Monterey, California

Monterey is a city on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. It covers an area of about 8.645 square miles and had a population of 30,218 as of the 2020 census.

The city was founded by the Spanish in 1774 when Gaspar de Portolá and Junípero Serra built the Presidio of Monterey and the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo. It served as the capital of the Province of the Californias and later became an important place for both Alta California and Baja California. During the Mexican-American War, Monterey was captured by American forces in the Battle of Monterey in 1846.

Today, Monterey is well-known for its tourism. Popular spots include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, and Fisherman's Wharf. It also hosts events like the California Roots Music and Arts Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. The city is home to important schools and military centers, such as the Defense Language Institute, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and California State University, Monterey Bay.

History

Ohlone period

Long before European explorers arrived, the Rumsen Ohlone tribe lived in the area now known as Monterey. They lived in villages such as Ichxenta, Calendaruc, Wacharon, and Rumsien. The Ohlone people fished, hunted, and gathered food around the Monterey Peninsula.

Researchers have found shell middens in the area. These show that the Ohlone mainly ate mussels and abalone found along the rocky coast.

Spanish period

The city is named after Monterey Bay. The bay's name was given by Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602. He named it Puerto de Monterrey to honor the Conde de Monterrey, the viceroy of New Spain.

In 1770, Spanish explorers led by Gaspar de Portolá and Junípero Serra founded the Presidio of Monterey and the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo. The Presidio was built to protect the port, and the cathedral became an important church.

Monterey was the capital of the "Province of Both Californias" from 1777 until Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821.

Argentine raid and occupation

In 1818, Argentine forces led by Hippolyte Bouchard landed near Monterey. They captured the Presidio of Monterey after a short fight and occupied the city for six days. They took supplies and set fire to several buildings but did not harm the local people.

Mexican period

After Mexico gained independence, Monterey continued to be an important place. In 1834, the first print shop in California was brought to Monterey by Agustín V. Zamorano.

Monterey was the site of the Battle of Monterey in 1846 during the Mexican–American War. That year, Commodore John D. Sloat raised the U.S. flag over the Monterey Custom House, claiming California for the United States.

American period

In 1849, Colton Hall was built and served as a school and government building. It hosted California's first constitutional convention, where leaders drafted the state's first constitution.

Monterey became famous for its fishing, but the fishery declined in the 1950s due to overfishing. Some old fishing cabins from that time are still standing along Cannery Row.

Monterey has also been home to many famous writers and artists, including John Steinbeck and Robert Louis Stevenson.

In 2021, Apple named its new operating system macOS Monterey after the Monterey region.

Geography

The city of Monterey covers an area of 12.3 square miles, with 8.6 square miles of land and 3.6 square miles of water. It includes several areas like New Monterey, Del Monte, and Cannery Row. The city sits near important underwater protected areas that help keep ocean life safe.

Monterey has many special plants and animals, such as sea otters and certain types of pine trees. The area also has places where special plants grow, some of which are rare.

Monterey has many different natural places, including sandy areas, forests of special pine trees, and areas with chaparral plants. The city does not have any dairy farms, though a type of cheese called Monterey Jack comes from nearby.

Monterey has a cool climate because it is near the ocean. Summers are often foggy and mild, while winters are gentle with little rain. Snow is very rare in the city itself.

Demographics

The headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is in Monterey, and one of the few Oratorian communities in the United States is located in the city. The city is next to the historic Catholic Carmel Mission.

As of the 2020 census, Monterey had a population of 30,218. The age distribution was 12.8% under the age of 18, 16.0% aged 18 to 24, 30.4% aged 25 to 44, 20.9% aged 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $104,110, and the per capita income was $62,541. About 8.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

The 2010 United States census reported that Monterey had a population of 27,810. The racial makeup of Monterey included many people of English, German, Irish, Mexican, Italian, and Scottish ancestry.

Economy

Monterey has many jobs in both private and public sectors. Some of the biggest private companies that hire people in Monterey are listed in alphabetical order, though the specific names are not shown here. The same goes for the top public companies that employ people in the city.

Other important employers in Monterey include the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and Mapleton Communications. The city is also home to military facilities such as the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center and the United States Naval Research Laboratory – Monterey.

Arts and culture

Attractions

Monterey is famous for its rich marine life, including sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, bat rays, kelp forests, pelicans, dolphins, and several types of whales. Just a few miles offshore lies the Monterey Canyon, the largest and deepest underwater canyon along the Pacific coast of North America. This makes Monterey a favorite spot for scuba divers of all skill levels. Scuba classes are held at San Carlos State Beach, a popular diving spot since the 1960s. The Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row is one of the biggest aquariums in North America, and the area is home to several marine science laboratories.

Monterey has many museums and over thirty historic buildings, most of which are old adobe structures from the mid-1800s. Some of these buildings are museums open to visitors, like the Cooper Molera Adobe and the Robert Louis Stevenson House. Others, like Casa Amesti, are open only during special tours. The Monterey Museum of Art focuses on Early California Impressionist painting, photography, and modern art. There are also places for children and teens to enjoy art, such as MY Museum and YAC.

Cannery Row is a historic area west of downtown Monterey. Once home to many sardine canneries from the 1920s to the 1950s, it later became a popular tourist spot after the Monterey Bay Aquarium was built there. The neighborhood now features shops, restaurants, and historic buildings, including some old cannery structures. A free trolley takes visitors between downtown and the Aquarium in the summer.

Lake El Estero is a popular park in Monterey with paddleboats, a park named after the comic character Dennis the Menace, and a skate park made with input from local skaters. Birdwatchers love this park for its many different kinds of birds.

Arts

Monterey is home to the Monterey Museum of Art and the Salvador Dalí Museum. There are also many art galleries in the historic areas of Cannery Row, New Monterey, and Customs House Plaza.

Music

The Monterey Jazz Festival started in 1958 and has featured famous musicians like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday. It is considered one of the oldest jazz festivals in the world.

In June 1967, Monterey hosted the Monterey Pop Festival, a major rock concert that attracted around 200,000 people over three days. This festival introduced many famous musicians to large audiences and is seen as a key event in the “Summer of Love” era. It also influenced the way future music festivals were organized.

Literature

Author John Steinbeck had friends in Monterey, including Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist, and Bruce Ariss, an artist. After Ricketts’s passing, friends would gather at his lab for drinks and jazz music. A local radio host suggested holding a jazz event, which led to the creation of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous writer, visited Monterey in 1879 and stayed at the French Hotel while writing some of his works. The hotel, now called the Stevenson House, still stands and displays items that belonged to him.

Theater

Monterey has a long history of theater. The first paid public dramatic show in California happened in an adobe building called “California’s First Theater.” Built by a sailor named Jack Swan in 1847, it hosted plays and musical shows until the Gold Rush in 1849 when many people left for gold. The building was later saved and became a historic site.

The Wharf Theater opened in 1950 on Fisherman’s Wharf and quickly became popular. It was destroyed by a fire in 1959 but reopened in a new location. In 1976, a new Wharf Theater was built back on the wharf, and it continues to host shows today.

The Golden State Theatre, a beautiful old movie theater, was restored in 2005 and now hosts live performances. It has featured many popular plays and musicals over the years.

Sports

Monterey has some interesting sports teams and events. The Monterey Amberjacks are a baseball team that plays in an independent league, not connected to Major League Baseball. They play at Sollecito Ballpark.

Monterey Bay FC is a soccer team that plays in the USL Championship, which is the second level of professional soccer in the United States. They play their home games at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside, California. There is also a soccer league just for adults from Monterey and nearby areas.

Monterey also hosts the PURE Insurance Championship, a golf tournament held in Monterey and Pebble Beach.

Government

Monterey is led by a mayor and four city council members. As of 2025, the mayor is Tyller Williamson, and the council members are Kim Barber, Gino Garcia, Jean Rasch, and Ed Smith.

The city helps take care of important places like the Presidio of Monterey and the Naval Postgraduate School. They maintain streets, parks, and buildings, and offer services like traffic planning and construction management. This teamwork is called the "Monterey Model" and has saved money while keeping the military presence strong in the area.

The city also runs the Monterey Sports Center for fun and activities.

Media

See also: Media in Monterey County, California

Monterey has several local radio stations such as KPIG-FM 107.5, KAZU-FM – 90.3, KDON-FM – 102.5, KCDU-FM – 101.7, KWAV-FM – 96.9, KDFG-FM – 103.9, KMBY – 1240 AM, and KRML which plays jazz on 94.7 FM and provides city information on 1610-AM. The area gets its television service from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz region. Local newspapers include the Monterey County Herald and the Monterey County Weekly.

Infrastructure

Monterey has a post office run by the United States Postal Service. This post office opened in 1849 and was the first one west of the Rocky Mountains.

Transportation

Monterey’s roads include CA 1, called the Cabrillo Highway, which follows the coast to Monterey Bay in the north and Big Sur in the south. CA 68, the Monterey-Salinas Highway, links the city to US 101 at Salinas and to Pacific Grove.

Local buses are operated by Monterey-Salinas Transit. The Monterey Regional Airport offers flights to big cities in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. The Monterey train station stopped regular service in 1971 when Amtrak took over train travel, ending the Del Monte line.

Education

Monterey has many places for learning, including the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey, California, and the Naval Postgraduate School. There is also the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, which is part of Middlebury College, and Monterey Peninsula College, which is part of the California Community Colleges system.

Other schools nearby include California State University, Monterey Bay and the Monterey College of Law at the site of the former Fort Ord in Seaside. The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District runs one high school, one middle school, and three elementary schools. Private schools in the area are Santa Catalina School and Trinity Christian High School.

Notable people

Monterey, California, has been home to many famous people over the years. Some well-known individuals include Mike Aldrete, a former major league baseball player, and Tory Belleci, a presenter on MythBusters. The city also attracted notable figures such as Salvador Dalí, the famous artist, and Clint Eastwood, an acclaimed actor, director, and producer.

Other famous residents and visitors include John Steinbeck, the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, and Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Treasure Island.

Sister cities

See also: List of sister cities in California

Monterey is twinned with several cities around the world. These include:

• Dubrovnik, Croatia (2006)
• Isola delle Femmine, Italy (2017)
• Cervia, Italy (2014)
• Kuşadası, Turkey (2007)
• Lankaran, Azerbaijan (2011)
• Lleida, Spain (1980)
• Nanao, Japan (1995)
• Tainan, Taiwan (1984)