History of the Monterey Bay Region

10,000 Years of History

1. 23M BCEPinnacles — The Ancient Volcano · San Benito County
2. 8000 BCEOhlone & Esselen Peoples · Monterey County
3. 1542Spanish Exploration & the Mission Era · Monterey County
4. 1770Carmel-by-the-Sea · Monterey County
5. 1791King City & South Monterey County · Monterey County
6. 1791Mission Santa Cruz & Spanish Settlement · Santa Cruz County
7. 1797Mission San Juan Bautista · San Benito County
8. 1797San Juan Bautista — The Living Mission Town · San Benito County
9. 1822American Era & California Statehood · Monterey County
10. 1830sCarmel Valley — Wine Country & Ranch Lands · Monterey County
11. 1850sAgriculture & the Land · Santa Cruz County
12. 1850sScotts Valley, Felton & the San Lorenzo Valley · Santa Cruz County
13. 1850The Lumber Era & Early Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz County
14. 1851Hollister & Rancho Culture · San Benito County
15. 1852Soquel — Antique Village & Wine Country · Santa Cruz County
16. 1852Watsonville & the Pajaro Valley · Santa Cruz County
17. 1855Pacific Grove — Butterfly Town USA · Monterey County
18. 1860sAgriculture — The Garlic Capital & Wine Country · San Benito County
19. 1860sDavenport & the North Coast · Santa Cruz County
20. 1865Moss Landing & Castroville · Monterey County
21. 1865The Beach Boardwalk & Resort Culture · Santa Cruz County
22. 1869Capitola & Aptos — The South County Coast · Santa Cruz County
23. 1869Surf Culture & Capitola · Santa Cruz County
24. 1872Salinas & Steinbeck Country · Monterey County
25. 1874San Benito County — Growth & Preservation · San Benito County
26. 1880s–1930sBig Sur · Monterey County
27. 1880Pebble Beach & the Del Monte Legacy · Monterey County
28. 1902Cannery Row & the Steinbeck Era · Monterey County
29. 1917Military Monterey — Fort Ord & the Defense Language Institute · Monterey County
30. 1930sMarine Science & Conservation · Monterey County
31. 1940sMarina & Seaside — Fort Ord's Legacy · Monterey County
32. 1965The Santa Cruz Mountains & Counterculture · Santa Cruz County

Monterey County

• Ohlone & Esselen Peoples
  10,000+ Years of Coastal Civilization
• Spanish Exploration & the Mission Era
  Alta California's First Capital (1770–1822)
• American Era & California Statehood
  The Birthplace of California (1822–1900)
• Cannery Row & the Steinbeck Era
  Sardines, Steinbeck & the Rise and Fall of an Industry (1900–1950s)
• Big Sur
  The Last Wild Coast
• Carmel-by-the-Sea
  A Village Built by Artists (1902–present)
• Pebble Beach & the Del Monte Legacy
  From Grand Hotel to Golf Mecca (1880–present)
• Military Monterey — Fort Ord & the Defense Language Institute
  Training Ground for Two World Wars and the Cold War
• Marine Science & Conservation
  From Ed Ricketts to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
• Salinas & Steinbeck Country
  The Salad Bowl of the World
• Pacific Grove — Butterfly Town USA
  From Methodist Retreat to America's Last Hometown (1875–present)
• Marina & Seaside — Fort Ord's Legacy
  Military Towns Reborn (1916–present)
• Moss Landing & Castroville
  Harbor Town & the Artichoke Capital of the World
• Carmel Valley — Wine Country & Ranch Lands
  Sun-Drenched Valley Behind the Fog (1830s–present)
• King City & South Monterey County
  Mission Soledad & the Southern Salinas Valley

Santa Cruz County

• The Awaswas Ohlone
  Original Stewards of the Coast
• Mission Santa Cruz & Spanish Settlement
  The Twelfth Mission (1791–1840s)
• The Lumber Era & Early Santa Cruz
  Redwood Forests Power a New State (1850s–1900s)
• The Beach Boardwalk & Resort Culture
  California's Playground Since 1907
• Surf Culture & Capitola
  The Wave Riders of the Central Coast
• Agriculture & the Land
  From Apple Orchards to the Farm-to-Table Movement
• The Santa Cruz Mountains & Counterculture
  Redwoods, Rebels & the University on the Hill
• Capitola & Aptos — The South County Coast
  California's First Beach Resort & the Cement Ship
• Watsonville & the Pajaro Valley
  Strawberry Capital & Agricultural Heart of the County
• Scotts Valley, Felton & the San Lorenzo Valley
  Redwood Forests, Mountain Communities & Steam Trains
• Soquel — Antique Village & Wine Country
  From Mill Town to Charming Village
• Davenport & the North Coast
  Whaling Station, Cement Town & Wild Coast

San Benito County

• Mutsun Ohlone
  People of the Valley
• Mission San Juan Bautista
  The Fifteenth Mission on the Camino Real (1797–present)
• Pinnacles — The Ancient Volcano
  A Volcano Split by the San Andreas Fault
• Hollister & Rancho Culture
  The Earthquake Capital of the World
• Agriculture — The Garlic Capital & Wine Country
  From Cattle Ranches to the Garlic Capital of the World
• San Benito County — Growth & Preservation
  Balancing Rural Character with 21st-Century Growth
• San Juan Bautista — The Living Mission Town
  Where the Camino Real Comes Alive