Carmel Valley is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. The term "Carmel Valley" generally refers to the Carmel River watershed east of California State Route 1, and not specifically to the smaller Carmel Valley Village.

The mouth of Carmel Valley where the Carmel River runs into Carmel Bay was observed by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno shortly before he landed in Monterey Bay in December 1602. He wrote about visiting the river on January 3, 1603, but greatly exaggerated its proportions, confusing later explorers. Vizcaino named it El Rio del Carmelo, likely because his voyage was accompanied by three Carmelite friars.

The Rancho Los Laureles, a Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California, was given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Manuel Boronda and Vicente Blas Martínez. The grant extended along the Carmel River in Carmel Valley; and encompassed present day Carmel Valley. In 1882, the Pacific Improvement Company (PIC) purchased the Rancho Los Laureles. In 1916, Samuel F.B. Morse became the manager of the PIC and his job was to liquidate the PIC holdings ().

William Hatton (1849–1894), born in Ireland and married to Kate Harney (1851–1922), came to California in 1870. In 1888, Hatton became the manager of Rancho Cañada de la Segunda, which extended along the north bank of the Carmel River into the mouth of Carmel Valley. The land was owned by Dominga Doni de Atherton, the widowed wife of Faxon Atherton (namesake of Atherton, California). By 1892, Hatton purchased the Rancho from Dominga. Hatton operated a dairy business, which was located at Highway 1 and Carmel Valley Road, at the site of the present-day The Barnyard Shopping Village.

In 1919, Morse formed the Del Monte Properties and acquired PIC. In 1923, the Del Monte Properties divided the land into 11 parcels. Marion Hollins bought . In 1926, developer Frank B. Porter bought . He later acquired a portion of the Hollins ranch and sold it.

Geography and ecology

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Carmel Valley CCD covers a total area of , comprising of land and of water.

The Garland Ranch Regional Park is located at 700 West Carmel Valley Road. The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD) manages the Garland Ranch Regional Park.

Climate

This region experiences warm dry summers (a Mediterranean climate according to the Köppen Climate Classification system), with average monthly temperatures peaking at in September.

Demographics

2020

At the 2020 census Carmel Valley had a population of 6,189. The racial makeup of Carmel Valley was 5,502 White, 32 African American, 57 Native American, 126 Asian, 17 Pacific Islander, 270 from other races, and 685 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 624.

The age distribution was 1.7% under the age of 5; 16.0% under the age of 18, 84.0% 18 years and over; and 37.5% 65 or older. The median age was 58.8 years.

In the California State Assembly, Carmel Valley is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Carmel Valley is in .

Transportation

Carmel Valley Airfield is a defunct airfield that was a privately owned airpark in Carmel Valley from 1941 to 2002. The airport was later called the Carmel Valley Vintage Airfield. The historical resources commission found that development of the site was important as it represented the first planned residential airpark in the United States. The airfield closed in 2002. However, every year, during the annual Carmel Valley Santa’s Fly-in that is held around the Christmas time, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by helicopter and land on the old airstrip.

Tourism

Carmel Valley has a number of wine tasting rooms, as well as several high-end hotels affiliated with the wineries. Wineries with tasting rooms in Carmel Valley include Holman Ranch, Bernardus, Boëté, Chateau Sinnet, Folktale, Galante, Georis, Heller Estate, Joullian Village, Joyce Vineyards, Parsonage, San Saba and Talbott. A public bus, called the Grapevine Express Route 24 and run by Monterey-Salinas Transit, stops at most of these tasting rooms.

The Monterey Wine Trolley also offers a tour on a former San Francisco trolley that makes stops at several wineries in the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Valley.

Folklore

The Lost Padre Mines of the Carmel Mission have woven themselves into the tapestry of local folklore, with their legacy recounted through various accounts, including those within Randall Reinstadt's notable works such as Ghosts, Bandits, and Legends of Old Monterey, Carmel and Surrounding Areas and Tales and Treasures of California Missions. These narratives unveil a captivating history, suggesting that indigenous communities held knowledge of abundant gold deposits concealed within the untamed terrain of the Santa Lucia Mountains. As whispers of these riches echoed through time, the enigmatic Lost Padre Mines became a testament to the allure of hidden treasures and the enduring mystique of the land. Numerous iterations of these legends appear to have originated from long-time residents of Carmel Valley. It is plausible that this phenomenon can be attributed to some of the final descendants of the Mission Indians who resided and labored in the area.

Notable sites

  • The Jamesburg Earth Station, one of the world's largest tracking satellite dish antennas, is located in Carmel Valley. This telecommunication facility was used by NASA during its Apollo Moon landings. Currently it is being used by Lone Signal, a crowdfunded active SETI project designed to send messages from Earth to an extraterrestrial civilization.
  • Gold was hidden somewhere in Carmel Valley in 1855 during a dispute over a fortune belonging to Maria Encarnacion Ortega de Sanchez, the widow of a wealthy rancher. Chief Justice of California David S. Terry was involved in the so-called Widow Sanchez case.
  • Stonepine Estate, a resort used to shoot the wedding of Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo for the Santa Barbara TV series in 1988.
  • Carmel Valley Road-Boronda Road Eucalyptus Tree Row is located on Boronda Road off Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley. The unusual street side row of Eucalyptus globulus trees was planted sometime between 1874 and 1881, by Nathan Weston Spaulding, during the species' peak popularity in California for Landscaping. The landscape feature was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 2008.

Notable people

  • Angelique Cabral, American actress
  • Wah Chang, American designer, sculptor, and artist
  • Doris Day, American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist
  • Scott Fujita, retired NFL football player for New Orleans Saints
  • Julian P. Graham, photographer of the Monterey Peninsula
  • MC Lars, American rapper and producer
  • Ingemar Henry Lundquist, inventor and mechanical engineer
  • Michael Nesmith, musician, songwriter and filmmaker, former member of The Monkees
  • Jimmy Panetta, Congressman
  • Leon Panetta, former United States Secretary of Defense, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2009–11), former Congressman (1977–93) and White House Chief of Staff (1994–97)
  • Maurice White, founder of R&B/Soul group Earth, Wind & Fire
  • Alexander Weygers, a polymath Dutch-American artist who patented the design of the discopter (the "flying saucer") in 1944

See also

  • List of places in California

References

  • CARMEL VALLEY
  • Carmel Valley Association