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AHistory
History · Monterey

Monterey dates to 1770, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #6 of 847 in California. What drives it

12 places in town are on the National Register, among them 4 National Historic Landmarks and a historic district with 17 buildings. Below: 23 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.

1770founded
12on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
23old photos & papers
53famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Monterey’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Monterey began

When was Monterey founded?

1770

Monterey dates its founding to 1770 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 1,092 in 18502020 census: 30,218256 years

How historic is Monterey?

A

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Monterey’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monterey is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #6 of 847 in California. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monterey’s overall grade.
Founding era1770, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194011.3% of homes (±2.2) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register12 listings, 29 historic buildings, 9.8 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 90%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#6 of 847

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Monterey’s 9.8 sits above most of its state (91% of California towns have fewer) while its 29 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1770.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Monterey’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A National Historic Landmark12 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1860 and 1870, then grew more than tenfold.A town in old photos23 old photos, postcards and papers, 1827–1903.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Monterey, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

12 historic places in Monterey

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 4 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
12
National Historic Landmarks
4
Larkin House
historic buildings protected
29
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Larkin House
Stevenson HouseMerritt, Josiah, AdobeJames W. Finch HouseMary C. W. Black Studio HousePacific Biological Laboratories, built 1923Lou Ellen Parmelee HouseMarsh, G.T., and SonsSt. John’s Chapel, Del MonteLarkin House★Royal Presidio Chapel, built 1791★U.S. Customhouse★Monterey Old Town Historic District★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Monterey Colonial3
Greek Revival1
Spanish Colonial1
Greek Revival temple1
Vernacular adobe1
Spanish Colonial Revival1
★ Landmark
Larkin HouseMonterey Colonial
★ Landmark
Royal Presidio ChapelBuilt 1791
★ Landmark
U.S. CustomhouseMonterey Colonial
★ Landmark
Monterey Old Town Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Stevenson HouseSpanish Colonial
Merritt, Josiah, AdobeGreek Revival temple
James W. Finch HouseBuilding
Mary C. W. Black Studio HouseSpanish Colonial Revival
All 12 listings
Pacific Biological LaboratoriesBuilding · listed 1994Lou Ellen Parmelee HouseBuilding · listed 1998Marsh, G.T., and SonsBuilding · listed 2007St. John’s Chapel, Del MonteBuilding · listed 2020

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Monterey, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00018501900195020001,653 in 1860Low: 1,112

Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1870, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Monterey’s Wikipedia page.

By decade

Monterey, decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1820s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1820s–1840s8 items
William Smyth The Presidio and Pueblo of Monterey (cropped)1827William Smyth The Presidio and Pueblo of Monterey (cr…DocumentVue de Monterey, dans la haute Californie, pris de la rade, 18281828Vue de Monterey, dans la haute Californie, pris de la…DocumentMonterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in rear of the Bishop's Palace. As it appeared on 32d (i.e., 23d) September, 18…1847Monterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in rear of th…Monterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in the rear of the Bishop's Palace. As it appeared on 23d September, 1846 (look…1847Monterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in the rear o…Monterey, as seen from a house-top in the main plaza, (to the west.) October, 1846 - D.P. Whiting del. Capt. 7th Inf. d…1847Monterey, as seen from a house-top in the main plaza,…Monterey, as seen from a house-top in the main plaza, (to the west.) October, 1846 - D.P. Whiting del. Capt. 7th Inf. d…1847Monterey, as seen from a house-top in the main plaza,…The U. S. squadron at peace in Monterey. 12 June 18471847The U. S. squadron at peace in Monterey. 12 June 1847Monterey, Upper California, 18491849Monterey, Upper California, 1849
1850s–1870s5 items
Personal narrative of explorations and incidents in Texas, New Mexico, California, Sonora, and Chihuahua, connected wit…1854Personal narrative of explorations and incidents in T…Chinese American Fishermen b1875Chinese American Fishermen bFather Serra Serving Mass, June 3, 1770 byc. 1876Father Serra Serving Mass, June 3, 1770 byFather Serra Celebrates Mass at Monterey by Léon Trousset1877Father Serra Celebrates Mass at Monterey by Léon Trou…Father's Serra's Landing Place or Celebration of the First Mass, by Leon Troussetc. 1877Father's Serra's Landing Place or Celebration of the …
1880s–1900s10 items
Old Custom House Monterey (1887)1887Old Custom House Monterey (1887)Old Gabriel1890Old GabrielGeneral Sherman Home1890General Sherman HomeHotel del Monte1898Hotel del MonteOld cypress tree in a grove at Monterey, ca.1900 (CHS-4754)c. 1900Old cypress tree in a grove at Monterey, ca.1900 (CHS…Scraggley Sentinal Cypress in Monterey, growing out of the rocky coast, ca.1900-1901 (CHS-2233)c. 1900Scraggley Sentinal Cypress in Monterey, growing out o…Scraggly sentinel cypress tree growing out of the rocky shore near the ocean in Monterey, ca.1900 (CHS-1843)c. 1900Scraggly sentinel cypress tree growing out of the roc…Old Custom House, Monterey, Cal1902Old Custom House, Monterey, CalOld Custom House, Monterey, Cal1902Old Custom House, Monterey, CalHotel del Monte1903Hotel del Monte
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story

How Monterey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Monterey.

Read it all →

Long before the arrival of Spanish explorers, the Rumsen Ohlone tribe, one of seven linguistically distinct Ohlone groups in California, inhabited the area now known as Monterey. Ohlone villages in the area included Ichxenta (Point Lobos), Calendaruc, Wacharon (Moss Landing), and Rumsien (Carmel-by-the-Sea), among others. They subsisted by hunting, fishing and gathering food on and around the biologically rich Monterey Peninsula.

ChaptersOhlone periodSpanish periodArgentine raid and occupationMexican periodAmerican period

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Monterey in 1917

Passages that mention Monterey, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Amongthe most sacred objects of veneration in the town of Old Monterey is the Church of San Carlos de Monterey. The present buildingwas erected at the Presidio in 1794, and was called the Royal Chapel because it was the place of worship for the governors of California who were the representatives o…
Historic landmarks of Monterey, California1917Read the page →
Read the text

Amongthe most sacred objects of veneration in the town of Old Monterey is the Church of San Carlos de Monterey. The present buildingwas erected at the Presidio in 1794, and was called the Royal Chapel because it was the place of worship for the governors of California who were the representatives of the King of Spain. At the time of the secularization of Mission Carmel in 1834, the church at Monterey became the parish church, Padre Jose Real being then in charge, and holding services occasionally at Carmel. In 1858, the transept was added and main altar erected.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Monterey, 1770 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1770
    FoundingMonterey is established
  3. 1791BuiltRoyal Presidio Chapel is built
  4. 19th century
  5. 1827In the archiveWilliam Smyth The Presidio and Pueblo of Monterey (cropped)
  6. 1847In the archiveMonterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in rear of the Bishop's Palace. As it appeared on…
  7. 1849Post officeThe Monterey post office opens
  8. 1854In the archivePersonal narrative of explorations and incidents in Texas, New Mexico, California, Sonora…
  9. 1875In the archiveChinese American Fishermen b
  10. 1882Post officeThe Del Monte post office opens
  11. 1887In the archiveOld Custom House Monterey (1887)
  12. 1890In the archiveOld Gabriel
  13. 20th century
  14. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1915Post officeThe Presidio Of Monterey post office opens
  16. 1919Post officeThe Presidio Of Monterey post office closes
  17. 1923BuiltPacific Biological Laboratories is built
  18. 1938Born hereLeon Panetta is born here
  19. 1952Post officeThe Del Monte post office closes
  20. 1960LandmarkLarkin House named a National Historic Landmark
  21. 1960LandmarkRoyal Presidio Chapel named a National Historic Landmark
On the map

Monterey on the map, 1913 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monterey. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Monterey on the 1913 USGS mapMonterey on the 1947 USGS mapMonterey on the 1968 USGS mapMonterey on the 1983 USGS mapMonterey on the 1997 USGS map1913Monterey sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Monterey.

Every building

Monterey, building by building, 1885–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Monterey fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Monterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in rear of the Bishop's Palace. As it appeared on 32d (i.e., 23d) September, 18…
Retake this viewMonterey (sic), from Independence Hill, in rear of the Bishop's Palace. As it appeared on 32d (i.e., 23d) September, 18…, 1847

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Monterey’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

53 famous people were born in Monterey

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Leon PanettaAmerican politician, Secretary of Defense 2011–… · b. 1938
Joel CourtneyAmerican actor · b. 1996
Tory BelleciFilm maker and model maker, MythBusters build t… · b. 1970
J. R. CelskiShort-track speed skater · b. 1990
Hal LindesAmerican musician · b. 1953
Orlando JohnsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1989
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Monterey’s post office has been open since 1849. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Monterey
1849–today
Del Monte
1882–1952
Presidio Of Monterey
1915–1919
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cannery RowDel MonteNew Monterey
Gone or out of use
Casa de CastrobuildingCasa JimenobuildingDel Monte Polo FieldlocaleEl CuartellocaleFort HalleckmilitaryHartnell HousebuildingPresidio de Montereymilitary
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Monterey
El EncinalSaint JohnsSan Carlos

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Monterey’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMonterey (sic), from Independence Hill,…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Del Monte Forest1 historic placeBSeasideIts storyC−Del Rey OaksIts storyD−Pacific Grove7 historic placesA−

Questions about Monterey’s history

What year was Monterey founded?

In 1770, according to Wikidata. Monterey’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1850 counted 1,092 people here.

How does Monterey rank for history?

Monterey is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #6 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Monterey?

12 listings, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks: 11 buildings, among them the Larkin House (a National Historic Landmark since 1960), and 1 historic district, the Monterey Old Town Historic District, with 17 contributing buildings. 29 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Monterey?

11% of Monterey’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (20), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.