Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea (/kɑːrˈmɛl/), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 3,220, down from 3,722 at the 2010 census. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California | |
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City | |
Top: Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (left) and Butterfly House (right); middle: storybook architecture (left) and Kocher Building (right); bottom: Carmel coastline. | |
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Seal | |
Location of Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County, California | |
Carmel-by-the-Sea Location in California Carmel-by-the-Sea Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 36°33′19″N 121°55′24″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Monterey |
| Incorporated | October 31, 1916 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dave Potter |
| • State Senator | John Laird (D) |
| • State Assembly | Robert Rivas (D) |
| • U.S. Rep. | Jimmy Panetta (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) |
| • Land | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 223 ft (68 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,220 |
| • Density | 3,034.87/sq mi (1,171.46/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 93921–93923 |
| Area code | 831 |
| FIPS code | 06-11250 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1658224, 2409987 |
| Website | ci |
The Spanish founded a settlement in 1797, when Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was relocated by St. Junípero Serra from Monterey. Mission Carmel served as the headquarters of the Californian mission system, until the Mexican secularization act of 1833, when the area was divided into rancho grants. The settlement was largely abandoned by the U.S. Conquest of California in 1848 and stayed undeveloped until Santiago J. Duckworth set out to build a summer colony in 1888. When the Carmel Development Company was formed in 1902, Carmel came to grow and prosper as an art colony and seaside resort, which incorporated in 1916.