Carmel & Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the "artists, poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea", and in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses were built by citizens who were "devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts." Early City Councils were dominated by artists, and the city has had several mayors who were poets or actors, including Herbert Heron, founder of the Forest Theater, bohemian writer and actor Perry Newberry, and actor-director Clint Eastwood.

The city is known for being dog-friendly, with numerous hotels, restaurants and retail establishments admitting guests with dogs. Carmel is also known for several unusual laws, including a prohibition on wearing high-heel shoes without a permit, enacted to prevent lawsuits arising from tripping accidents caused by irregular pavement.[10] Carmel is also divided into 3 sections: Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley and Carmel Highlands.

Carmel-by-the-Sea is located on the Pacific coast, about 330 miles (530 km) north of Los Angeles and 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 3,722, down from 4,081 at the 2000 census.

Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3 feet (1 m).[1] Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort destination, home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links.

As well, The Inn at Spanish Bay and The Lodge at Pebble Beach and four of the eight golf courses inside the Pebble Beach community are among the local assets owned by the Pebble Beach Company. Residents pay road fees for maintenance as well as Monterey County property taxes. Application of the property tax revenues is the realm of the Pebble Beach Community Services District, a public agency with an elected board of directors that manages essential functions including fire protection and emergency medical services, supplemental law enforcement, wastewater collection and treatment, recycled water distribution, and garbage collection, disposal and recycling. The community's post office is named Pebble Beach, as is its identity; whereas the U.S. Census Bureau aggregates census returns from Pebble Beach as part of the larger census-designated place of Del Monte Forest.

Area open space is partly administered by the Del Monte Forest Conservancy, a non-profit organization designated by Monterey County and the California Coastal Commission to acquire and manage certain properties by conservation easement and, as well, as by fee title. The Conservancy comprises a volunteer board of up to 12 members working to preserve the open space within the Del Monte Forest. All must be property owners and residents of the Forest.

The ZIP Code is 93953, and the community is inside area code 831.

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.

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley Village (also known as Carmel Valley for short) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 4,407, down from 4,700 at the 2000 census. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.

Carmel Valley Village is located at 36°29′10″N 121°43′26″W.[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 19.2 square miles (50 km2), 98.98% of it land and 1.02% of it water. The community of Robles Del Rio is located on the opposite bank of the Carmel River.

The Carmel River drains the area of Carmel Valley. Primary ecosystems of the vicinity include California oak woodland, riparian woodland, chaparral, grassland andsavanna. Dominant oak trees include Quercus agrifolia. The locale of Carmel Valley is also the northernmost range of the hybrid oak Quercus x alvordiana.

Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California in the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated its 2013 population at 15,504.[8] Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey.[1]

Nicknamed "America's Last Hometown", Pacific Grove is known for its Victorian homes, Asilomar State Beach, its artistic legacy and also known as the "Butterfly Town U.S.A." for the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies. The city is endowed with more Victorian houses per capita than anywhere else in America;[citation needed]some of them have been turned into bed and breakfast inns.

The city is also known as the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the West Coast, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, located in the historic downtown, the Stowitts Museum & Library and one of the filming locations for Roger Spottiswoode's 1989 film Turner & Hooch.

Monterey

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on Central California's Pacific coast. It stands at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m) above sea level,[8] on a land area of 8.466 sq mi (21.927 km²). The 2010 census recorded a population of 27,810.

Monterey was the capital of Alta California under both Spain and Mexico. It was the only port of entry for taxable goods in California. In 1846 the U.S. flag was raised over the Customs House, and California became part of the United States after the ensuing Mexican-American War.

The city had California's first theatre, public building, public library, publicly funded school, printing press, and newspaper. The city and surrounding area have attracted artists since the late 19th century and many celebrated painters and writers have lived there. Until the 1950s, there was an abundant fishery.

Among Monterey's notable present-day attractions are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival.

Dog Friendly Carmel-by-the-Sea

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