Big Sur & Carmel Highlands (south coast)

Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. Although it has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the area include the 90 miles (140 km) of coastline from the Carmel River in Monterey County south to the San Carpoforo Creek in San Luis Obispo County,[1][2] and extend about 20 miles (30 km) inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias. Other sources limit the eastern border to the coastal flanks of these mountains, only 3 to 12 miles (5 to 19 km) inland. Another practical definition of the region is the segment of California State Route 1 fromCarmel south to San Simeon. The northern end of Big Sur is about 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco, and the southern end is approximately 245 miles (394 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country of the south". This name refers to its location south of the city of Monterey.[3] The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1571 m) above sea level, only 3 miles (5 km) from the ocean.[4]

The name Big Sur can also specifically refer to any of the small settlements in the region, including Posts, Lucia and Gorda; mail sent to most areas within the region must be addressed "Big Sur"

Carmel Highlands is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States.[1] It is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea (better known as simply, "Carmel"),[2] at an elevation of 318 feet (97 m).[1] Carmel Highlands is also located just south of the Point Lobos State Reserve, and serves as the northern gateway of the Big Sur coastline along California State Route 1. The real estate in this entire area is some of the most expensive in the United States. Many celebrities have homes and vacation homes in this area. The ZIP Code is 93923, and the community is inside area code 831.

Carmel Highlands was laid out in 1916 by developers Frank Powers and Franklin Devendorf.