EXPLORE THE CARMEL CALIFORNIA AREA

Carmel is located in Monterey County, beginning at High Meadows, Carmel Woods, and Carmel by the Sea to the north to Big Sur in the south. It includes Carmel by-the-Sea, Carmel Highlands, High Meadows, Hacienda Carmel, Rancho Tierra Grande, Point Lobos, Carmel Woods, Carmel Meadows, Carmel Valley, and Rocky Point, among other lovely areas, and is adjacent to Pebble Beach and Monterey, California. 

The residents in this spectacular region love the overall peaceful atmosphere along with the stunning views of mountains, valleys, beaches, forests, and the rugged Pacific coastline. Carmel offers abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation, with destinations like Carmel Beach, Carmel River State Beach, Monastery Beach, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Garapata State Park, and Andrew Molera State Park all located in the area.  And close by attractions like the Carmel Mission, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Carmel Valley wineries, and the golf mecca, Pebble Beach, California, host of the PGA tournaments, and the Concorde de Elegance – the premier car show.  Monterey also hosts the world-famous Monterey Jazz Festival and the Monterey Blues Festival, and just off Hwy 68 on the way to Salinas, you will find the Laguna Seca Raceway.

The Carmel area also has some of the best restaurants on the West Coast, as well as a great variety of shopping experiences, art galleries, and cultural events year-round. So, whether you love to golf, hike, surf, bike, beach walk, or take in the sights, shopping, wine tasting, music, or other adventures by the sea, you will find your “home” here in Carmel, California.

Education:

Public Schools:

The Carmel Union School district boasts the highly rated 

Carmel High School   Grades 9-12 [9 out of 10 rated by Great Schools]; 

Carmel River Elementary School  Grades K-5 [9 out of 10]; and  

Carmel Middle School Grades 6-8 [8 out of 10].

Private Schools in the Monterey/Carmel area:

San Carlos School

Santa Catalina Schools

The Stevenson Schools

York School

And many Montessori schools, academies, charter schools, trade schools, and religious affiliated private schools in the greater Monterey area.

Colleges and Universities

Monterey Peninsula College - located in Monterey [7-10 min. drive from Carmel]

The Naval Postgraduate School – located in Monterey [8-11 min. drive from Carmel]

Cal State University, Monterey Bay – located in Marina 

Transportation:

Monterey Regional Airport [MRY] is located about 6 miles north of Carmel. 

Currently MRY provides direct flights with Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, United, and JSX [“Hop-on” Jet Service], with direct flights to Burbank, Orange County, Denver, LAX, San Francisco SFO, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, and Seattle which provide connections to all major international airport destinations.

Regional public bus service is provided by Monterey Salinas Transit [“MST”].  MST provides bus service to the greater Monterey and Salinas areas as far south as Templeton and Big Sur and as far north as Santa Cruz and San Jose. It has stops in Carmel by the Sea, CHOMP, and at the Crossroads shopping center with the main stop in Downtown Monterey, and it also has a “Grapevine Express”.

Hwy 1 is the main North/South travel route, with Hwy 68 the main East/West route to Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach to the West and Salinas and Hwy 101 to the East

You’ll also find numerous bike lanes, bike trails throughout the area, and a wonderful Recreation Trail to walk or bike on that runs from Pacific Grove to Marina.

Shopping & Points of Interest:

Downtown Carmel By-the-Sea and Carmel Plaza

The Crossroads Shopping Center

The Barnyard

Carmel Rancho Shopping Center

The Del Monte Shopping Center [with Whole Foods, Starbucks, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Macy’s, and a movie theater and other shops and restaurants]

The Mid-Valley Shopping Center

Carmel Valley Village shops, wine tasting, and galleries

Nearby Downtown Pacific Grove, Forest Hills Shopping Center, Cannery Row, Lighthouse Ave., and Downtown Monterey with many more shops and restaurants

And many popular shopping places like Home Depot, Costco, Target, Home Goods located nearby in Seaside and Sand City, California just a few minutes to the north.

Carmel/ Monterey has a large number of parks, museums, and other attractions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Carmel River State Beach, Jack’s Peak County Park, Monterey County Youth Museum, Monterey State Historic Park, Monterey Maritime Museum, Carmel Valley Motorcycle Museum, Monterey Museum of Art, Garland State Park, Pt. Lobos State Park, Lovers’ Point, the Sunset Center, and the Forest Theater, among others.

For boating enthusiasts, there are whale watching, fishing, and scenic cruises, as well as a yacht harbor and Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey.

Within 10-15 minutes north of Carmel is the Presidio of Monterey, the Naval Reserve Center, the US Coast Guard Facilities, and the Naval Post Graduate School. The East Garrison and Ft. Ord Army Base are located in Marina, California, about 15-20 minutes north of Carmel.

HEALTH CARE:

The Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula [“CHOMP”] offers you access to a wide range of exceptional health and wellness services in a healing environment that matches the beauty of Monterey County. CHOMP is the hospital of Montage Health, a locally based and owned nonprofit network of medical services, doctors, and convenient facilities. It is located off of Hwy 68 West on the North border of Carmel and Pebble Beach, just east of Pacific Grove, and on the South border of Monterey, conveniently just off Hwy 1. 

You will also find many excellent health care professionals, physicians, dentists, and specialists located in the area, which attracts the best in their fields.