Pacific Grove, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pacific Grove, California
City
Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast (1855).
Flag Seal
Location in Monterey County and the state of California
Pacific Grove, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Monterey
Founded	1875
Incorporated	July 5, 1889
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area
• Total	4.00 sq mi (10.4 km2)
• Land	2.87 sq mi (7.4 km2)
• Water	1.13 sq mi (2.9 km2)  28.28%
Elevation	151 ft (46 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,090
• Density	5,257.8/sq mi (2,030.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	93950
Area code(s)	831
FIPS code	06-54848
GNIS feature IDs	1652821, 2411350

Pacific Grove is a beautiful city located on the coast of Monterey County in California. In 2020, about 15,090 people lived here. The city is nestled between Point Pinos and Monterey.

Pacific Grove is known for the historic Point Pinos Lighthouse. It also has the special Monarch Grove Sanctuary for butterflies. Another important place is the Asilomar Conference Center.

History of Pacific Grove

Early Inhabitants and Fishing Village

The first people to live in Pacific Grove were the Ohlone Rumsen tribe. They lived in this area between Big Sur and San Francisco starting around the 6th century. You can still find grinding stones from their time in Pacific Grove. Later, this land became part of a large Mexican land grant called Rancho Punta de Pinos.

Chinese immigrants arrived in Pacific Grove as early as 1853. They built a successful fishing village at Point Alones. This area is between Lover's Point and the western edge of Monterey. These Chinese fishermen were the first to see how good Monterey Bay was for commercial fishing.

Other people soon realized the fishing potential. The Chinese fishermen were eventually pushed out of their daytime fishing spots. They then started fishing for squid at night. This began California's squid fishery, which is now one of the state's largest.

By 1859, the land where the village stood belonged to David Jacks (businessman). He owned most of the Monterey Peninsula. Jacks sold the land to The Pacific Improvement Company. This company tried to remove the Chinese American community in 1905. They wanted the land for new developments, including what is now Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station.

In 1906, a fire destroyed the village. During the fire, a firehose was cut, which made it impossible to save the homes. The families had to leave and spread out across the region. Every year in mid-May, a "Walk of Remembrance" honors the loss of this village. The Point Alones fishing village was the oldest and longest-running fishing village on the West Coast. It was also unique because it had as many women as men living there.

A Christian Seaside Resort

Pacific Grove began as a Christian seaside resort. In 1874, a Methodist minister named Reverend J.W. Ross and his wife visited the area. They thought it would be perfect for a Methodist retreat. The beautiful pine, oak, and cypress trees, along with many wildflowers, made it a great place for camping.

On June 1, 1875, the Pacific Grove Retreat Association was formed. Its goal was to manage the Christian Seaside Resort. The Pacific Improvement Company and David Jacks provided the land for this retreat. This area stretched from the Bay up to Lighthouse Avenue and from First Street to Pacific Avenue.

In November 1879, after the summer campers had left, the famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson explored the empty campgrounds. He described it as a "dreamlike" place, like a stage scene without actors.

The Pacific Grove post office opened in 1886. The city officially became a town in 1889.

Growth and Development

The El Carmelo Hotel was Pacific Grove's first hotel. It opened on May 20, 1887. It was sometimes called the "sister" hotel to Monterey's Hotel Del Monte. The Pacific Improvement Company owned it. In 1917, the hotel was taken apart. Its wood was used to rebuild The Lodge at Pebble Beach after a fire.

Thomas Albert Work built several important buildings in Pacific Grove. These included the three-story Del Mar hotel in 1895. In 1904, he built a block of commercial buildings along Lighthouse Avenue. These housed local businesses, including the Bank of Pacific Grove.

An Artists' Haven

Like nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey, Pacific Grove became a popular spot for artists in the 1890s. Artists who painted outdoors, known as the En plein air school, loved the natural beauty of Pacific Grove. Many famous artists came to live and paint here. These included William Adam, Eugen Neuhaus, and Charles B. Judson. Judson's murals can be seen at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

The Asilomar Conference Grounds are on the western edge of Pacific Grove. Asilomar opened in 1913 as a summer retreat for the YWCA. Today, it is part of the California State Park System. Thirteen buildings there were designed by the famous architect Julia Morgan. She also designed Hearst Castle.

The 1920s brought new buildings like Holman's Department Store and the Grove Theater. These showed the city's growth and hope for the future. Pacific Grove became easier for tourists to visit by car. Its year-round population also grew. Many buildings from this time, like the Grove Theater, showed a Spanish-style design.

Famous Connections and Local Traditions

The famous author John Steinbeck once lived in a small house in Pacific Grove. His father, Ernest, owned the cottage at 147 11th Street. This house is still there today. Another house connected to Steinbeck is his grandmother's house at 222 Central Avenue. In his book Sweet Thursday, Steinbeck wrote about a fun rivalry over the game of roque in the town.

Pacific Grove has several fun local traditions. In early October, there's a Butterfly Parade. This celebrates the return of the monarch butterfly for winter. In mid-April, the Good Old Days festival takes place downtown. It has rides, crafts, food, and a parade. On the last Saturday of July, there's a pet parade. In December, the Morse Drive and Platt Park neighborhood becomes "Candy Cane Lane." It's decorated with many lights and decorations, a tradition for over 60 years.

Hopkins Marine Station is a marine research center next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was founded in 1892, making it the oldest marine laboratory on the US Pacific Coast. It was first called the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory and was located at Lover's Point. Later, it moved to its current spot at Point Alones.

In the 1980s, Pacific Grove was home to Digital Research. This company was a pioneer in microcomputer software. It started in Gary Kildall's house and later moved to offices on Central Avenue.

On October 12, 1997, the singer John Denver died when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Grove.

Pacific Grove was the last "dry town" in California. This means that for a long time, alcohol was not served to the public. This was due to the city's religious history. Alcohol sales began on July 4, 1969. Even today, Pacific Grove has strict rules about serving alcohol. It does not have any stand-alone bars.

In 2018, voters in Pacific Grove approved a measure. This measure stops short-term vacation rentals in most residential areas.

Geography and Ecology

Pacific Grove has different types of natural environments. These include marine areas, coastlines, pine forests, and mixed-oak woodlands.

Monarch Butterflies

The city is famous for being a breeding ground for the monarch butterfly. The Monarch Grove Sanctuary is in the northwest part of town. It is surrounded by homes and oak forests. These monarchs fly about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to reach Pacific Grove. They come from the Rocky Mountains for the winter. They often fly as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 ft).

The black-and-orange monarch butterflies spend the fall and winter in Monterey pine and eucalyptus trees. They usually stay from late September to late March. Most butterflies are protected in the city's Butterfly Sanctuary. There's a city rule, Ordinance No. 352, that makes it illegal to harm a butterfly. This can lead to a $1,000 fine.

Marine Protected Areas

The waters around Pacific Grove are home to several marine protected areas. These are like underwater parks. They include Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area, Lovers Point State Marine Reserve, Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area, and Asilomar State Marine Reserve. These areas help protect ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. The entire Monterey Bay is also a marine protected sanctuary.

Location and Climate

Pacific Grove is located between its well-known neighbors, Pebble Beach and Monterey. Carmel-by-the-Sea is about 5 miles (8 km) south. The community of Big Sur is about 30 miles (48 km) south. Pacific Grove is a popular vacation spot for people from the San Francisco Bay Area. It is about two hours south of San Francisco.

The city does not allow buildings on the ocean side of the main coastal road. This means that the beaches and scenic views are always open and clear.

Pacific Grove is on the Pacific Ocean coast. It is about 40 miles (64 km) south of Santa Cruz. It is also about 120 miles (193 km) south of San Francisco. The city covers about 4.0 square miles (10.4 km2) in total. About 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) is land, and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (28.28%) is water. Asilomar, Lovers Point, and the coastline offer surfing. The waves are usually moderate, but there are many rocks near the shore.

Because it's on the coast, Pacific Grove has a mild climate all year. Most of the rain falls from November to April. Extreme temperatures are rare. Fog is common, especially at night and in the early morning. This region has warm, dry summers. The average monthly temperatures are not above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen climate classification, Pacific Grove has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate.

Population and Demographics

Population in 2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Pacific Grove had a population of 15,041 people. The city had about 3,758 people per square mile. Most of the population, 84.5%, was White. Other groups included African American (1.3%), Native American (0.5%), and Asian (5.8%). About 10.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

There were 7,020 households in the city. About 21.7% of these households had children under 18 living in them. The average household had about 2.09 people. The average family size was 2.74 people.

The median age in Pacific Grove was 48.1 years. This means half the people were older than 48.1 and half were younger. For every 100 females, there were about 85.2 males.

Pacific Grove has many historic buildings. Over 1,300 structures are listed on the town's historic register. This gives Pacific Grove the largest number of historic homes for its size on the West Coast.

Population in 2000

In the census of 2000, Pacific Grove had 15,522 people. There were 7,316 households and 3,972 families. The population density was about 5,399 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was mostly White (88.04%). About 7.14% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 21.6% of households had children under 18. The average household size was 2.10 people. The average family size was 2.75 people. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were about 85.8 males.

Notable Residents

Media

The local radio station KAZU-FM - 90.3 was started in Pacific Grove in 1977. It is now located in Seaside, California. Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz area. Local newspapers include The Monterey County Herald and the Monterey County Weekly.

Images for kids

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  The main shopping area in Pacific Grove

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  Pacific Grove city hall

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  Southern Monterey Bay area in 1917

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  The granite coastline off Ocean View Boulevard in Pacific Grove

Gallery

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  Berwick Park between Lovers Point and the Monterey Bay Aquarium

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  South African Drosanthemum floribundum bloom late spring between Lovers Point and the Point Pinos Lighthouse

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  Lovers Point

See also

In Spanish: Pacific Grove para niños