Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city had a population of 15,090 at the 2020 census. Pacific Grove is a popular tourist destination on the Central Coast, hosting notable attractions the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Asilomar Conference Center, the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens, and Point Pinos Lighthouse, among others.

The region was historically inhabited by the Rumsen tribe of Ohlone people. During the Mexican era, the area was granted by Governor José Figueroa to local merchant José Abrego as part of Rancho Punta de Piños, in 1833. Following the Mexican-American War and the U.S. conquest of California, the area developed into a notable fishing village. By 1875, the Pacific Improvement Company owned most of the area and founded the modern settlement of Pacific Grove as a Methodist retreat. By the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Pacific Grove had come to host a notable art colony, along with the other communities of the Monterey Peninsula.