Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Town
Top: Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (left) and Butterfly House (right); middle: storybook architecture (left) and Kocher Building (right); bottom: Carmel coastline
Seal
Location of Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea Location in California Show map of California Carmel-by-the-Sea Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°33′19″N 121°55′24″W / 36.55528°N 121.92333°W / 36.55528; -121.92333
Country	United States
State	California
County	Monterey
Incorporated	October 31, 1916[1]
Government
• Mayor	Dave Potter[2]
• State Senator	John Laird (D)[3]
• State Assembly	Robert Rivas (D)[3]
• U.S. Rep.	Jimmy Panetta (D)[4]
Area [5]
• Total	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
• Land	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation [6]	223 ft (68 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,220
• Density	3,034.87/sq mi (1,171.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes[7]	93921–93923
Area code	831
FIPS code	06-11250
GNIS feature IDs	1658224, 2409987
Website	ci.carmel.ca.us

Carmel-by-the-Sea (/kɑːrˈmɛl/), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a town in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the town 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.

The Spanish founded a settlement in 1797, when Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was relocated by St. Junípero Serra from Monterey. Mission Carmel served as the headquarters of the Californian mission system, until the Mexican secularization act of 1833, when the area was divided into rancho grants. The settlement was largely abandoned by the U.S. Conquest of California in 1848 and stayed undeveloped until Santiago J. Duckworth set out to build a summer colony in 1888. When the Carmel Development Company was formed in 1902, Carmel became an art colony and seaside resort, which incorporated in 1916.

The first Europeans to see Carmel were mariners led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542, who sailed up the California coast without landing. Another sixty years passed before Spanish explorer, Sebastián Vizcaíno landed in what is now known as Carmel Valley in 1602. It is thought that he named the river running through the valley Rio Carmelo in honor of the three Carmelite friars serving as chaplains for the voyage.^[8]

The Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until 1770, when Gaspar de Portolá, along with Franciscan priests Junípero Serra and Juan Crespí, visited the area in search of a mission site. Portolà and Crespí traveled by land while Serra traveled with supplies aboard ship, arriving eight days later. The colony of Monterey was established at the same time as the second mission in Alta California and soon became the capital of California, remaining so until 1849.^[9][10] From the late 18th through the early 19th century most of the Ohlone population died from European diseases (against which they had no immunity), as well as overwork and malnutrition at the missions where the Spanish forced them to live.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was founded on June 3, 1770, in the nearby settlement of Monterey, but was relocated to Carmel Valley by Junípero Serra due to interactions between soldiers stationed at the nearby Presidio and the native Indians.^[11]

In December 1771, a stockade of approximately 130x200 became the new Mission Carmel. Simple buildings of plastered mud were the first church and dwellings until a structure was built of wood from nearby pine and cypress trees to last through the seasonal rains. This too, was a temporary church until a permanent stone edifice was built.^[11] In 1784, Serra died and was buried, at his request, at the Mission in the Sanctuary of the San Carlos Church, next to Crespí, who had died the previous year. Serra was buried with full military honors.^[11] Carmel Mission contains the state's first library.^[12]

When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Carmel became Mexican territory.^[13]

Carmel became part of the United States in 1848, when Mexico ceded California as a result of the Mexican–American War. In the 1850s, "Rancho Las Manzanitas", the area that was to become Carmel-by-the-Sea, was purchased by French businessman Honoré Escolle. Escolle was known and prosperous in the City of Monterey, owning the first commercial bakery, pottery kiln, and brickworks in Central California.^[14][15]

William Martin of Scotland arrived in Monterey in 1856 by ship with his family. His son, John Martin (1827-1893), bought land around the Carmel River from Lafayette F. Loveland in 1859. He built the Martin Ranch on 216 acres (87 ha) that went as far as the Carmel River to the homes along Carmel-by-the-Sea. The ranch became known as the Mission Ranch because it was so close to the Carmel Mission. They farmed potatoes and barley and had a milk dairy.^[14][16]

In 1888, Escolle and Santiago J. Duckworth filed a subdivision map with the County Recorder of Monterey County. By 1889, 200 lots had been sold. The name "Carmel" was earlier applied to another place on the north bank of the Carmel River 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of the present-day Carmel.^[17] A post office called Carmel opened in 1889, closed in 1890, re-opened in 1893, moved in 1902, and closed for good in 1903.^[17][18] Abbie Jane Hunter, founder of the San Francisco-based Women's Real Estate Investment Company,^[19] first used the name "Carmel-by-the-Sea" on a promotional postcard.^[20][21]

In 1902, James Franklin Devendorf and Frank Hubbard Powers, on behalf of the Carmel Development Company, filed a subdivision map of the core village that became Carmel. They asked Michael J. Murphy to help build the houses. From 1902 to 1940, he built nearly 350 buildings in Carmel.^[22] The Carmel post office opened the same year.^[17] In 1899, Fritz Schweninger opened the first bakery on Ocean Avenue, called the Carmel Bakery.^[23][24] In 1910, the Carnegie Institution established the Coastal Laboratory, and a number of scientists moved to the area. Carmel incorporated in 1916.^[17]

In 1905, the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was formed to support and produce artistic works. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the village was inundated with musicians, writers, painters and other creatives. These new residents were offered home lots – ten dollars as a down payment, little or no interest, and whatever they could afford to pay on a monthly basis.^{[25][unreliable source?]} In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the "artists, writers and poets at Carmel-by-the-Sea",^[26] 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 several of the city's mayors have been poets or actors, including Herbert Heron, founder of the Forest Theater, bohemian writer and actor Perry Newberry, and actor-director Clint Eastwood, who served as mayor from 1986 to 1988.^{[citation needed]}

The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club held exhibitions, lectures, dances, and produced plays and recitals at numerous locations, including the Pine Inn Hotel, before purchasing a lot on Casanova Street, where they built a clubhouse in 1907.^[27] By 1914, the club had achieved national recognition.^[27]

In 1911, the town began a tradition of presenting plays by Shakespeare with a production of Twelfth Night, directed by Garnet Holme of UC Berkeley and featuring future mayors Perry Newberry and Herbert Heron. Twelfth Night was again presented in 1940 at Heron's inaugural Carmel Shakespeare Festival, and was repeated in 1942 and 1956.^[21]

In 1915, during the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, various items showcasing Carmel were featured in the Monterey County exhibit within the California Building. This exhibit included natural and industrial products of this part of the state.^[28] As part of Carmel's involvement in the Exposition, the Junipero Serra or The Padres performance from the Forest Theater took place on July 30–31, 1915, within the Court of the Universe. This pageant, written and directed by Perry Newberry, was a tribute to Father Junipero Serra and featured prominent citizens of Carmel in its cast, such as Frederick R. Bechdolt and Grant Wallace. Around twenty-five thousand individuals attended these performances.^[29]

In 1925, Paul Aiken Flanders built the Flanders Mansion and used his home as a model for the Hatton Fields subdivision.^[30][31] The City of Carmel purchased the Flanders Mansion and adjoining 14.9 acres (6.0 ha) in 1972, from the Flanders heirs for US$275,000 (equivalent to $2,003,103 in 2023). It has become part of the 34-acre (14 ha) Mission Trail Nature Preserve.^[32]

In 1932, the city developed the Devendorf Park that occupies the block of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Street. The city park is Carmel's central gathering place for outdoor events.^[33]

Carmel is located on the Monterey Peninsula, situated on the southern portion of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California.

Carmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve, Carmel Bay State Marine Conservation Area, Point Lobos State Marine Reserve and Point Lobos State Marine Conservation Area are marine protected areas in the waters around Carmel.^{[citation needed]}

Carmel-by-the-Sea is situated in a moderate seismic risk zone, the principal threats being the San Andreas Fault, which is approximately thirty miles northeast, and the Palo Colorado Fault which traces offshore through the Pacific Ocean several miles away. More minor potentially active faults nearby are the Church Creek Fault and the San Francisquito Fault.^[34]

Carmel-by-the-Sea experiences a cool summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) normal in coastal areas of California. Summers are typically mild, with overcast mornings produced by marine layer clouds which can bring drizzles that typically give way to clear skies in the afternoon.^{[citation needed]}

September and October (Indian summer) offer the most pleasant weather of the year,^[35] with an average high of 72 °F (22 °C). The wet season is from October to May.

Average annual rainfall in Carmel-by-the-Sea is 20 inches (500 mm) per year, and the average temperature is 57 °F (14 °C).

Carmel is known for its eclectic mix of California architectural styles, including Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Storybook, Mid-century modern, and more.

The town has historically pursued a strategy of planned development to enhance its natural coastal beauty and to retain its character, which the city's general plan describes as "a village in a forest overlooking a white sand beach".^{[citation needed]} Carmel-by-the-Sea was incorporated in 1916 and by 1925 the town adopted a vision of its future as "primarily, essentially and predominantly a residential community" (Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council, 1929).

New buildings must be built around existing trees and new trees are required on lots that are deemed to have an inadequate number.^[37]

The one-square-mile village has no street lights or parking meters.^[38] In addition, the businesses, cottages and houses have no street numbers.^[39] Originally, the early artists who were the first builders of the homes in the town, named their houses, rather than having numerical addresses. Due to this situation, the Postal Service provides no delivery of mail to individual addresses. Overnight delivery services do deliver to what are called geographical addresses, such as "NE Ocean and Lincoln" (Harrison Memorial Library) or "Monte Verde 4SW of 8th" (Golden Bough Playhouse).^{[citation needed]}

The 2010 United States Census^[41] reported that Carmel-by-the-Sea had a population of 3,722. The population density was 3,445.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,330.3/km²). The racial makeup of Carmel-by-the-Sea was 3,464 (93.1%) White, 11 (0.3%) African American, 8 (0.2%) Native American, 111 (3.0%) Asian, 6 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 45 (1.2%) from other races, and 77 (2.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 174 persons (4.7%).

The Census reported that 3,722 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,095 households, out of which 254 (12.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 831 (39.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 138 (6.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 50 (2.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 81 (3.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 20 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 934 households (44.6%) were made up of individuals, and 471 (22.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78. There were 1,019 families (48.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.39.

The population was spread out, with 381 people (10.2%) under the age of 18, 114 people (3.1%) aged 18 to 24, 544 people (14.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,355 people (36.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,328 people (35.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.

There were 3,417 housing units at an average density of 3,163.1 per square mile (1,221.3/km²), of which 1,182 (56.4%) were owner-occupied, and 913 (43.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%. 2,198 people (59.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,524 people (40.9%) lived in rental housing units.

In 1907, the town's first cultural center and theatre, the Carmel Arts and Crafts Clubhouse, was built. Poets Austin and Sterling performed their "private theatricals" there.^[27] By 1913, The Arts and Crafts Club had begun organizing lessons for aspiring painters, actors, and craftsmen.^[42]

In 1910, the Forest Theater, one of the first outdoor theaters west of the Rockies, was built, with poet Mary Austin and actor/director Herbert Heron leading the endeavor. The property was deeded to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea in order to qualify for federal funding and, in 1939, the site became a Works Progress Administration (WPA) reconstruction project. After several years, the site re-opened as The Carmel Shakespeare Festival, with Herbert Heron as its director and, with the exception of the World War II years of 1943–44, the festival continued through the 1940s.^{[citation needed]}

Theatrical activities in the town grew, that between 1922 and 1924, two competing indoor theatres were built – the Arts & Crafts Hall and the Theatre of the Golden Bough, designed and built by Edward G. Kuster and originally located on Ocean Avenue. In 1935, after a production of By Candlelight, the Golden Bough was destroyed by fire. Kuster, who had previously bought out the Arts and Crafts Theatre, moved his operation to the older facility and renamed it the Golden Bough Playhouse. In 1949, after remounting By Candlelight, the playhouse again burned to the ground. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1952.^[42]

In 1931, the Carmel Sunset School constructed a new auditorium, complete with Gothic-inspired architecture, with seating for 700. Often doubling as a performing arts venue for the community, the facility was bought by the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1964, renaming the venue the Sunset Theatre. In 2003, following a $22 million renovation, the Sunset Center re-opened with the 66th annual Carmel Bach Festival.^[43]

In 1949, the first Forest Theater Guild was organized. For most of the 1960s, the outdoor theater lay unused and neglected, with the original Forest Theater Guild having ceased operations in 1961.^[44] In 1968, Marcia Hovick's Children's Experimental Theater leased the indoor theater and continued until 2010. In 1972, a new Forest Theater Guild was incorporated and continues to produce musicals, adding a film series in 1997.^[44]

In 1905, poet George Sterling moved to Carmel. He was associated with Mary Austin, as well as Jack London, who also spent considerable time in the Carmel and Monterey area. In San Francisco, Sterling was known as the "uncrowned King of Bohemia" and, following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 many of his literary associates followed him in his move.^{[citation needed]} His aunt Missus Havens purchased a home for him in Carmel Pines where he lived for six years.

Sterling wrote to his long-time literary mentor, Ambrose Bierce;

"Well, you can see why I must raise vegetables. Belgian hares, hens and the fruit of their wombs, squabs and goldfish, 'keep a bee,' raid mussel reefs, and cultivate a taste for rice – not to mention cold water and 'just one girl.' I'm determined to get into black and white unnumbered multitudes of lines that romp up and down in my innards, eight a-breast."^[21]

In 1905, novelist Mary Austin moved to Carmel.^[46] She is best known for her tribute to the deserts of the American Southwest, The Land of Little Rain. Her play, Fire, which she also directed, had its world premiere at the Forest Theater in 1913. Austin has bee credited as suggesting the idea for the outdoor stage.^[47]

In 1906, San Francisco photographer Arnold Genthe joined the Carmel arts colony, where he was able to pursue his pioneering work in color photography. His first attempts were taken in his garden, primarily portraits of his friends, including the leading Shakespearean actor and actress of the period, Edward Sothern and Julia Marlowe, who were costumed as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Of his new residence, he wrote, "My first trials with this medium were made at Carmel where the cypresses and rocks of Point Lobos, the always varying sunsets and the intriguing shadows of the sand dunes offered a rich field for color experiments."^{[21]: p88-90}

According to the Library of Congress, where over 18,000 of his negatives and prints are on file, Genthe "became famous for his impressionistic portrayals of society women, artists, dancers, and theater personalities."^[48]

Photographer Edward Weston moved to Carmel in 1929 and shot the first of numerous nature photographs, many set at Point Lobos, on the south side of Carmel Bay. In 1936, Weston became the first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work in experimental photography. In 1948, after the onset of Parkinson's disease, he took his last photograph, an image of Point Lobos.^[49] Weston had traveled extensively with legendary photographer Ansel Adams, who moved to the Carmel Highlands in 1962, a few miles south of town.^[50]

Carmel is a general law city governed by a mayor and four city council members.^[51][52] The current mayor is Dave Potter.^[52] Elected councilmembers are Carrie Theis, Jeff Baron, Bobby Richards and Jan Reimers.^[53] Chip Rerig is the newest City Administrator.^[54][55]

The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea has established a "sphere of influence" that includes the communities of Carmel Woods, Hatton Fields, Mission Fields, Mission Tract, Carmel Point, and Carmel Hills. These neighborhoods are officially parts of unincorporated Monterey County, which provides most primary services, including law enforcement, street repairs, and public transit. Except for several shopping areas at the mouth of Carmel Valley, these satellite areas contain few, if any, businesses and serve primarily as bedroom communities to Carmel-by-the-Sea and the greater Monterey Peninsula.^[56]

In July 2024, Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council voted to establish street addresses for the first time in the city.^[57] There remains no home mail-delivery in Carmel-by-the-Sea (by contrast with adjacent, "county-Carmel" residential districts).^[58]

Argyll Campbell served as city attorney of Carmel from 1920 to 1937. He was responsible for drawing up many of Carmel's first zoning laws and ordinances. Campbell backed zoning ordinances that limited the business district and restricting the size of residential houses and lots. No sidewalks in the residential area, no streetlights, no commercial development on the beach, preservation of the native trees, one or two stories height limitation, no chain restaurants, and no billboards. These ordinances have helped preserve Carmel's character as a village.^[21]

On the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Carmel is represented by Supervisor Mary Adams.^[59]

In the California State Assembly, Carmel is in the 29th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Robert Rivas.^[3] In the California State Senate, Carmel in the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat John Laird.^[3]

In the United States House of Representatives, Carmel is in California's 19th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta.

Carmel is served by the Carmel Unified School District,^[60] which operates nearby schools including Carmel High School, Carmel Middle School, Tularcitos Elementary School ^[61] and Carmel River School.

The Californian,^[62] formerly The Carmel Sun,^[63] was published weekly in 1936-1937 by E.F. Bunch in Carmel-By-The-Sea.^[64]

Stan Hall, a former United Press International editor, bought the Carmel Valley Sun after moving to Carmel Highlands in 1988, later renamed the paper the Carmel Sun and published it weekly, closing the paper in 1994.

The Carmel Pine Cone is the town's weekly newspaper and has been published since 1915, covering local news, politics, arts, entertainment, opinions and real estate. ^[65]

In February 2009, the town was used as a prime location for the 24-day film shoot of The Forger.^[66]

Carmel-by-the-Sea lacks traffic lights in order to preserve the city's residential character.^[67] California State Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway) actually travels outside of Carmel's borders, running parallel to the city's eastern city limits, with connections into the city via (from south to north) Rio Road, Ocean Avenue, and Carpenter Road. Heading north, Highway 1 becomes a limited-access freeway where it enters Monterey on its way towards U.S. Route 101 and San Francisco. South of Carmel, Highway 1 follows the scenic Big Sur coast towards Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. However, bypassing the Big Sur Coast and taking U.S. Route 101 to these cities is much faster, and Highway 1 frequently closes along the Big Sur Coast during rainy season due to mudslides in that area, occasionally for months at a time due to the damage.

Ocean Avenue runs through Carmel's main business district, connecting Highway 1 to the east with the beach to the west. An entrance gate to the 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road along the Monterey Bay coast, is located just inside Carmel's northern city limits.

Local transportation is provided by Monterey–Salinas Transit. Amtrak Thruway provides connections to intercity train service in Salinas.

• Coastal California
• Timeline of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
• List of school districts in Monterey County, California
• List of tourist attractions in Monterey County, California
• List of Historic Buildings in Carmel-by-the-Sea

• HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA (1994)
• Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council Resolution no. 98, 1929
• Carmel-by-the-Sea Municipal Code Chapter 8.44 Permits For Wearing Certain Shoes
• Helen Spangenberg, Yesterday's Artists on the Monterey Peninsula, published by the Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art (1976)
• Herbert B. Blanks, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Report). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. 1965
• John Ryan, Kay Ransom et al., City of Carmel-by-the-Sea General Plan prepared for the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Clint Eastwood, Mayor, by Earth Metrics Inc., San Mateo, California pursuant to requirements of the State of California (1984)
• Kay Ransom et al., Environmental Impact Report for the Carmel-by-the-Sea General Plan, Prepared for the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea by Earth Metrics Inc., Burlingame, California (1985)
• Marjory Lloyd, History of Carmel (1542–1966), 1966
• Seismic Safety Element of the General Plans of Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Seaside, William Spangle & Associates, September 29, 1975

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Carmel, California.

• Official website