Monterey, California
The City of Monterey is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in central California. As of 2005, the city population was 30,641. The median income for a household in the city is $49,109, and the median income for a family is $58,757. Monterey is home to the Naval Postgraduate School the Defense Language Institute, former Fort Ord; Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey American Viticultural Area; Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf and a Marine Mammal Center field station located in the area. The city is noted for its rich history of resident artists beginning in the late 1800s and its historically famed fishery in Monterey Bay. The ocean adjoining the city is renown as an abundant sea habitat, including kelp seaweed forests, sea otters and sea lions. The large diversity of sealife draws thousands of scuba divers each year and is considered one of the best regions for the sport in Northern California.
First established in 1770 by Father Junípero Serra and Gaspar de Portolà, Monterey served as the capital of California from 1777 to 1849, under the flags of Spain and Mexico. Many California "firsts" occurred in Monterey. These include California's first theater, brick house, publicly funded school, public building, public library, and printing press. Because of this, some have dubbed Monterey "the cradle of history." California's first constitution was also drafted in Monerey back in October 1849. Cannery Row is a famous tourist attraction, with restaurants and shops and the location of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Monterey has a noteworthy history as a center for California painters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Arthur Frank Mathews, Armin Hansen, Xavier Martinez, Rowena Meeks Abdy and Percy Gray. Many noted authors through the years have also lived in and around the Monterey area such as John Steinbeck, Robinson Jeffers, Henry Miller, Ed Ricketts, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The Monterey Bay Aquariaum is one of the largest aquariums in North America and hosts several important marine science laboratories. Monterey's geographic location gives scientists access to the deep sea within hours. Just miles off the shores of Monterey is Monterey Canyon, an underwater canyon two miles deep.
