Gorda (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
for "Fat") is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
in
Monterey County
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 United States census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
It is located south of Cape San Martin,
at an elevation of .
It is one of the three small settlements of filling stations, restaurants, and motels located along
State Route 1 on the
Big Sur
Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...
coast. The
ZIP Code is 93920, but mail must be addressed to Big Sur, and the community is inside
area code 805
Area codes 805 and 820 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of California. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes most or all of the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and the ...
.
History

The fresh springs in Gorda were used by
Native American tribes. By the time the first Europeans arrived in 1878, the Native Americans were no longer present. The settlement expanded with the gold rush in nearby
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
during the 1880s. A stagecoach stop was built and a post office operated at Gorda from 1893 to 1923, moving in 1910.
Gorda was the location of a
hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
commune from 1962 to 1968 on land owned by Amelia Newell.
Services
Roland H. Chivers was a heavy equipment mechanic and operator. He graded the site for the restaurant and made numerous improvement to the coastal property.
Road-side services include a small hotel and cottages, restaurant, gas station, deli, espresso bar, and convenience store. In 1979, the town attracted national attention after most of the land was purchased by
Kidco Limited Ventures, a corporation owned by four minor children from
Ramona, California
Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 21,468 at the 2020 census, up from 20,292 at the 2010 census.
The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community of San Diego (with so ...
who were heirs of the family that owned the
Cessna Aircraft
Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturin ...
company. After funding the company, $500,000 was invested as a
tax shelter
Tax shelters are any method of reducing taxable income resulting in a reduction of the payments to tax collecting entities, including state and federal governments. The methodology can vary depending on local and international tax laws.
Types of ...
to purchase the town's land. At the time, Dickie Cessna was 14 years old and the other three siblings were June (16), Bette (13) and Nene (11).
Mud Creek slide

On May 20, 2017, the largest slide in the
Big Sur Coast Highway
Big Sur Coast Highway is a section of California State Route 1 through the Big Sur region of California that is widely considered to be one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world. It is both a National Scenic ...
's history at Mud Creek buried more than a quarter-mile of Highway 1 southeast of Gorda. The highway was closed for more than a year. This had a considerable negative economic impact for tourism between Monterey and Morro Bay. A CalTrans study concluded that rerouting the highway around the slide was preferred over other alternatives. The only route in and out of Gorda beginning in the south was via a lengthy detour over the narrow, winding
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is the only road across the Santa Lucia Range on the Central Coast of California, connecting California State Route 1 and the Big Sur coast to U.S. Route 101 and the Salinas Valley. The road is well-paved and maintain ...
. On August 2, 2017, CalTrans decided to rebuild the highway over the slide instead of clearing it. It was reopened on July 18, 2018, at a cost of $54 million.
Etymology
Gorda is derived from the Spanish word for "fat" or "well-fed".
High fuel prices
Gorda is occasionally mentioned as having the highest gasoline prices in the United States. This is due in part to the cost of a diesel generator that provides electricity to the gas station and town. It's also due to the limited availability of fuel in the area and the distance from suppliers, who must deliver fuel to Gorda from as far as
Santa Maria and
Paso Robles
Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for The Pass of Oaks), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River about north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot springs, ...
, from away.
[ In 2008, the price was $6.70 per gallon.] In October 2021, the prices were $7.59 for unleaded and $8.49 for premium gas.
Geography
Under the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, "dry-summer subtropical" climates are often referred to as "Mediterranean". This climate zone has an average temperature above in their warmest months, and an average in the coldest between . Summers tend to be dry with less than one-third the rainfall of the wettest winter month, and with less than of precipitation in a summer month.
Climate
Government
At the county level, Gorda is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Dave Potter.
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Gorda is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Gorda is in .
References
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in California
Unincorporated communities in Monterey County, California
Populated coastal places in California
Big Sur