Pebble Beach, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pebble Beach
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The Lone Cypress, a famous tree in the area, seen from 17-Mile Drive
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 Pebble Beach
Location in Monterey Peninsula
Pebble Beach
Location in California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Monterey |
| Rancho Pescadero (Barreto) | Established early 19th Century |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
93953
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| Area code | 831 |
| GNIS feature ID | 230455 |
Pebble Beach is a special community located on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. It's not officially a city, but it's known for its beautiful homes and as a popular vacation spot. Many famous golf courses, like Cypress Point Club and Pebble Beach Golf Links, are found here. To drive through Pebble Beach on the main road, 17-Mile Drive, visitors usually pay a small fee. This makes it feel a bit like a private, gated community.
The Pebble Beach Company owns several important places here. These include The Inn at Spanish Bay, The Lodge at Pebble Beach, and four of the eight golf courses. People who live in Pebble Beach pay fees for things like road upkeep. They also pay property taxes to Monterey County. A local public group, the Pebble Beach Community Services District, uses these taxes. This group manages important services. These services include fire protection, emergency medical help, and trash collection. The community's post office is called Pebble Beach. However, for official government counts, it's part of a larger area called Del Monte Forest.
A non-profit group called the Del Monte Forest Conservancy helps protect the natural open spaces. They work to keep the forests and non-forested areas of Pebble Beach beautiful. All members of this group must own property and live in Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is at sea level. Its ZIP Code is 93953, and its phone area code is 831.
Contents
Exploring Pebble Beach's Past
The name Pebble Beach first referred to a rocky beach area. This area was part of a large Mexican land grant called Rancho Pescadero (Barreto) in the 1830s. In the 1850s, Chinese immigrants started fishing villages along Carmel Bay. One was at Stillwater Cove, right next to Pebble Beach. They gathered abalone and various fish. Later, in 1880, a group of powerful railroad builders bought the land. They were known as "The Big Four."
By 1892, this group created a beautiful road called the 17-Mile Drive. It wound along the beaches and through the forests. The drive was a fun trip for guests staying at their Hotel Del Monte. It was also meant to attract rich people to buy land there. People riding horses or carriages would stop at Pebble Beach. They would pick up pretty stones smoothed by the waves. They also saw unusual trees, like the "Witch Tree." Chinese-American girls sold shells and polished pebbles to tourists. By the 1900s, cars started to replace horses on the 17-Mile Drive.
In 1908, an architect named Lewis P. Hobart designed the first Pebble Beach Lodge. It was a rustic, log-cabin-style inn. The lodge was built overlooking Pebble Beach. It had a large main room with big fireplaces. It also had a restaurant and later, cottages for guests. It was a community center for the wealthy people living in the Del Monte Forest. It was also a popular stop for drivers on the 17-Mile Drive.
In the 1910s, Samuel Finley Brown Morse took over managing the land. In 1916, he decided to build a golf course near Pebble Beach. The original lodge burned down in 1917. A new, much grander hotel, the Del Monte Lodge, replaced it. This new lodge and the golf course opened together on February 22, 1919. Morse then bought all the land and businesses from the railroad group. He renamed the Del Monte Lodge to The Lodge at Pebble Beach in 1977.
Over the years, the ownership of the Pebble Beach Company changed several times. In 1979, a film company bought it. Later, in 1999, a group of investors bought it. This group included famous people like Clint Eastwood and golfer Arnold Palmer.
A famous landmark, the "Witch Tree," stood at Pescadero Point for many years. It was often seen in movies and TV shows. Sadly, a storm blew it down on January 14, 1964. Another famous spot, the Pescadero "Ghost Tree," was known for huge surfing waves. However, since 2009, it's been off-limits for surfing with personal watercraft. This is because of rules in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Who Lives in Pebble Beach?
Pebble Beach has about 4,531 residents. It's a wealthy community, with many people who are retired. Many residents also work in education, healthcare, management, and finance. Most people living here are White (91.4%). About 5.3% are Asian, and 2.3% are Hispanic or Latino. The average household income is about $99,788. Many residents have a college degree or higher.
Golfing Paradise
Pebble Beach is famous for its golf courses. It has seven 18-hole courses and one 9-hole course. Four of these, including Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill, are open to the public. There are also private courses like Cypress Point Club. The Pebble Beach Company also owns the Del Monte Golf Course nearby. This is the oldest golf course that has been open continuously in the Western United States.
Pebble Beach Golf Links is especially well-known. It's considered one of the best courses in the country. It has hosted the US Open golf tournament many times, including in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, and 2019. It will host the tournament again in 2027. It will also host the 2023 U.S. Women's Open for the first time in July 2023.
The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is a big golf tournament held here every February. It started in 1937 and moved to Pebble Beach in 1947. In 2017, the Pebble Beach golf resort started using Watson, an artificial intelligence system from IBM. Watson helps guide visitors around the resort.
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Since 1950, Pebble Beach has hosted the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This is a famous auto show that features amazing classic cars. Each year, the show highlights a specific car brand. Besides the car competition, there's also a car auction and an art exhibit.
Pebble Beach's Location
Pebble Beach is located in Monterey County on the Monterey Peninsula. It's next to Carmel-by-the-Sea to the south and Pacific Grove to the north. The city of Monterey is to the east, and the Pacific Ocean is to the west. Big Sur is about a 40-mile (64 km) drive south. Santa Cruz is about 45 miles (72 km) north, and San Francisco is about 120 miles (193 km) north.
Nature and Environment
Pebble Beach has several different types of natural areas. These include rocky coastlines and forests. The forests here have special trees like Monterey Pine and Monterey Cypress. The Monterey Pine forest is home to many rare and endangered plants. These include Hickman's potentilla and Yadon's piperia, which are protected by the government. Hickman's potentilla was first found in the Del Monte Forest in Pebble Beach in 1900.
Schools in the Area
Students in Pebble Beach attend public schools in nearby towns. These include Carmel High School and Carmel Middle School in Carmel-by-the-Sea. They also attend Forest Grove School and Pacific Grove High School in Pacific Grove. Pebble Beach is also home to Stevenson School. This is a private high school where students can live on campus or attend during the day. It's located near the Spyglass golf course. The school has its own radio station, KSPB.
Other Interesting Facts
The Pebble Beach Authors & Ideas Festival is held here every September. It started in 2013. Pebble Beach is a very quiet and private community. Most of the expensive houses are hidden behind old, tall trees. It often has foggy weather, especially because it's right next to the ocean.
As a gated community, Pebble Beach charges a fee for tourists to drive on the 17-Mile Drive. This fee is about $10.75 per car. However, people who live in Pebble Beach can buy special badges for their cars. These badges let them avoid paying the tourist fee for a whole year.
In 2014, Pebble Beach was a filming location for the TV show Big Little Lies. This drama was about the lives of wealthy people.
Pebble Beach in Pop Culture
Pebble Beach has been mentioned in several TV shows:
- On Star Trek: Voyager, the Doctor character mentions Pebble Beach as a place to play golf on the holodeck.
- In The Golden Girls, Sophia Petrillo jokes that if she had married Bing Crosby, she would have a home in Pebble Beach.
- On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David thinks about going golfing at Pebble Beach to avoid a possible terrorist attack.
- In Modern Family, Jay, Gloria, and Manny try to reach Jay's reunion in Pebble Beach.
Notable People from Pebble Beach
Many well-known people have lived in Pebble Beach, including:
- Al Bernardin, who invented the Quarter Pounder
- Jane Bryan, a film actress
- James Doolittle, a famous combat pilot
- Clint Eastwood, a well-known actor and director
- Hank Ketcham, the cartoonist who created Dennis the Menace
- Gary Kildall, a computer scientist
- George Lopez, a comedian
- Jim Nantz, a sports broadcaster
- Condoleezza Rice, a former US Secretary of State
- Charles R. Schwab, a stock broker
- Alan Shepard, an astronaut
Images for kids
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The California coastline at Bird Rock, Pebble Beach
