stay away until september - 7/24/2009
The fog ...overcast and gloomy temps in the upper 50's from May until late August. Monterey Peninsula/Carmel/Pebble Beach are are consistently gloomy most of the summer. Statewide saletite maps show we get some of the most dense fog in the state. Even those from the sweltering central valley cant take too much of this sunless icebox. Come september thru November for some decent weather. Carmel Valley is the only sunny zone that has the scenic enviorment the peninsula is known Read More

Great Place To Play - 5/13/2009
Weather is wonderful, people are friendly, housing is too costly, but who cares you can live out of a box and be happy. Throw seeds down plants will Read More

Quality of life - 12/26/2008
The quality of life in Monterey is all right if you like golf, wine tasting parties, and expensive restaurants. However, for educational and intellectual activities don't come here. You will be bored to Read More

Wonderful place to live. - 9/18/2008
If you can afford a home here, everyday is a vacation in Monterey. Not as warm as Santa Cruz (our neighbor across the bay), but always pleasant, and the views are wonderful. Perhaps getting to the point that there are too many houses, but that is a problem with all of California's coastal Read More

cost of living - 9/9/2008
Waytoo expensive. But it is Read More

Cost of Living - 7/13/2008
Overall, food and housing are very expensive relative to other northern California areas in which I've lived. I will never be able to retire here and instead am looking to move back Read More

Monterey, Salinas, Carmel - 6/2/2008
There are an estimated 100,000+ undocumented, illegal immigrants living in the Monterey area. Unfortunately, these numbers are never reflected in the true population statistics. But have a phenomenal impact on the every day life including traffic, rental availability, crowding, crime and jobs. Most jobs in the area are service oriented and require you to be bilingual Spanish/English Read More

Small town and great food and entertainment - 5/20/2008
Monterey is a small town, but a great destination for vacationers. Which makes a great place to live and enjoy all of the attractions that brings the visitors. The weather is mild and people are friendlyRead More

Wonderful to look at but.... - 8/30/2006
Monterey is one of the most beautiful places I know of. It has tons of recreation opportunities along with the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium but....Monterey is also one of the most expensive places around to live in and the salaries for most jobs don't come close to measuring up to the cost of living. It is not for lower income or even middle income households. If you are considering relocating to Monterey, be Read More

The Secret Life of the Central Coast... - 6/15/2006
... happens in September-November and March-June. That's when the sun shines (I never understood the line in "Lady Is a Tramp" -- "Hate California, it's cold and it's damp" -- until I experienced June gloom on this coast). The tourists have mostly gone home, except the savvy ones, and the locals come out with theater, concerts, dining discounts on Fisherman's Wharf and laid-back cultural events like Christmas in the Adobes and the First Night Monterey.

If you want to come join in the year-round fun (including fog on your 4th of July bbq), consider living in Seaside, Marina or certain parts of Salinas. East Salinas is pretty rough, very gang-oriented, but Oldtown is being spruced up daily. Seaside ditto. Marina was once part and parcel of Fort Ord, and does have lots of decent apartments, passable if pricey housing, and some new development. Expect to drop $400K+ for a decent house in any of those towns, and over $500K in Monterey or Pacific Grove.

Still, the Read More