Explore
A map of the county's stories
Every town on this map has a reason it looks the way it does. Click a marker for a quick take, or read the full history below.
Loading map…
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Fairy-tale cottages, no street addresses, and an arts colony origin story that shaped the town's building code.
Monterey
Once the sardine capital of the world. Cannery Row is named literally, not romantically.
Pacific Grove
Butterfly Town USA, and the Methodist retreat that built it on a grid.
Seaside
A doctor's 1880s town plan, an Army base next door, and a city still growing on former Fort Ord land.
Marina
A small town at the north end of the bay that grew up beside Fort Ord, and kept growing after it closed.
Moss Landing
A working harbor town with a power plant skyline, and a quieter story about why parts of it sit empty.
Salinas
Salad Bowl of the World, and Ohlone land long before that. The valley's agricultural story starts here.