Carmel is an enchanting, scenic and quaint village that neighbors Pebble Beach most closely but also is less than 10 miles from Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove and most of Monterey. The streets are narrow and lined with unique boutiques, cafés, award winning restaurants and other small businesses. There are also a few high end shops you will recognize such as Kate Spade New York and Tiffany & Co. Ocean Avenue is one of the main streets through town and ends directly onto the beach. In my opinion, Carmel’s beach is the loveliest in the area as well as the warmest. Views of the golf courses on Pebble Beach and Point Lobos State Reserve flank the family and dog filled wide stretch of beach. The area is very expensive and you might even see someone famous on the golf course.
Living in Carmel
- Carmel Cottage (image from http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/webart/gallery/1401.jpg)
You will find some military families living in this area because the Carmel Unified School District is excellent and quality of life is high. The rent is elevated as you can imagine for the small cottages that make up the neighborhoods. The commute to NPS/DLI or the Coast Guard Base from Carmel is often constricted because of two lane highways, fog, and tourist traffic. One final note on livability: Locals are wealthy and predominately a retirement age group. Local politics and the preservation of the city’s heritage dominate, and in general nightlife moves at a slow pace. Personally, we enjoyed living in PG and regularly made the trek to Carmel to utilize what the unique town had to offer.
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