Located on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast, Monterey is a small coastal town with plenty to offer. The town of just over 30,000 residents was once a quiet fishing village put on the map by John Steinbeck’s 1945 novel “Cannery Row.” Today, Monterey is a lively city with major shopping centers and fine dining options. “The shopping, the golf, the weather, I’m not sure why someone wouldn’t want to live here,” says Annette Boggs of Above and Beyond Real Estate, who has two decades of experience in the area. “We have the ocean, and we have hiking. It’s the type of place where people come on vacation and then decide it’s where they’re going to retire.” The city has world-class golf courses, large, annual music festivals and one of America’s largest aquariums. It’s also a major medical hub; Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula, a 258-bed acute-care center, is the town’s largest employer.
In Pebble Beach, California the most sought after golf experience in the world awaits you.
Enjoy sailing around the East Monterey Bay.
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Spaghetti Hill dining with bay views
Monterey is known for its vibrant dining scene. Its Old Town neighborhood is also referred to as “Spaghetti Hill” for its abundance of Italian restaurants. “You have all these incredible, authentic Italian restaurants right along the water. It’s a great place for a night out,” says Anna Wilson of Del Monte Realty, who has lived and worked in the area for over 20 years. Throughout the downtown area, foodies can find other cuisines, including Japanese, Indian and seafood, plus wine bars and breweries. “You could dine out every day of the year and go to a different place each night,” says Boggs. There are two main shopping and dining districts in Monterey; Cannery Row, the inspiration for the John Steinbeck novel, was once a street filled with fish canning factories. Today, the waterfront street is filled with independent clothing boutiques, jewelry stores and art galleries. Nearly all its merchants, from gift shops to gourmet food and wine stores, are locally owned. Further inland along Cabrillo Highway is the Del Monte Shopping Center, an open-air shopping mall with a Macy’s, an Apple Store and many more national retailers. The mall is also home to a Whole Foods Market and a movie theatre.
The Old Fisherman's Wharf sits at the tip of Old Town.
Melville Tavern in Monterey Vista serves burgers with a side of maritime charm.
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The annual Monterey Jazz Festival
Music festivals are big in Monterey. The Monterey Jazz Festival has been held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds each fall since 1958, hosting performers like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Buddy Rich. “It’s always a great time, and they get some really fantastic performers,” says Boggs. The California Roots Festival has been a staple in Monterey since 2010. It celebrates reggae, folk and hip-hop music, while also promoting work from local artists. The Jazz Bash by the Bay is a three-day long festival honoring ragtime, swing and the blues.
There is a lot of street performers who play around Cannery Row in New Monterey.
Shop seasonal fruits and veggies at Old Monterey Farmers Market every week in Old Monterey.
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Surfing at Del Monte Beach and golfing at Pebble Beach
Monterey is home to 37 parks. The largest is El Estero Park Complex, a 45-acre facility with a playground themed around comic character Dennis the Menace. Monterey is on the water, so residents can easily access the beach. San Carlos Beach is a popular spot for boating, fishing and scuba diving, and Del Monte Beach and Monterey State Beach are popular spots for surfing, boogie boarding and picnicking. Golfers flock to Monterey for access to some of the best courses on the West Coast. “The golf is world-class,” says Boggs. “It doesn’t get much better anywhere in the country.” Monterey has four courses with stunning views of the bay, and locals are 5 miles from historic courses in neighboring Carmel and Pebble Beach. Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding are popular activities at nearby Jacks Peak Park in the Santa Lucia Range.
The Monterey Aquarium has exhibits like a Giant Pacific Octopus and Great White Shark tanks. Whale, seal and sea lion watching are also popular activities from the piers. The Monterey Amberjacks, part of the Pecos League, plays their games at Frank E. Sollecito Jr. Ballpark.
East Monterey is a haven for surf fanatics who are destined to find the next wave.
Admire your golf skills amidst the beauty of Laguna Seca/Ryan Ranch.
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Bungalows from the 1950s and 60s
While most properties in Monterey are single-family homes, there’s also a mix of newly built condos and townhouses. The median price for a single-family home is $1.3 million, and the median townhouse price is $1 million. “When it comes to single-family homes, there aren’t a ton of new builds,” says Boggs. Most properties are ranch-style houses or bungalows from the 1950s and 60s. Some smaller homes date back to the 1920s. Homes near golf courses and beaches in neighborhoods like Del Monte Beach, as well as homes in the hills with views of the water tend to have higher price tags. Most properties are clustered into quiet subdivisions outside of the busy, tourist-laden areas of town.
In Laguna Seca-Ryan Ranch, Monterey, CA mansions with unobstructed views look out north.
Unique hybrid architecture defines Fisherman's Flats/Josselyn Canyon with stylish cohesion.
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A-rated Monterey High School
Kids in the city attend the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, which serves over 9,400 students annually. The district receives a B-plus rating from Niche. Most teens attend Monterey High School, which has an A rating and was named the third-best public high school in the county. Monterey also has a handful of private schools, and a college, the four-year California State University Monterey Bay. The university is home to 7,000 students.
Skyline Forest's Monterey High School blends rigorous education with a supportive atmosphere.
Excelling at Monterey High School, where learning transforms into achievement.
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Quick access to Monterey Regional Airport
The Monterey Regional Airport is located in the city and provides daily flights to major metropolitan areas like Phoenix, Dallas and Los Angeles. The nearest international airport is located 70 miles up Route 101 in San Jose. Residents can also take the 101 120 miles north to San Francisco, or drive Highway 1 19 miles to Salinas. For quick transportation around the peninsula and other neighboring areas, the Monterey-Salinas Transit bus routes offer an easy way to get around. Temperatures tend to stay between the low 70s and the high 40s for all 12 months of the year. According to the FBI, violent crime in Monterey is well below the state and national averages. Property crime in the city has declined in each of the past three years and remains lower than California and U.S. averages.
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