Davenport lies along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, situated about 9 miles north of Santa Cruz, on Highway One.

Originally on the banks of San Vicente Creek, the town expanded to the north during the twentieth century.

The town is presently noted for the spectacular cliffs and bluffs above the Pacific, beaches in between cliffs, surfing opportunities, the cement plant run by Cemex (shuttered in January 2010), and the former headquarters of Odwalla, a company that made fruit juices.

A whaling captain named John Pope Davenport settled at El Jarro Point [ceb], about half a mile from today's town, in 1867.

Agua Puerca Creek lived up to its name by bringing down so much mud that the port filled up and steamers could not tie up to the wharf to load lumber.

In the following year, the Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company manufacturing plant was built nearby.

At that time, the closed Davenport Landing post office opened up in the settlement that grew up around the cement plant.

California farm-raised abalone has been selected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Watch program as an excellent choice for environmentally conscious seafood consumers.

[8] The presence of high levels of chromium-6, purported to be a cancer-causing chemical, led to strained relationships between CEMEX, the Environmental Protection Agency, and County of Santa Cruz.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.8 square miles (7.4 km2), 99.63% of it land and 0.37% of it water.

Davenport has mild weather throughout the year, enjoying a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, mostly dry summers.

Due to its proximity to Monterey Bay, fog and low overcast are common during the night and morning hours, especially in the summer.