Community Information
The cities and towns that I serve are listed below. If you would like to find out about the latest homes that have become available in these communities, please contact me at (831) 596-4647 or you can setup a Private Search!
Click on underlined cities to view a description of the city.
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Big Sur Coast Carmel Carmel Highlands Carmel Valley |
Del Rey Oaks Monterey Pacific Grove Pebble Beach |
| Big Sur Coast | TOP OF PAGE |
The South Coast covers over 40 miles of coastline immediately south of Carmel. First comes the beautiful Carmel Highlands, or the "Carmel Riviera" as it used to be known. Unique homes hang on the rocks overlooking the ocean at places like Wildcat Cove, Yankee Point and Otter Cove. South of the Highlands are the wilds of the Big Sur coast which includes some of the most beautiful shoreline in the world.
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| Carmel | TOP OF PAGE |
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| Carmel appears to many as a sleepy little town hidden along California's central coast. However, it is far from that! When one gets behind the scenes, one finds a buzzing cosmopolitan community with a vast selection of things to do. Life can be very full here. This page is dedicated to alerting you to a few of the many choices available in this "big small town."
There are many different neighborhoods in the greater Carmel "area of influence." The most famous of these is Carmel By The Sea, the one-square-mile incorporated city area, where its 5700 residents take great pride in the "village" quality of their town. It boasts the fact that there is no mail delivery, no street lights outside the shopping district, streets are likely to be built around trees and have no curbs or sidewalks.
The village has only about 2,700 households, 60% of which are owners occupying their own homes. The average age of Carmelites within the village is around 54 years.
The greater Carmel area of influence is another matter. It includes all of Carmel outside the city limits, north to Carmel Woods, across Highway 1 to the east, and south to include the Meadows on the other side of the Carmel River. Here the average age is said to drop to around 50 years.
A big draw to many greater Carmel residents is the opportunity to own a home situated on a hillside, with a view of either the mountains or the ocean, and to have some open space surrounding them. Yet they are within a few minutes drive of all the same shops, galleries and restaurants which are the pride of the village people.
Just a few miles south of Carmel on Highway One is the beautiful South Coast area, which includes the Highlands--often referred to as the Carmel Riviera. Here is where the mountains meet the sea in some of the most picturesque landscapes imaginable. |
| Carmel Valley | TOP OF PAGE |
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| For a taste of the country lifestyle, Carmel Valley is the ideal place to live. It stretches east of Carmel from Highway 1 through over 15 miles of beautiful rolling hills along the path of the Carmel River. As one travels further out Carmel Valley Road, the main thoroughfare serving this long stretch of residential hideaways, the living gets more rural by the mile.
Folks who like the convenience of the vast array of peninsula conveniences will choose to live within the first few miles of the valley's mouth where a high concentration of retail and commercial services are located. Those leaning toward a more laid-back lifestyle will likely prefer locating closer to Carmel Valley Village, 12-miles out and away from the hustle and bustle.
This charming valley village is a quiet little country town only three blocks long stretched out along Carmel Valley Road. It has all one needs to live a comfortable life in the country if that is the lifestyle of choice. Horses abound from about mid-valley to the far reaches of its upper end, with unlimited riding trails heading off into the Los Padres mountains.
The greater Carmel area of influence is another matter. It includes all of Carmel outside the city limits, north to Carmel Woods, across Highway 1 to the east, and south to include the Meadows on the other side of the Carmel River. Here the average age is said to be around 50 years.
Homes vary in price across the board, and there are likely to be a lot to choose from due to the valley's large geographical area. One-acre zoning is predominant throughout the valley, with exceptions in subdivisions that were developed early on. It includes some of the finest golf courses in the area, including Quail Lodge and Carmel Valley Ranch, and one of the largest parks in Monterey County, Garland Ranch. | |
| Monterey | TOP OF PAGE |
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| In one sense, like Carmel, there are two Montereys. Residents refer to Old Monterey and New Monterey. Old Monterey is the area which boasts a history dating back to the founding of the city by the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola in 1770. It is home to all the grand historical buildings, as well as some of the oldest homes on the Central Coast. It is indeed an historic community with its downtown district, several large hotels, the Monterey Conference Center, and famous Fisherman's Wharf.
New Monterey stretches from the Presidio of Monterey (which houses the Defense Language Institute) to the Pacific Grove City limit, and includes historic Cannery Row. New Monterey grew into being as the home of the many cannery workers that lived and worked here-the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian immigrants who developed the once-prosperous fishing industry.
With its population of about 33,000, Monterey boasts nearly 13,000 households. The average age of its residents is around 35 years. Nearly 3,000 of the households claim to have lived in their present homes for more than 11 years.
There are no new housing subdivisions in the city of Monterey, so home sales are almost solely previously owned properties. Since more than 8.000 of these homes range from 30 to over 100 years old, they often have a special character and charm. Most of them have been upgraded over the years retaining much of their original style. Newer homes can be found in greater Monterey, located in unincorporated areas adjacent to the city.
One of these areas is spread along the Monterey-Salinas corridor (Highway 68) from Bay Ridge to San Benancio Canyon. Here one can find a mix of country living and hill top views. Sunshine is a regular feature here just about any time of year. It's particularly well suited for Salinas commuters who want to live the Monterey Peninsula lifestyle. | |
| Pacific Grove | TOP OF PAGE |
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| Pacific Grove (or "P-G" as the locals call it) likes to refer to itself as America's Last Home Town-a real sleeper as California towns go. It prides itself on the fact that it is a community of families which retains a small town atmosphere and where housing is largely comprised of older, and often smaller, homes with "character."
PG is also referred to as Butterfly Town U.S.A. because of the huge population of Monarch butterflies which make its home there during the winter months. The city is bounded on all sides by neighboring neighboring Monterey, Pebble Beach and the Pacific Ocean, and as such has no space for its 17,000 population to expand.
Founded in 1875 by California Methodists, Pacific Grove boasts some of the most spectacular shoreline on the peninsula, with walking and riding paths stretching along the shore for miles. Its smaller lots were divided by its original Methodist creators as plots for tent cabins, as PG was originally a religious camp ground.
It also prides itself on the fact that it has a large number of beautiful Victorian-era homes, some turned into popular bed-and-breakfast establishments. Many of the early homes have small plaques attached which provide the viewer with the name of the original owner and the date of construction.
The city lists around 7,500 housing units, most of which are single-family dwellings. The median age is slightly above 40 years. | |
| Pebble Beach | TOP OF PAGE |
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| An unincorporated, gated community bordered by Carmel to the south, Pacific Grove to the north, Monterey to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Pebble Beach is well known throughout the world for its beauty, its golf courses, the grandeur of many of its residences and its fabled 17-Mile Drive.
Although it is not incorporated as a city, Pebble Beach has its own Community Services District to provide most of the traditional city public works services. Roads within "the forest," as Pebble Beach is often called, are owned and maintained by the Pebble Beach Company, the original land owner and current owner/operator of most of the golf courses and all the lodges within its bounds.
There is no "downtown" area of Pebble Beach, only a convenience store, bank and gas station near The Lodge at Pebble Beach. Residents do most of their routine shopping outside, but seem to like it that way. On numerous occasions, they have voted down efforts to create a city government to run their affairs.
Pebble Beach residents tend to be long-timers, with an average length of residence of slightly more than 12 years. Almost half of the forest's 2,500 plus housing units were built between 1950 and 1970.
Median age is close to 52 years, second only to Carmel, and household income is the highest in the country. Pebble Beach is generally considered an area for the wealthy, but few people realize the abundance of homes surrounding the Monterey Peninsula Country Club on the north portion of the forest which follow more affordable pricing trends. |
