Carmel Valley is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Monterey County, California Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monte ...

, United States. The term "Carmel Valley" generally refers to the Carmel River watershed east of

California State Route 1 State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At , it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Monta ...

, and not specifically to the smaller Carmel Valley Village. For statistical purposes, the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

has defined Carmel Valley as a census county division (CCD), with an area covering approximately . At the time of the 2020 census the CCD population was 6,189. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.

History

The earliest archaeological findings show that Carmel Valley had two separate tribes, the

Esselen The Esselen are a Native American people belonging to a linguistic group in the hypothetical Hokan language family, who are indigenous to the Santa Lucia Mountains of a region south of the Big Sur River in Big Sur, Monterey County, Californi ...

s that lived in Upper Carmel Valley and the Rumsens lived from Mid-Carmel Valley to the mouth of Carmel Valley. The

Rancho Los Laureles Rancho Los Laureles was a Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José M. Boronda and Vicente Blas Martínez. Los Laureles refers to the California Bay Laurel tree. The grant e ...

, a

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

in present-day

, was given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José M. Boronda and Vicente Blas Martínez. The grant extended along the Carmel River in Carmel Valley; and encompassed present day Carmel Valley. In 1882, the

Pacific Improvement Company The Pacific Improvement Company (PIC) was a large holding company in California and an affiliate of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was formed in 1878, by the Big Four, who were influential businessmen, philanthropists and railroad tycoons who ...

(PIC) purchased the Rancho Los Laureles. In 1916,

Samuel F.B. Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

became the manager of the PIC and his job was to liquidate the PIC holdings (). William Martin of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

arrived in Monterey in 1856 by ship with his family. His son, John Martin (1827-1893), bought land near the mouth of Carmel Valley and the Carmel River in 1859 from broker Lafayette F. Loveland. He built the Martin Ranch on that went as far as the Carmel River to the homes along

Carmel Point Carmel Point also known as the Point, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is a cape located at the southern city limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea and offers views of Carmel Bay, the mouth of Carmel River, a ...

. The ranch became known as the

Mission Ranch Mission Ranch is a historic hotel and restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey County, California, United States. It is located south of downtown Carmel, near the Carmel Mission, at 26270 Dolores Street. The property was bought in 1986 by Clint E ...

because it was so close to the Carmel Mission. They farmed potatoes and barley and had a milk dairy. William Hatton (1849–1894), born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and married to Kate Harney (1851-1922), came to California in 1870. In 1888, Hatton became the manager of

Rancho Cañada de la Segunda Rancho Cañada de la Segunda was a Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor José Castro to Lazaro Soto. The grant extended along the north bank of the Carmel River, from the Pacific coast and pre ...

, which extended along the north bank of the Carmel River into the mouth of Carmel Valley. The land was owned by Dominga Doni de Atherton, the widowed wife of

Faxon Atherton Faxon Dean Atherton (1815–1877) was an American businessman, trader and landowner; initially successful in Valparaíso, Chile, he became a prominent citizen of San Mateo County, California. He is the namesake of Atherton, California. Early ...

(namesake of

Atherton, California Atherton () is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,188 as of 2020. Atherton is known for its wealth; in 1990 and 2019, Athe ...

). By 1892, Hatton purchased the Rancho from Dominga. Hatton operated a dairy business, which was located at Highway 1 and Carmel Valley Road, at the site of the present-day The Barnyard Shopping Village. The Berwick Manor and Orchard was located on Boronda Road off Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley. The farmstead was acquired in 1869 by Edward Berwick, a writer and educator as well as a scientific farmer. The manor and orchard was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on November 17, 1977. The Berwick Manor and Orchard was sold in 1961 and later subdivided into what is known today as the Berwick Manor Subdivision. In 1919, Morse formed the Del Monte Properties and acquired PIC. In 1923, the Del Monte Properties divided the land into 11 parcels.

Marion Hollins Marion B. Hollins (December 3, 1892 – August 27, 1944) was an American amateur golfer. She is known as an athlete and as a golf course developer, one of the only known female golf course developers in history. She won the 1921 U.S. Women's Ama ...

bought . In 1926, developer Frank Porter bought . He later acquired a portion of the Hollins ranch and sold it to

Byington Ford Lewis Byington Ford (November 1, 1890 – January 19, 1985) was a Monterey Peninsula real estate developer. He was a major force in developing Pebble Beach and Carmel Woods. Ford established the Carmel Valley Airport, the first airpark of its kin ...

. Byington and his wife Marion used as a summer ranch and named it Moon Trail Ranch. It was located at Via Las Encinas in Carmel Valley. The Holman Ranch, originally part of the

, passed through many hands until 1928, when

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

businessman, Gordon Armsby, purchased in Carmel Valley. He built a Spanish-style hacienda out of Carmel stone with

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

roofing, and oak-beamed ceilings. It became a Hollywood retreat for

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

. Today, the Holman Ranch is a privately owned winery, with a tasting room and offers a venue for weddings and special events.

Geography and ecology

According to the

, the Carmel Valley CCD covers a total area of , comprising of land and of water. Within the CCD, the Carmel Valley Village lies on the eastern bank of the Carmel River while the community of Robles del Rio is located on the western bank. Carmel Valley Road ( County Route G16) is the main route through the valley, connecting to

near the City of Carmel to the west. The Carmel River drains the area of Carmel Valley. Primary ecosystems of the vicinity include

California oak woodland California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coasta ...

riparian woodland A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir. Etymology The term riparian comes from the Latin word ' ...

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

and

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

. Dominant oak trees include ''

Quercus agrifolia ''Quercus agrifolia'', the California live oak, or coast live oak, is a highly variable, often evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is g ...

''. The locale of Carmel Valley is also the northernmost range of the hybrid oak ''

Quercus x alvordiana An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

''. The

Garland Ranch Regional Park Garland Ranch Regional Park is a public recreational area at 700 West Carmel Valley Road, in Carmel Valley, California. It is owned and managed by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. It is located from Salinas, California, Salinas o ...

is located at 700 West Carmel Valley Road. The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD) manages the Garland Ranch Regional Park.

Climate

This region experiences warm dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . With heat waves in the upper 70s to 101 degrees F. The further inland you go. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Carmel Valley has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020

At the 2020 census Carmel Valley had a population of 6,189. The racial makeup of Carmel Valley was 5,502 White, 32 African American, 57 Native American, 126 Asian, 17 Pacific Islander, 270 from other races, and 685 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 624. The age distribution was 1.7% under the age of 5; 16.0% under the age of 18, 84.0% 18 years and over; and 37.5% 65 or older. The median age was 58.8 years.

Government

At the county level, Carmel Valley is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Mary L. Adams, as the 5th District Supervisor. In the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, Carmel Valley is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Carmel Valley is in .

Tourism

Carmel Valley has a number of wine tasting rooms, as well as several high-end hotels affiliated with the wineries. Wineries with tasting rooms in Carmel Valley include Holman Ranch, Bernardus, Boëté, Chateau Sinnet, Folktale, Galante, Georis, Heller Estate, Joullian Village, Joyce Vineyards, Parsonage, San Saba and Talbott. A public bus, called the Grapevine Express Route 24 and run by Monterey-Salinas Transit, stops at most of these tasting rooms. The Monterey Wine Trolley also offers a tour on a former San Francisco trolley that makes stops at several wineries in the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Valley.

Notable sites

*The

Jamesburg Earth Station The Jamesburg Earth Station is located in the rural Cachagua area of Carmel Valley, California, about southeast of Monterey. It was originally built in 1968 to support the Apollo 11 moon landing. The 10-story high, dish, driven by a Vertex-RSI ...

, one of the world's largest tracking satellite dish antennas, is located in Carmel Valley. This telecommunication facility was used by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

during its Apollo Moon landings. Currently it is being used by

Lone Signal Lone Signal was a crowdfunded active SETI project designed to send List of interstellar messages, interstellar messages from Earth to a possible extraterrestrial civilization. Founded by businessman Pierre Fabre and supported by several entreprene ...

a crowdfunded active

SETI The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other p ...

project designed to send messages from Earth to an extraterrestrial civilization. *Treasure was hidden somewhere in Carmel Valley by Sheriff William Roach's brother-in-law, Jerry MacMahon. MacMahon was killed in a barroom brawl before he could reveal the location of the money. Preceding the incident, Maria Encarnacion Ortega de Sanchez, the widow of a wealthy rancher, was being cheated by local authorities, including the Sheriff, William Roach, who took her fortune under the guise of guardianship. After kidnapping Roach with the help of a local gunslinger named Anastacio Garcia, they held Roach in a jail cell in Stockton until he agreed to release the widow's gold. But Roach had bribed a guard to ride to

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

and urge Roach's family to hide the gold.

Chief Justice of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

David S. Terry David Smith Terry (March 8, 1823 – August 14, 1889) was an American politician and jurist who served as the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court of California; he was an author of the state's 1879 Constitution. Terry won a duel aga ...

had been interested in the 'Widow Sanchez' case. *

Stonepine Estate The Stonepine Estate is a hotel located in Carmel Valley, Monterey County, California, United States. Stonepine provides luxury accommodations, dining, weddings, corporate retreats, and equestrian activities. The property consists of two main ar ...

, a resort used to shoot the wedding of

Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama ''Santa Barbara (TV series), Santa Barbara''. Eden was portrayed by American actress Marcy Walker from September 28, 1984 to August 9, 1991, ...

for the ''Santa Barbara'' TV series in 1988. *

Carmel Valley Road-Boronda Road Eucalyptus Tree Row Eucalyptus Tree Row, also known as Carmel Valley Road-Boronda Road Eucalyptus Tree Row, is located on Boronda Road off Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley, California. The unusual street side row of ''Eucalyptus globulus'' trees was planted somet ...

is located on Boronda Road off Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley. The unusual street side row of ''

Eucalyptus globulus ''Eucalyptus globulus'', commonly known as southern blue gum or blue gum, is a species of tall, evergreen tree endemic to southeastern Australia. This ''Eucalyptus'' species has mostly smooth bark, juvenile leaves that are whitish and waxy on ...

'' trees was planted sometime between 1874 and 1881, by

Nathan Weston Spaulding Nathan Weston Spaulding (September 24, 1829 – October 8, 1903) was an American politician and landowner who served as the 15th Mayor of Oakland, California (1871-1873). He was also an inventor, holding a patent for an adjustable circular saw t ...

, during the species' peak popularity in California for

Landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...

. The landscape feature was listed on the

on January 10, 2008.

Notable people

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

, American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist *

Scott Fujita Scott Anthony Fujita (; born April 28, 1979) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), and current Head of School at All Saints' Day School. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the ...

, retired NFL football player for

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

* Julian P. Graham, photographer of the Monterey Peninsula *

Ingemar Henry Lundquist Ingemar Henry Lundquist (October 19, 1921 – February 25, 2007) was a prolific inventor and mechanical engineer. Early life and education Lundquist graduated from the Stockholm Institute of Technology in 1945 with a mechanical engineering ...

, inventor and mechanical engineer *

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith or Mike Nesmith, (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series ''The Monkees'' (1966� ...

, musician, songwriter and filmmaker, former member of

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in several different public office positions, including Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of ...

, former

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

, former

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. Beginning February 2017, the D ...

(2009–11), former

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

(1977–93) and White House Chief of Staff (1994–97) *

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

, founder of R&B/Soul group

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

Alexander Weygers Alexander George Weygers (October 12, 1901–July 23, 1989) was a polymath Dutch-American artist who is best known as a sculptor, painter, printmaking, print maker, blacksmith, carpenter, philosopher, mechanical engineer, aerospace engineer a ...

, a polymath Dutch-American artist who patented the design of the discopter (the "flying saucer") in 1944

References

External links

CARMEL VALLEY
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmel Valley, California Census county divisions Santa Lucia Range Unincorporated communities in Monterey County, California Unincorporated communities in California