Carmel Valley, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carmel Valley
Unincorporated community Census county division
From top down, left to right: Carmel Valley panoramio; Carmel River; Garland Ranch Regional Park; Jamesburg Earth Station
Location of Carmel Valley in Monterey County and the state of California
Carmel Valley Location in California Show map of California Carmel Valley Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Monterey
Area
• Total	189.65 sq mi (491.2 km2)
• Land	189.05 sq mi (489.6 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,189
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	93924
Area code(s)	831
FIPS code	{{{1}}}-{{{2}}}
GNIS feature ID	270303

Carmel Valley is a special place in Monterey County, California, United States. It's not an official city, but a large area that includes the Carmel River watershed. When people say "Carmel Valley," they usually mean this whole area, not just the smaller Carmel Valley Village.

The United States Census Bureau tracks Carmel Valley as a "census county division." This means it's a specific area used for counting people. In 2020, about 6,189 people lived here. In 2009, most people in the area voted against becoming an official city.

History of Carmel Valley

Early Inhabitants and Explorers

Long ago, two Native American tribes lived in Carmel Valley. The Esselens lived in the upper parts of the valley. The Rumsens lived closer to the ocean, from the middle of the valley to where the Carmel River meets Carmel Bay.

A Spanish explorer named Sebastián Vizcaíno saw the mouth of the Carmel Valley in 1602. He wrote about visiting the river in 1603. He named it El Rio del Carmelo because three Carmelite friars were with him on his journey.

Ranches and Early Settlers

In the 1800s, large areas of land in Carmel Valley were given as "Mexican land grants." One of these was the Rancho Los Laureles, a huge ranch that covered much of present-day Carmel Valley. Later, a company called the Pacific Improvement Company (PIC) bought this ranch.

James Meadows, an immigrant from England, bought another large piece of land called Palo Escrito in 1842. He helped start the Carmelo School, which was the first school in Carmel Valley. His daughter, Isabel Meadows, was important because she was the last person to speak the Rumsen Ohlone language fluently.

Another important settler was William Hatton. He managed and later bought the Rancho Cañada de la Segunda. He ran a dairy farm where The Barnyard Shopping Village is today.

The Berwick Manor and Orchard was an old farm acquired by Edward Berwick in 1869. He was a writer and farmer. This historic farm is now a subdivision called Berwick Manor.

Developing the Valley

In 1919, Samuel F.B. Morse formed Del Monte Properties. This company divided the land into smaller parcels. People like Marion Hollins and Frank B. Porter bought large sections. Byington Ford and his wife Marion bought 400 acres for a summer ranch they called Moon Trail Ranch.

The Holman Ranch was once part of the Rancho Los Laureles. In 1928, Gordon Armsby bought 400 acres and built a beautiful Spanish-style house. This ranch became a popular getaway for Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable. Today, Holman Ranch is a winery that hosts weddings and events.

Further up the valley, the Rancho Tularcitos was settled in the 1870s and 1890s. During tough economic times, people moved to the Cachagua area to buy small pieces of land and farm for themselves.

Geography and Nature

Location and Landscape

Carmel Valley is a large area, about 189 square miles. Most of it is land, with a small amount of water. The Carmel Valley Village is on one side of the Carmel River, and Robles del Rio is on the other.

The main road through the valley is Carmel Valley Road. It connects to California State Route 1 near the City of Carmel in the west.

Plants and Animals

The Carmel River flows through the valley. The area has different types of natural environments. These include oak woodlands, forests along rivers, chaparral (shrubs), grasslands, and savannas. You'll see many oak trees, especially the California live oak.

The Garland Ranch Regional Park is a great place to explore nature in Carmel Valley. It's managed by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.

Weather in Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Summers can get quite hot, especially further inland, with temperatures sometimes reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

People of Carmel Valley

Population Overview

In 2020, the population of Carmel Valley was 6,189 people. Most residents were White. There were also people of African American, Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander backgrounds. About 624 people identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The median age in Carmel Valley was 58.8 years. This means that half the population was older than 58.8 and half was younger. About 16% of the population was under 18 years old.

Fun Things to Do in Carmel Valley

Wine Tasting and Tours

Carmel Valley is known for its many wineries. You can visit different tasting rooms to try local wines. Some popular wineries include Holman Ranch, Bernardus, and Folktale.

You can even take a special bus called the Grapevine Express Route 24. It stops at most of the tasting rooms. There's also the Monterey Wine Trolley, which offers tours on a trolley car.

Local Stories and Legends

The Lost Padre Mines

One interesting legend in Carmel Valley is about the Lost Padre Mines of the Carmel Mission. Stories say that Native American communities knew about hidden gold in the Santa Lucia Mountains. These tales suggest that the last descendants of the Mission Indians, who lived and worked in the area, helped keep these secrets alive.

Hidden Treasure Tale

Another local legend involves a hidden treasure. It's said that Sheriff William Roach's brother-in-law, Jerry MacMahon, hid money somewhere in Carmel Valley. MacMahon was killed before he could tell anyone where it was. This treasure was supposedly part of a fortune taken from a wealthy widow.

Important Places to See

• The Jamesburg Earth Station is a very large satellite dish. It was used by NASA during the Apollo Moon landings. Today, it's used for a project called Lone Signal. This project sends messages from Earth to search for alien life.
• Stonepine Estate is a beautiful resort. It was used as a filming location for the TV show Santa Barbara in 1988.
• The Carmel Valley Road-Boronda Road Eucalyptus Tree Row is a unique line of eucalyptus trees. These trees were planted between 1874 and 1881. They are considered a historic landscape feature.

Famous People from Carmel Valley

Many interesting people have lived in Carmel Valley:

• Angelique Cabral: An American actress.
• Doris Day: A famous American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist.
• Scott Fujita: A retired NFL football player.
• MC Lars: An American rapper and producer.
• Michael Nesmith: A musician and filmmaker, known from The Monkees.
• Leon Panetta: A former United States Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He also served as a Congressman.
• Maurice White: The founder of the R&B/Soul group Earth, Wind & Fire.
• Alexander Weygers: A talented Dutch-American artist who designed a "flying saucer" in 1944.