Monterey County

Monterey County ( MON-tə-RAY), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monterey County comprises the Salinas, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders on the southern part of Monterey Bay, after which it is named. (The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County.) Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency: the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Scenic features along the coastline - including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula - have made the county famous around the world. Back when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule, the city of Monterey was its capital. Today, the economy of the county is mostly based on tourism in its coastal regions, and on agriculture in the region of the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's inhabitants live near the northern coast or in Salinas Valley; the southern coast and inland mountainous regions are sparsely populated.

Pacific Grove is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city had a population of 15,090 at the 2020 census. Pacific Grove is a popular tourist destination on the Central Coast, hosting notable attractions the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Asilomar Conference Center, the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens, and Point Pinos Lighthouse, among others.

Castroville is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 7,515, up from 6,481 in 2010. Castroville is known for its artichoke crop and for the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival, leading to its nickname as the "Artichoke Center of the World".

Monterey ( MON-tə-RAY; Spanish: Monterrey) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of 8.466 sq mi (21.93 km²) and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census.

Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Flats") is a city in and the county seat of Monterey County, California, United States. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area located along the eastern limits of the Monterey Bay Area, lying just south of the San Francisco Bay Area and 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River. The city is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley, about eight miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean, and it has a climate more influenced by the ocean than the interior.

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course located in Pebble Beach, California, U.S.

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via CA 1 and US 101.

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB or Cal State Monterey Bay) is a public university located in Monterey County, California, United States. The main campus is situated on the site of the former military base Fort Ord, spanning the cities of Seaside and Marina, approximately one mile inland from Monterey Bay along the Central Coast of California. CSUMB also maintains locations in the cities of Monterey and Salinas. Founded in 1994, CSUMB is part of the California State University system and is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The university is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 at the 2010 census. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is a tourist destination, known for its natural scenery and artistic history.

Mesa Del Rey Airport (IATA: KIC, ICAO: KKIC, FAA LID: KIC) is a public airport a mile northeast of King City, in Monterey County, California, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation facility.

Gonzales is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Gonzales is located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 135 feet (41 m). The population was 8,647 at the 2020 census, up from 8,187 at the 2010 census. Gonzales is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Gonzales won the Culture of Health Prize from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2019.

King City (variants: Kings City, City of King) is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located on the Salinas River 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m). It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of California's Central Coast. King City is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. The population was 13,332 at the 2020 census, up from 12,874 in 2010.

The San Ardo Oil Field is a large oil field in Monterey County, California, in the United States. It is in the Salinas Valley, about five miles (8 km) south of the small town of San Ardo, and about 20 miles (32 km) north of Paso Robles. With an estimated ultimate recovery of 532,496,000 barrels (84,660,100 m³) of oil, it is the eighth-largest producing oil field in California, and of the top 20 California oil fields in size, it is the most recent to be discovered (1947). As of the end of 2006, the principal operators of the field were Chevron Corp. and Aera Energy LLC.

Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay on the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands, while a small portion remains an active military installation under Army control, designated the Ord Military Community.

Greenfield is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Formerly Clarke Colony, it lies in the Salinas Valley, 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 289 feet (88 m). As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,937, up from 16,330 in the 2010 census. Its most well-known public event is the annual Harvest Festival. Greenfield is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,359, up from 19,718 in 2010. The city is located along the central coast of California, 8 miles (13 km) west of Salinas and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Monterey. It is on California State Route 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz and sits at an elevation of 43 feet (13 m).

Soledad is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is in the Salinas Valley, 21 miles (34 km) southeast of Salinas, the county seat. Soledad's population was 24,925 at the 2020 census, down from 25,738 in 2010. Soledad's origins started with Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, founded by the Spanish in 1791, under the leadership of Fermín de Lasuén. Catalina Munrás began developing the town of Soledad on her Rancho San Vicente in the 1860s, which eventually incorporated as a city in 1921. Today, Soledad is a notable tourist destination, owing to the heavily restored mission, its proximity to Pinnacles National Park, and its numerous vineyards, as part of the Monterey wine region.

Seaside, formerly East Monterey, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 32,366 as of the 2020 census. It is located 2.25 miles (3.6 km) east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 33 feet (10 m), and is the home of California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), UC MBEST Center, and the Monterey College of Law, which are located on the site of the former military base Fort Ord. Also on the site are the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses, now open to the public and host to PGA Tour events, including the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship. Seaside is the gateway to Fort Ord National Monument, created on April 20, 2012.

Parkfield (formerly Russelsville) is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on Little Cholame Creek 21 miles (34 km) east of Bradley, at an elevation of 1,529 feet (466 m). As of 2007, road signs announce the population as 18.

Marina Municipal Airport (IATA: OAR, ICAO: KOAR, FAA LID: OAR) is a public airport located two miles (3 km) east of the central business district of Marina, a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is owned by the City of Marina.

The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution consisting of two separate entities which provide linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other federal agencies and numerous customers around the world. The Defense Language Institute is responsible for the Defense Language Program, and the bulk of the Defense Language Institute's activities involve educating DoD members in assigned languages, and international personnel in English. Other functions include planning, curriculum development, and research in second-language acquisition.

The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanistic alternative education. The institute played a key role in the Human Potential Movement beginning in the 1960s. Its innovative use of encounter groups, a focus on the mind-body connection, and their ongoing experimentation in personal awareness introduced many ideas that later became mainstream.

Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California, United States. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf courses of Cypress Point Club, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and Pebble Beach Golf Links. Nonresidents are charged a toll to use 17-Mile Drive, the main road through Pebble Beach, making it a de-facto gated community.

Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, United States.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a state park in California, 12 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on California's Pacific coast. A main feature of the park is McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet (24 m) into the Pacific Ocean. The park is also home to 300-foot (90 m) redwoods which are over 2,500 years old. The park is named after Julia Pfeiffer Burns, a respected resident and rancher in the Big Sur region in the early 20th century, who lived in the area for much of her life until her death in 1928. The 3,762-acre (1,522 ha) park was established in 1962.

San Lucas is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in vicinity of the town of San Lucas between King City and San Ardo in southern Monterey County, California. It lies within the southern end of the fertile Salinas Valley. The appellation was recognized on March 7, 1987 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Almadèn Vineyards of San Jose, California, for the establishment of a viticultural area named "San Lucas." Based on the data submitted by the petitioner for vineyards near King City and San Lucas for the 11-year period 1974 to 1984, ATF concluded that the microclimate of the San Lucas Viticultural Area is the chief characteristic which distinguishes the area from other adjoining areas.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark. The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters, various birds, and tunas. Seafood Watch, a sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in 1999, has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood. The aquarium was home to Otter 841 prior to her release into the wild as well as Rosa, the oldest living sea otter at the time of her death.

The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach.

Del Monte Forest (Del Monte, Spanish for "of the mountain") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 4,204, down from 4,514 at the 2010 census. The census area includes the separate well-known community of Pebble Beach.

Spreckels is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, United States. Spreckels is located 3 miles (5 km) south of Salinas, at an elevation of 62 ft (19 m). Its population was 692 at the 2020 census.

Monterey is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in eastern Monterey County, California. It was recognized on July 16, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by the Monterey Winegrowers Council to establish the "Monterey" viticultural area. The designated area within the multi-county Central Coast AVA expands almost the entire length of the county from the Monterey Bay southern shoreline to the Salinas river valley framed by the Santa Lucia, Sierra de Salinas and Gabilan Ranges stretching north-south for about 100 miles (160 km) from Watsonville to its southern point, abutting the town of Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County. Monterey AVA expands approximately 360,000 acres (560 sq mi) with about 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) of cultivated vineyards. The AVA includes parts of the Carmel and the Salinas valleys containing five smaller American viticultural areas: Arroyo Seco, Hames Valley, San Bernabe, San Lucas and Santa Lucia Highlands. The northern portion is a cool growing region with a very long growing season. Daytime temperatures rarely exceed 75 °F (24 °C) in most parts of the region, although the southern segments of the AVA can measure 100 °F (38 °C) at times. The soil is sandy loam and most regions require irrigation from the Salinas River.

Established in 1955, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly the Monterey Institute of International Studies, located in Monterey, California is a graduate institute and satellite campus of Middlebury College. The institute offers master's programs and certificates in environmental policy, international policy, language teaching, and translation and interpretation. It is host to several related centers.

Moss Landing, formerly Moss, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) north-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 10 feet (3.048 m). It is on the shore of Monterey Bay, at the mouth of Elkhorn Slough and at the head of the submarine Monterey Canyon.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a state park in Monterey County, California, near the area of Big Sur on the state's Central Coast. It covers approximately 1,006 acres (4.07 km²) of land. The park is centered on the Big Sur River. It has been nicknamed a "mini Yosemite." A Redwood tree in the park nicknamed the Colonial Tree is estimated to be between 1,100 and 1,200 years old.

Carmel Valley Village is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2020 census the CDP population was 4,524, up from 4,407 at the 2010 census. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.

Del Rey Oaks (Del Rey, Spanish for "Of the King") is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located just southeast of Seaside, at an elevation of 82 feet (25 m). The population was 1,592 at the 2020 census. Del Rey Oaks is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, a regional government agency.

Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet (22 m). The population was 325 at the 2020 census. The city is predominantly a business community, and has a number of larger retail stores. The West End area of Sand City, once an industrial area, hosts a growing artists' colony. Every August, the artists of Sand City and neighboring areas hold a street fair called the "West End Celebration".

Pajaro (Spanish Pájaro 'bird') is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California. It is located on the south bank of the Pajaro River 5 miles (8 km) northeast of its mouth, at an elevation of 26 feet (7.9 m). The population was 2,882 at the 2020 census, down from 3,070 in 2010. The school district is in Santa Cruz County.

Elkhorn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo (English: The Mission of Saint Charles Borromeo of the Carmel River), first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, California, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

Chualar (Spanish for "Pigweed grove") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, United States. Chualar is located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 115 feet (35 m). The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census.

Asilomar Conference Grounds is a conference center originally built for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). It is located on the western tip of the Monterey Peninsula in Pacific Grove, California, near what was formerly known as Moss Beach. Between 1913 and 1929, architect Julia Morgan designed 16 buildings on the property, 11 of which remain standing today. The area is recognized as the homeland of the Rumsen Ohlone people.

San Ardo, formerly known as San Bernardo (Spanish for "St. Bernard"), is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. San Ardo is located 18 miles (29 km) southeast of King City at an elevation of 449 feet (137 m). The population was 392 at the 2020 census, down from 517 in 2010.

Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center is an intermodal transit center in downtown Salinas, California, United States. As a transit hub, the facility is a passenger rail station and bus station.

Prunedale is a unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located 8 miles (13 km) north of Salinas at an elevation of 92 feet (28 m). The population was 18,885 as of the 2020 census, up from 17,560 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Prunedale as a census-designated place (CDP). Plum trees were grown in Prunedale in the early days of its founding, but the trees died soon after due to poor irrigation and fertilizer.

Bradley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, on the Salinas River 14 miles (23 km) south-southeast of San Ardo and 20 miles (32 km) north of Paso Robles. Bradley sits at an elevation of 548 feet (167 m). The population was 69 at the 2020 census, down from 93 at the 2010 census.

Gorda (Spanish for "Fat") is a hamlet in Monterey County, California. It is located 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Cape San Martin, at an elevation of 148 ft (45 m). It is one of the three small settlements of filling stations, restaurants, and motels located along State Route 1 on the Big Sur coast. The ZIP Code is 93920, but mail must be addressed to Big Sur, and the community is inside area code 805.

Jolon (; Spanish: Jolón; Salinan: Xolon) is a small unincorporated village in southern Monterey County, California. Jolon is located on the San Antonio River Valley, west of Salinas Valley and is entirely surrounded by Fort Hunter Liggett.

Monterey Regional Airport (IATA: MRY, ICAO: KMRY, FAA LID: MRY) is three miles (5 km) southeast of Monterey, in Monterey County, California, United States. It was created in 1936 and was known as the Monterey Peninsula Airport until the board of directors renamed it on September 14, 2011.

Andrew Molera State Park is a 4,800 acres (1,900 ha), relatively undeveloped state park on the Big Sur coast of California, United States, preserving land as requested by former owner Frances Molera. Situated at the mouth of the Big Sur River, the property was part of the Rancho El Sur land grant, and later owned by Californio pioneer John Bautista Rogers Cooper and his descendants. Cooper's grandchildren Andrew and Frances Molera inherited the property from their mother in 1918. Andrew popularized the artichoke in California in 1922, and died in 1931. In 1965, Frances sold the property to The Nature Conservancy, stipulating that the park to be created should be named for her brother.

Alisal (; Spanish for "Sycamore grove"), sometimes called East Salinas, is a neighborhood of Salinas in Monterey County, California. It is located east of downtown, at an elevation of 89 feet (27 m). The unincorporated community of Alisal was annexed to Salinas in 1963. Alisal is home to Alisal High School.

Alisal High School is an American public high school opened in 1965 and located in Salinas, California. Alisal's school colors are green, black and white. Their mascot is Tommy the Trojan.

Asilomar State Beach, officially Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds State Park, is a state park unit of California, United States. It provides public access to rocky coast and dune habitat on the Monterey Peninsula. The property includes the Asilomar Conference Grounds, a conference center built by the YWCA in 1913 that is now a National Historic Landmark. The 107-acre (43 ha) site is located in Pacific Grove and offers overnight lodging and views of the forest, surf and sand.

The Big Sur River is a 15.7-mile-long (25.3 km) river on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The upper river and watershed lies within the Ventana Wilderness and encompasses the headwaters downstream to the area known as the Gorge. The lower river flows roughly northwest through Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, the Big Sur village, several private camp grounds and Andrew Molera State Park where it flows through a lagoon and sandbar into the Pacific Ocean at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Major Tributaries of the river include, in order: Redwood Creek, Lion Creek, Logwood Creek, Terrace Creek, Ventana Creek, Post Creek, Pfeiffer-Redwood Creek, Juan Higuera Creek, and Pheneger Creek.

Bixby Bridge, also known as Bixby Creek Bridge, on the Big Sur coast of California, is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, "graceful architecture and magnificent setting". It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge. The bridge is 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco and 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County on State Route 1.

Blanco (Spanish for "White") is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on the Salinas River, around the Blanco Road crossing, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Salinas, at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).

Carmel Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California in Monterey County. The bay is 4 mi (6.4 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide with its mouth about 3 mi (4.8 km) across, between Point Carmel to the south and Point Cypress to the north; Monterey Bay is about four coastline miles north, with Point Pinos intervening.

Carmel High School is a school of 874 students and 50-plus faculty members, situated directly off of Highway 1 within the city of Carmel, California. It is a part of Carmel Unified School District.

Carmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a marine protected area in Carmel Bay including a unique underwater pinnacle formation with adjacent kelp forest, submarine canyon head, and surfgrass. Carmel Bay is adjacent to the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and is near Monterey, on California's central coast.

Community Church of Gonzales is a historic Gothic Revival church building at 301 4th Street in Gonzales, California, United States. It was built 1883–1884 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is one of Monterey County's oldest functioning churches, a prominent Carpenter Gothic church exemplifying a type common to late-19th-century small California towns. It is currently a church of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) was founded in 1934 and is located at 23625 Holman Highway in Monterey, California. The hospital has 258 acute care beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds. CHOMP has 15 locations, including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term nursing facility, and business offices.

Correctional Training Facility (CTF), commonly referenced as Soledad State Prison, is a state prison located on U.S. Route 101, five miles (eight kilometers) north of Soledad, California, adjacent to Salinas Valley State Prison.

Cypress Point Club is a private golf club located in Pebble Beach, California, at the northern end of the Central Coast. Its single 18-hole course has been named as one of the finest in golf, best known for a series of dramatic holes along the Pacific Ocean.

Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, a collection of single wall buildings, cabins, and a restaurant in Castro Canyon, was one of the first visitor accommodation to offer overnight lodging and meals in Big Sur for California visitors and travelers after the opening of Highway 1 in 1937. Helmuth Deetjen initially built cottages for others in Carmel, and was attracted to the Big Sur coast that reminded him of Norway. In 1926, he bought 6 acres (2.4 ha) and began construction of a home. He met Helen Haight and when Highway 1 was completed in 1937, they opened an inn. Helmuth managed the Inn until his death in October 1972, when its operation passed to a non-profit foundation. The Inn was closed for a short time after the Soberanes Fire and subsequent winter floods damaged several structures.

Del Monte (Spanish for "Of The Mountain") is a district of Monterey, California. It was formerly an independent unincorporated community in Monterey County. It is located in the east part of Monterey, at an elevation of 16 feet (5 m).

East Garrison is a planned community in an unincorporated area in Monterey County, California. It is located on Reservation Road (County Route G17) east of Marina and west of the Salinas River on the former Fort Ord. The community has 929 taxed parcels (779 single family homes and 150 single family attached properties). The community contains many parks including dog parks, the 5-acre Lincoln Park with sports field as well as West Camp Park, McArthur Park, Arts Park which are approximately one acre each. East Garrison is part of Monterey County's Fourth District and, as of January 5, 2021, is represented by Supervisor Wendy Root Askew.

Everett Alvarez High School is a public high school established in Salinas, California. The school is named in honor of Everett Alvarez, Jr., a much-decorated former U.S. Navy Commander and the 2nd longest held prisoner of war.

Fort Ord Dunes State Park is a state park in California, United States, along 4 miles (6.4 km) of coastline on Monterey Bay and created from part of the closed Fort Ord. The park includes a boardwalk, a path to the beach, a 4-mile (6.4 km) road for walking and biking, and interpretive exhibits describing its former use as a military training area. As the dunes are a nesting area for sensitive species, public access is limited to the paths and trails.

Fort Romie, commonly known simply as Romie, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located in the Salinas Valley, at an elevation of 187 feet (57 m).

Fremont Peak or Frémont Peak, historically known as Gabilán Peak, is a summit in the Gabilan Range, one of the mountain ranges paralleling California's central coast. The peak affords clear views of the Salinas Valley, Monterey Bay, the southern part of the Santa Clara Valley, and surrounding mountain ranges. It is located on Rocky Ridge, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Salinas, California.

Fremont Peak Observatory (FPOA) is an astronomical observatory operated by Fremont Peak Observatory Association (FPOA) under contract to the State of California. Built in 1986, it is located in Fremont Peak State Park, near San Juan Bautista, California. Fremont Peak Observatory houses the Challenger telescope.

Fremont Peak State Park is a California State Park located in Monterey County and San Benito County, California. The park encompasses the summit of 3,173-foot (967 m) Fremont Peak in the Gabilan Range.

Gabilan Acres (Gabilán, Spanish for "Sparrow hawk") is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on San Juan Grade Road northeast of Salinas and Bolsa Knolls and 6.5 miles (10 km) west of Fremont Peak, at an elevation of 203 feet (62 m). The Gabilan Acres subdivision was laid out in 1940 and planned as a race-restricted community. By 1948 the neighborhood had 48 homeowners and children attended school in nearby Santa Rita. In 1964, The Californian newspaper recognized Gabilan as one of nine unincorporated subdivisions outside Salinas, along with Santa Rita, Oak Park, San Juan Acres, Bolsa Knolls, Spreckels, Pedrazzi, Pine Canyon, and San Benancio. In 1998 an 11-year-old girl was killed in her home in Gabilan Acres.

Garrapata State Park is a state park of California, United States, located on California State Route 1 6.7 miles (10.8 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea and 18 miles (29 km) north of Big Sur Village on the Monterey coast. The 2,939-acre (1,189 ha) park was established in 1979. California sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters frequent the coastal waters while gray whales pass close by during their yearly migration.

Jamesburg (formerly, Jamesburgh) is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located 7.5 miles (12 km) northeast of Ventana Cone, at an elevation of 1722 feet (525 m).

John Little State Natural Reserve is a small 21-acre (8.5 ha) natural area protecting a section of steep, rugged cliffs and bluffs along the Big Sur coast of California, United States. The reserve encloses the mouth of Lime Creek and contains the 1917 cabin built by Elizabeth K. Livermore, an early conservationist.

The John Steinbeck House is a historic house restaurant and house museum in Salinas, California. The house was the birthplace and family home of author John Steinbeck (1902–1968). It is noted for its Queen Anne architecture. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

The John Steinbeck Library is a public library in Salinas, California, United States. The library was named after writer John Steinbeck in 1969. The library held the Steinbeck archives until 1998 when they were transferred to the new National Steinbeck Center. The library made national headlines in 2004 and 2005 when it, along with the two other libraries in Salinas, were on the verge of closing because of insufficient funding. In 2005, a nationally covered read-in drew citizens as well as authors to the library to raise awareness about the potential closure. This national publicity, as well as private funding, saved the library. Had the libraries closed, Salinas would have been the largest city in the United States without a library.

Lockwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 368.

King City High School is a high school in King City, California, in the United States. It is administered by the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District. The school's auditorium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lake El Estero (Spanish: the estuary) is a U-shaped body of water that is the anchor of the El Estero city park in Monterey, California. It is close to Del Monte Beach and Monterey Bay (and the Pacific Ocean). Two bridges connect downtown Monterey with the Oak Grove residential neighborhood and the Naval Postgraduate School. The 24.7-acre (100,000 m²) El Estero park complex has dedicated spaces for recreation with a baseball field, skatepark, and the Dennis the Menace Playground. It is also popular with migrating birds and bird watchers.

Lake San Antonio is a lake located primarily in southern Monterey County, California, and partially in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake is formed by San Antonio Dam on the San Antonio River. The dam is 202 feet (62 m) tall and was completed in 1965 under Monterey County District Engineer Loran Bunte Jr . The lake and dam are owned by the Monterey County Water Authority. The lake has a capacity of 350,000 acre-feet (430,000,000 m³).

The 3,848 acres (6.013 sq mi) Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve located in the southern region of Big Sur, California is owned by the University of California Natural Reserve System. It is located off State Route 1 in 50 miles (80 km) south of Monterey and adjacent to the Big Creek State Marine Reserve and Big Creek State Marine Conservation Area. It is open only for approved research or educational purposes.

The Larkin House is a historic house at 464 Calle Principal in Monterey, California. Built in 1835 by Thomas O. Larkin, it is claimed to be the first two-story house in all of California, with a design combining Spanish Colonial building methods with New England architectural features to create the popular Monterey Colonial style of architecture. The Larkin House is both a National and a California Historical Landmark, and is a featured property of Monterey State Historic Park.

Spyglass Hill Golf Course is a golf course on the west coast of the United States, located on the Monterey Peninsula in California. The course is part of the Pebble Beach Company, which also owns the Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, and the Del Monte Golf Course. The PGA golf head pro at Spyglass Hill is Patrick Gannon.

Limekiln State Park is a California state park on the Big Sur coast. It contains four lime kilns from an 1887–1890 lime-calcining operation, plus a beach, redwood forest, and 100-foot (30 m) Limekiln Falls. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Lucia on Big Sur Coast Highway. The 711-acre (288 ha) park was established in 1994.

Lonoak (formerly, Lone Oak and Loanoke) is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located 11 miles (18 km) east-northeast of King City on California State Route 25, at an elevation of 883 feet (269 m).

Marina High School is a public high school located in Marina, California which began operating in 2006. Marina High School is within the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD). The campus is smaller than the average high school and smaller than the other MPUSD high schools, Monterey and Seaside high schools. The first graduating class was in 2009. Average enrollment is 630 students. The school serves the cities of Marina, Seaside, Monterey, nearby CSUMB residential parks, Pacific Grove, and Salinas.

McWay Falls is an 80-foot-tall (24 m) waterfall on the coast of Big Sur in central California that flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 37 miles (60 km) south of Carmel, into the Pacific Ocean. During high tide, it is a tidefall, a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. The only other tidefall in California is Alamere Falls.

Metz (formerly, Chalone) is an unincorporated community in the Salinas Valley, in Monterey County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad and County Route G15, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Greenfield, at an elevation of 236 feet (72 m).

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Spanish: Misión Nuestra Señora de la Soledad), commonly known as Mission Soledad, is a Spanish mission located in Soledad, California. The mission was founded by the Franciscan order on October 9, 1791, to convert the Native Americans living in the area to Catholicism. It was the thirteenth of California's Spanish missions, and is named for Mary, Our Lady of Solitude. The town of Soledad is named for the mission.

Mission San Antonio de Padua is a Spanish mission established by the Franciscan order in present-day Monterey County, California, near the present-day town of Jolon. Founded on July 14, 1771, it was the third mission founded in Alta California by Father Presidente Junípero Serra. The mission was the first use of fired tile roofing in Upper California. Today the mission is a parish church of the Diocese of Monterey and is no longer active in the mission work which it was set up to provide.

Monterey High School is a public high school located in Monterey, California. It is the oldest of the four high schools overseen by the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

The Museum of Monterey, also known as the Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, tells the history of Monterey and the surrounding area through the lens of its connection to the sea. Free to the public, it houses thousands of artifacts. It includes permanent exhibits on the 1935 USS Macon disaster off Point Sur, the Ohlone and Rumsien tribes that once lived in the area, the Spanish exploration of the California coast and the Monterey sardine industry. It is operated by the Monterey History and Art Association.

The Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) an art museum located in Monterey, California. It was founded in 1959 as a chapter of the American Federation of Arts. The Monterey Museum of Art collects, preserves, and interprets the art of California from the nineteenth century to the present day. Notable holdings celebrate the heritage of Northern and Central California, and especially for early California images from the Carmel Art Colony.

Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. There are two additional MPC campuses located in Marina, CA, and Seaside, CA.

Monterey State Beach is a protected beach on southern Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. It extends from the city of Monterey to Seaside.

Monterey State Historic Park is a historic state park in Monterey, California. It includes part or all of the Monterey Old Town Historic District, a historic district that includes 17 contributing buildings and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The grounds include California's first theatre, and the Monterey Custom House, where the American flag was first raised over California.

Moss Landing State Beach is a state park on Monterey Bay, in Monterey County, California.

Neponset (Martin's Station until 1900) is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located along the Southern Pacific Railroad and California State Route 1 between Marina and Castroville, and 8.5 miles (14 km) northwest of Salinas, at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).

New Camaldoli Hermitage (formally called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural Camaldolese Benedictine hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, California, in the United States. The Camaldolese branch of the Benedictine family was founded by St. Romuald in the late 10th century. The hermitage was consecrated under the Immaculate Heart of Mary and was known by that name for its first decades, but its official name is New Camaldoli.

North Monterey County High School is a high school in Castroville, California, USA, was established in 1978. It serves the populations of Aromas, Castroville, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Elkhorn and Salinas. The school is part of the North Monterey County Unified School District. North Monterey County High School is abbreviated on some official documents as NMCHS although it is more commonly known as either "North County" or "NC".

North Salinas High School is a public high school established in Salinas, California. It is one of five primary high schools of the Salinas Union High School District. The school was founded in 1959 as the second high school in the system to relieve overcrowding at the original high school in Salinas, Salinas High School.

Mershops Northridge is a shopping mall in Salinas, California, United States, and the largest in Monterey County. Located off U.S. Highway 101 near Boronda Road and North Main Street in the northern part of the city, the single-story structure encompasses 976,913 sq ft (90,758 m²) of retail space.

Notleys Landing (also, Notley's Landing) is an uninhabited former hamlet in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It was located near the mouth of the Palo Colorado Canyon 11 miles (18 km) south of the Carmel River, at an elevation of 112 feet (34 m).

The Old Custom House (Spanish: Antigua Aduana) is the oldest surviving government building in California, built in 1827 by Mexican authorities in Monterey, then the capital of Alta California. The former custom house is the first designated California Historical Landmark, marking the site where U.S. Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag and declared California part of the United States in 1846 during the American Conquest of California.

Pacific Grove High School (PGHS) is a public high school located in Pacific Grove, California, between Carmel and Monterey.

Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links is a public 18-hole golf course owned by the city of Pacific Grove, California.

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is a museum of natural history located near the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Pacific Grove, California, United States. The museum is a living field guide of the California Central Coast showcasing local native plants, animals, geology, and cultural histories.

Palma School is a grade 6–12 Catholic school located in Salinas, California, United States. Located in the Diocese of Monterey, its motto is "Palma Merenti," which translates in English as "Palms to the Victor."

Pfeiffer-Redwood Creek is a stream in Big Sur, California, about 26 miles from Carmel. It is a tributary to the Big Sur River. The creek feeds the 40-foot (12.2m) Pfeiffer Falls, inside of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It is named for John Pfeiffer, a homesteader who had 160 acres (0.65 km²) of land in the Big Sur River area.

Point Pinos Lighthouse was lit on February 1, 1855, to guide ships on the Pacific Coast of California. It is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States and even the lens is original. Alcatraz Island Lighthouse preceded Point Pinos by eight months, but was replaced in 1909 by the expanding military prison. The Point Pinos Lighthouse is still an active United States Coast Guard aid to navigation. On-site museum exhibits and other lighthouse related functions are operated by the city of Pacific Grove, Monterey County, California. The lighthouse is surrounded by the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links.

Point Sur Lighthouse is a lightstation at Point Sur 24.6 miles (39.6 km) south of Monterey, California at the peak of the 361-foot (110 m) rock at the head of the point. It was established in 1889 and is part of Point Sur State Historic Park. The light house is 40 feet (12 m) tall and 270 feet (82 m) above sea level. As of 2016, and for the foreseeable future the light is still in operation as an essential aid to navigation.

Point Sur State Historic Park is a California State Park on the Big Sur coastline of Monterey County, California, United States, 19 miles (31 km) south of Rio Road in Carmel. The 1889 Point Sur Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Portuguese Ledge State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) is an offshore marine protected area in Monterey Bay. Monterey Bay is on California's central coast with the city of Monterey at its south end and the city of Santa Cruz at its north end. The SMCA covers 10.9 square miles (28 km²). Within the SMCA fishing and take of all living marine resources is prohibited except the commercial and recreational take of pelagic finfish.

Posts (formerly Posts Summit) is an unincorporated community in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It is located on the Big Sur Coast Highway, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) south of the Big Sur Village at an elevation of 945 feet (288 m).

Roberts Army Heliport (IATA: SYL, ICAO: KSYL, FAA LID: SYL) is a U.S. Army heliport at Camp Roberts in extreme southern Monterey County, California, United States. It is located just off U.S. Route 101, four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of the central business district of San Miguel, about halfway between it and the tiny community of Bradley in southern Monterey County. Roberts AHP has one helipad designated H1 with a 2,740 x 100 ft (835 x 30 m) asphalt surface.

Robles del Rio (Spanish: Robles del Río, meaning "Oaks of the River"), sometimes spelled as Robles Del Rio, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located west of the Carmel River in Carmel Valley, at an elevation of 597 ft (182 m). For statistical purposes, the community is part of the Carmel Valley Village census-designated place.

Rocky Creek Bridge is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge on the Big Sur coast of California, featuring a reinforced-concrete, open-spandrel, fixed, parabolic-arch, a decorative cantilevered walkway, and reinforced-concrete railings in an arched-window design. It is located in Monterey County, on State Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway) about 12 miles (19 km) south of the city of Carmel, and about a mile north of the more famous Bixby Creek Bridge.

Salinas High School (SHS) is a public 9–12 high school in Salinas, California, United States. It is the first of five primary high schools of the Salinas Union High School District.

Salinas Municipal Airport (IATA: SNS, ICAO: KSNS, FAA LID: SNS), commonly referred to as Salinas Airport, is an airport in Monterey County, California, United States, three miles (4.8 km) southeast of Downtown Salinas. It is included in the 2017–21 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems as a regional general aviation airport. It had 1,800 enplanements in 2014.

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 11 miles north of Monterey, California, and 3 miles south of Castroville, California, at the point where the Salinas River empties into Monterey Bay. The 367-acre (1.49 km²) refuge encompasses several habitat types including sand dunes, pickleweed salt marsh, river lagoon, riverine habitat, and a saline pond. The refuge was established in 1974 because of its "particular value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program."

Salinas River State Beach is a beach at the river mouth of the Salinas River at Monterey Bay, in Monterey County, California.

The Salinas Valley Health Medical Center is a public district medical center in Salinas, California. Originally built in 1953, Salinas Valley Health Medical Center has 263 medical center beds and 1,800+ employees and primarily serves residents of the Salinas Valley. The medical center has partnered with local organizations such as NASA. Prior to 2023, the hospital was known as Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.

Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) is a 300-acre (120 ha) California state prison located 5 miles (8 km) north of Soledad, in Monterey County, California, adjacent to the Correctional Training Facility (aka Soledad State Prison).

San Antonio Dam (National ID CA00813) is an earthen dam on the San Antonio River in Monterey County, California in the United States. The dam impounds Lake San Antonio, a reservoir with a capacity of 350,000 acre-feet (430,000,000 m³), located west of Camp Roberts.

The San Antonio River is a 58.8-mile-long (94.6 km) river in southern Monterey County, California. The river was used as an irrigation source for Mission San Antonio de Padua.

Santa Catalina School is a private school in Monterey, California, United States, founded by Sister Margaret Thompson and the Dominican Order in 1950. Situated on a 36-acre hacienda-style campus, the Upper School is an all-girls boarding school that also accepts local students. The Lower and Middle School serves both boys and girls (preschool through 8th grade). Students are required to wear uniforms. The school emphasizes building a sense of community that challenges its students mentally and spiritually. Santa Catalina is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition, the school is associated with the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, National Catholic Educational Association, and the National Coalition of Girls' Schools.

Seaside High School is a school located in Seaside, California. The school first opened in September 1963 to sophomores and juniors (incoming seniors continued to attend Monterey High School until graduation), graduating its first class in June 1965. Average annual enrollment is 1,400 students, attending grades 9–12. The school serves the communities of Seaside, Monterey, Marina, Sand City, and Del Rey Oaks. Its student body reflects the region's diversity of language, ethnicity, nationality, and cultures. The school mascot is the Spartan.

The Silver Peak Wilderness is located in the southwestern corner of Monterey County in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. It southern boundary largely follows the Monterey County/San Luis Obispo County line. Its eastern boundary is defined by Ft. Hunter Liggett, while on the west it follows closely along Highway 1 and the Big Sur coastline. It is one of ten wilderness areas within the Los Padres National Forest and managed by the US Forest Service.

Slates Hot Springs (also known as Big Sur Hot Springs, Slate's Hot Springs, Slate's Springs, and Slate's Hot Sulphur Springs) is the site of a hot spring in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It is located 8 miles (13 km) north-northwest of Lopez Point, at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m).

Soledad High School is a public secondary school located in Soledad, California, United States. A part of Soledad Unified School District, it was opened in 1999 and is the largest high school in south Monterey County, serving grades 9 through 12. In 2023, the school had approximately 1,534 students. The Monterey County Free Libraries Soledad Branch is located on the school's north-west part of campus, serving the high school as well as the public. Soledad High School's mascot is the Aztec Warrior. The school is being run by its seventh principal in 15 years.

Tehàma Golf Club ( tə-HAY-mə) is a private golf club outside of Carmel Valley, California owned by Clint Eastwood and is part of the Tehàma private community. Designed by golf architect Jay Morrish, ASGCA and opened in 1999, the private course features 6,506 yards (5,949 m) that overlook the Pacific, and it is surrounded by privately owned homesites. Membership is by invitation only.

The Ventana Double Cone at 4,856 feet (1,480 m) is one of the tallest peaks in the Ventana Wilderness within the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest in Central California. The summit is a difficult 14.7 miles (23.7 km) hike from the nearest trail head, making it one of the more distant locations in the wilderness. The last 4 miles (6.4 km) portion of the trail from Little Pines to the summit is not well used and often overgrown with chaparral. There are a few Santa Lucia Firs near the summit.

The Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest is a federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Range along the Central Coast of California. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act redesignated the 55,800-acre (22,600 ha) Ventana Primitive Area as the Ventana Wilderness and added land, totalling 98,000 acres (40,000 hectares). In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 61,000 acres (25,000 hectares), increasing the total wilderness area to about 159,000 acres (64,000 hectares). The California Wilderness Act of 1984 added about 2,750 acres (1,110 hectares). The Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act of 1992 created the approximately 14,500-acre (5,900 ha) Silver Peak Wilderness and added about 38,800 acres (15,700 hectares) to the Ventana Wilderness in addition to designating the Big Sur River as a Wild and Scenic River. The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 expanded the wilderness for the fifth time, adding nearly 35,000 acres (14,000 ha), increasing the total acreage of the wilderness to its present size of 240,026 acres (97,135 ha).

York School is a coeducational day school consisting of about 225 students on a hilltop near Highway 68 in Monterey, California.

Zmudowski State Beach is located on Monterey Bay, in Moss Landing, Monterey County, northern California.

Junipero Serra Peak is the highest mountain in the Santa Lucia range of central California with a height of 1,785 metres (5,856 feet). It is also the highest peak in Monterey County, and is located within the boundaries of Los Padres National Forest. It is named after Saint Junípero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the California Missions in the 18th century. There is a fire lookout, with a tower and building, near the peak that was constructed around 1935. An unauthorized skiing operation on the summit was reported sometime before 1970. Good astronomical observing conditions were an early attraction to the peak. Astronomers scratched a trail to the summit in January 1880 to observe a total eclipse of the sun. Observations from the peak were also made on the transit of Venus in 1882.

The Moss Landing Power Plant is a natural gas powered electricity generation plant as well as a battery energy storage facility, located in Moss Landing, California, United States, at the midpoint of Monterey Bay. As of 2025, the site's battery storage facility is one of the largest in the world, at 630 MW (power) and 2,500 MWh (energy). The energy storage facility stores excess electricity for later use during periods of lower electricity production (usually evening hours). Excess electricity is typically produced by solar electricity during the daytime.

The Centrella Inn, at 612 Central Ave. and other addresses in Pacific Grove, California, United States, is a complex of four historic buildings that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Del Monte Shopping Center is an open-air shopping center located in Monterey, California, United States. Del Monte Center is the largest shopping center on the Monterey Peninsula. Del Monte Center was designed by architect John Carl Warnecke, built by Williams and Burrows Construction Company and originally opened in 1967 but expanded and renovated in 1987. The shopping center encompasses 675,000 square feet (62,700 m²) of retail space including 85 stores, one department store (Macy's), Whole Foods Market, restaurants (California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Pizza My Heart, Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks, Subway, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Starbucks and Lalla Grill), a gym and spa (Energia) and a thirteen screen Century Theatres. Petco was added in 2004, replacing Stroud's.

Hopkins Marine Station is the marine laboratory of Stanford University. It is located 90 miles (145 km) south of the university's main campus, in Pacific Grove, California (United States) on the Monterey Peninsula, adjacent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is home to ten research laboratories and a fluctuating population of graduate and undergraduate students. It has also been used for archaeological exploration, including of the Chinese-American fishing village that existed on the site before burning down in 1906.

The Josiah Merritt Adobe, located at 386 Pacific St. in Monterey, California and also known as Merritt House, is a historic house that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Monterey County Court House is the court house for Monterey County in Salinas, California, United States.

The National Steinbeck Center is a museum and memorial dedicated to the author John Steinbeck, located at the California State University, Monterey Bay at Salinas City Center building at One Main Street in Salinas, California, the town where Steinbeck grew up.

Natividad (Spanish for "Nativity") is an unincorporated community and ghost town in Monterey County, California. It is located 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 164 feet (50 m).

Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It is one of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock, a popular photography subject. On a limited number of days in December and January each year, photographers crowd the beach to obtain pictures of the setting sun visible through the arch. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it is one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur

Sand Dollar Beach is a .5 miles (0.80 km) long beach in Big Sur, California, one of the longest publicly accessible beaches on that coast. It is within the Los Padres National Forest. The beach is 3.7 miles (6.0 km) north of the small commercial center of Gorda and 38.5 miles (62.0 km) north of Cambria. It is 25 miles (40 km) south of Big Sur Village on Highway 1.

Notre Dame High School is a private, all-female, Catholic high school in Salinas, California. It is located in the Diocese of Monterey.

Oak Hills is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 56 feet (17 m). It is located on California State Route 156 between Castroville and Prunedale.

Tor House and Hawk Tower is the historic home in Carmel, California of poet, Robinson Jeffers and his family from 1919 until 1999. Here, Jeffers wrote all his major works of poetry. Construction of Tor House began in 1919 and was completed by 1924, with Jeffers acting as the stonemason's apprentice. With the skills he learned in the construction of Tor House, Jeffers began work on Hawk Tower in 1920, completing the structure in 1924. The Tor House Foundation was established in 1978 to oversee the Tor House and Hawk Tower as a museum. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2024.

The Lone Cypress is a Monterey cypress tree located in Pebble Beach, California. Standing atop a granite headland overlooking Carmel Bay, the tree has become a Western icon and has been called one of the most photographed trees in North America.

Natividad Medical Center, also known as Natividad Hospital, or simply just as, Natividad, is a 172-bed acute-care teaching hospital located in Salinas, California. The hospital is owned and operated by Monterey County and the hospital's emergency department receives approximately 52,000 visits per year.

The Sardine Factory is a seafood restaurant in Monterey, California.

Bixby Creek is a west flowing stream in Monterey County the U.S. state of California. The stream is crossed by the Bixby Creek Bridge of California State Route 1 prior to entering the Pacific Ocean.