were cut off by the Civil War. The works produced black powder, dynamite, and smokeless powders for civilian and military uses, powered by the waters of the San Lorenzo river distributed by a system of flumes from a dam located in what is now Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Lillian Dake Heath had been a school teacher in the Powder Mill Flat (now known as Paradise Park) starting in 1883. A large explosion on 26 April 1898 killed 13 and injured 25, forcing the abandonment of the on-site employee housing and public school, and soured public opinion on the operation of an explosives works so close to the city of Santa Cruz. The opening of the Panama Canal simplified shipment of powder to the US Navy's Pacific Fleet from factories on the east coast, and the works was abandoned in 1914. The decaying buildings were demolished and the property was put up for sale in 1924, when a group of Freemasons from Fresno, California purchased it for use as a summer retreat. They laid out streets with names related to Freemasonry. The area continues to be under the auspices of the Paradise Park Masonic Club, with homes owned by members. In August 2020, Paradise Park was put under an evacuation order due to the CZU Lightning Complex fires. ==References==