Editing Pacific Grove, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Pacific Grove, California
| official_name      = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]

| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width        = 280
  | border             = infobox
  | perrow             = 2/1/2
  | caption_align      = center
  | image1             = Pacific Grove, California - 2022 5.jpg
  | image2             = Merrill Hall (cropped).jpg
  | image3             = Pacific Grove Downtown 1.png 
  | image4             = Pacific Grove Shops, Monterey, CA, jjron 24.03.2012 (cropped).jpg
  | image5             = Agassiz Building, Hopkins Marine Station.JPG
  }}
| caption           = Top: Perkin's Park (left) and [[Asilomar Conference Grounds|Asilomar]] (right); center: aerial view of downtown Pacific Grove; bottom: downtown shops (left) and [[Hopkins Marine Station]] (right).
| image_flag         = Flag of Pacific Grove, California.webp
| image_seal         = Seal of Pacific Grove, California.png
| image_map          = Monterey_County_California_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Pacific_Grove_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]] and the state of [[California]]
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = USA
| pushpin_label      = Pacific Grove
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Monterey County, California|Monterey]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1875<ref name=CGN />
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = July 5, 1889<ref>{{Cite web
  | url          = http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
  | title        = California Cities by Incorporation Date
  | format       = Word
  | publisher    = California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s
  | access-date  = August 25, 2014
  | url-status   = dead
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131017052413/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
  | archive-date = October 17, 2013
  | df           = mdy-all
}}</ref>
<!-- Government------------>| government_type    = [[Council-manager government|Council-manager]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Nick Smith<ref>{{Cite web
  | url          = https://www.cityofpacificgrove.gov/about-city/city-council
  | title        = Mayor & Council
  | publisher    = City of Pacific Grove
  | access-date  = January 23, 2025
}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = [[California's 17th State Senate district|State Senator]]
| leader_name1       = {{Representative|casd|17|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd>{{Cite web |url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |title=Statewide Database |publisher=UC Regents |access-date=December 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_title2      = [[California's 30th State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
| leader_name2       = {{Representative|caad|30|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd/>
| leader_title3      = [[California's 19th congressional district|U. S. Rep.]]
| leader_name3       = {{Representative|cacd|19|fmt=usleader}}<ref name=gt20>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|19|access-date=September 24, 2014}}</ref>
<!-- Area------------------>| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022">{{cite web |title=2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2022_Gazetteer/2022_gaz_place_06.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 14, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 4.00
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.87
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.13
| area_total_km2     = 
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 28.28
| area_note          = <!-- Elevation ------------>
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis>{{Cite GNIS|1652821|Pacific Grove|access-date=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_ft       = 151
| elevation_m        = 46
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US0654848&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Pacific Grove city, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=November 14, 2022}}</ref>
| population_total   = 15090
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 5257.8
| population_density_km2 = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|37|04|N|121|55|00|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
| utc_offset         = -8
| timezone_DST       = PDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -7
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 93950
| area_code          = [[Area code 831|831]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = {{FIPS|06|54848}}
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info        = {{GNIS 4|1652821}}, {{GNIS 4|2411350}}
| website            = {{URL|www.cityofpacificgrove.gov}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Pacific Grove''' is a city situated on the southern edge of [[Monterey Bay]], on the [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast of California]].<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|932}}</ref> Located in [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]], the city had a population of 15,090 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> 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 State Marine Conservation Area|Pacific Grove Marine Gardens]], and [[Point Pinos Lighthouse]], among others.

The region was historically inhabited by the [[Rumsen people|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 [[Conquest of California|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]].

==History==
[[File:Point Pinos Light during reconstruction (2013).jpg|thumb|left|[[Point Pinos Lighthouse]], built in 1855, is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the [[West Coast of the United States]].]]
The first people to inhabit Pacific Grove were members of the Ohlone Rumsen tribe who lived between Big Sur and San Francisco since the 6th century CE. Grinding stones from this tribe still exist in Pacific Grove.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hopkinsmarinestation.stanford.edu/about/history#:~:text=The%20first%20inhabitants%20of%20the,around%20the%206th%20century%20CE | title=History &#124; Hopkins Marine Station }}</ref> The area later became part of the Mexican land grant [[Rancho Punta de Pinos]].

The second group of people to come to Pacific Grove were Chinese immigrants as early as 1853. They established a successful fishing village at Point Alones, an area between Lover's Point and the western edge of Monterey. The Chinese were the first to recognize the potential for commercial fishing in the [[Monterey Bay]]. Others quickly saw the benefit, however, and eventually pushed the Chinese from their daytime fishing grounds. Being resourceful, they began fishing for squid in the night, thus beginning California's squid fishery – now one of California's largest fisheries.’<ref name="pgmuseum.org">{{cite web | url=https://www.pgmuseum.org/pacific-groves-chinese-fishing-village | title=Pacific Grove's Chinese Fishing Village }}</ref>
 
By 1859 the property this village sat on belonged to [[David Jacks (businessman)]] who owned almost the entire area of the Monterey Peninsula. Jacks sold the property to The [[Pacific Improvement Company]] which attempted removal of the Chinese American community in 1905 due to several development interests including Stanford University on which Hopkin's Marine Station now sits. In 1906 there was a fire at the village and during the battle to save the village a firehose was suspiciously cut thereby causing it to completely burn down. The families, without a village to call their own, soon dispersed throughout the region.’.<ref name="pgmuseum.org"/> The first Chinese American born at the village did receive property restitution elsewhere. The loss is memorialized every year in a Walk of Remembrance in mid-May.
[[File:San Francisco blue book and Pacific Coast elite directory (1890) (14759261276).jpg|thumb|left|Depiction of Pacific Grove in 1890.]]
It is notable that not only was the Point Alones fishing village the oldest and longest running fishing village on the West Coast, but also had just as many women as men living there. Even through the years of the national Chinese Exclusion Act<ref>[[Chinese Exclusion Act]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=October 2023}} there were many positive interactions with the summer Methodist Camp, later to be the town of Pacific Grove. The Methodist women taught English at the village and no doubt fish would have been purchased. Also, a lighted boat parade originally put on by the Chinese fishermen at the closing of the Methodist summer camp was a tradition which continued until a few years ago.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sandylydon.com/books/chinese-gold | title=Chinese Gold }}</ref>

The city of Pacific Grove originated as a Methodist Christian seaside resort. In 1874, Reverend J.W. Ross, a Methodist minister and his wife, visited the area and decided it would be an ideal location for a proposed Methodist Retreat. The pine, oak and cypress trees, along with many varieties of wild plants and flowers, made Pacific Grove an attractive place for camping. On June 1, 1875, the Pacific Grove Retreat Association was formed in San Francisco to administer the Christian Seaside Resort in Pacific Grove. The Pacific Improvement Company (which later became Del Monte Properties) and David Jacks provided the land for the Retreat area. This Retreat Area, as surveyed at that time by St. John Cox, covers the area from the Bay up to Lighthouse Avenue and from First Street to Pacific Avenue.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pacificgrove.org/history-of-pacific-grove/ | title=History of Pacific Grove }}</ref>

In November 1879, after the summer campers returned home, [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] wandered into the deserted campgrounds: "I have never been in any place so dreamlike. Indeed, it was not so much like a deserted town as like a scene upon the stage by daylight, and with no one on the boards."

The Pacific Grove post office opened in 1886, closed later that year, and was reopened in 1887.<ref name=CGN /> Pacific Grove incorporated in 1889.<ref name=CGN />
[[File:Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, January 2016.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History]] was founded in 1883.]]
The [[El Carmelo Hotel]] was Pacific Grove's first hotel, opening to guests on May 20, 1887. It was sometimes called the sister of Monterey's [[Hotel Del Monte]]. It was located on Lighthouse Avenue between Fountain and Grand avenues and owned by the [[Pacific Improvement Company]] (PIC). In 1907, the name changed to the Pacific Grove Hotel. In 1917, the PIC decided to dismantle it and use the wood in the reconstruction of The Lodge at [[Pebble Beach, California|Pebble Beach]] that had burned down on December 17, 1917. The empty block was sold to W. R. Holman in 1919 to open the Holman Department Store.<ref name="Newsletter">{{cite web|url=https://pacificgroveheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/04-2002-August-September.pdf |title=El Carmelo, Pacific Grove Hotel|work=The Board and Batten|place=Pacific Grove, California|date=2002|access-date=March 22, 2022|archive-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503014304/https://pacificgroveheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/04-2002-August-September.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Thomas Albert Work]] built several of the buildings in Pacific Grove, including the three-story Del Mar hotel in 1895, at the corner of Sixteenth, and in 1904 he built a commercial block along Lighthouse Avenue to house local businesses, including the two-story [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]-style Bank of Pacific Grove.<ref name="Pacific Grove">{{cite book |last=Seavey |first=Kent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6B_wTaed_-UC&q=%22T.%20A.%20Work%22 |title=Pacific Grove |publisher=Arcadia |place=Pacific Grove, California |date=2005|pages=81–88|isbn=9780738529646 |access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Bodfish">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93053820/t-a-work/ |title= T. A. Work Starts Life As Driver Of Milk Wagon |work=Salinas Morning Post|place=Salinas, California|date=December 19, 1930|page=1|access-date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Pacific_Grove_Hotel.jpg|thumb|[[El Carmelo Hotel]], built in 1887, was Pacific Grove's first hotel.]]
Pacific Grove, like [[Carmel-by-the-Sea]] and Monterey, became an artists' haven in the 1890s and subsequent period. Artists of the ''[[En plein air]] ''school in both Europe and the United States were seeking an outdoor venue with natural beauty, and Pacific Grove became a magnet for this movement. [[William Adam (artist)|William Adam]] was an English painter who first moved to Monterey and then decided on Pacific Grove for his home in 1906. At about the same time, [[Eugen Neuhaus]], a German painter, arrived in Pacific Grove with his new bride. Charles B. Judson<!-- perhaps [[Charles C. Judson]]?--> was an artist of aristocratic lineage who painted in Pacific Grove over a long time beginning in 1907; Judson's [[mural]]s decorate the halls of the [[California Academy of Sciences]] in San Francisco.

The [[Asilomar Conference Grounds]] are located at the western edge of Pacific Grove. Asilomar opened in 1913 as a YWCA summer retreat; it now belongs to the [[California State Park System]]. Thirteen buildings on these grounds were designed by architect [[Julia Morgan]], who also designed [[Hearst Castle]].

Taken together, the construction of Holman's Department Store, the Grove Theater, and the [[Forest Hill Hotel]] embodied the vibrant optimism of the 1920s. During this era, Pacific Grove witnessed a growing accessibility to automobile tourists and a rising population of year-round residents. Additionally, two of these structures exemplify significant architectural trends of the period, as both the Grove Theater and Forest Hill Hotel feature elements influenced by [[Spanish architecture|Spanish]]-style design. This stylistic shift was echoed in other commercial buildings as well, including the transformation of the Hotel Del Mar. Around the same period, it underwent remodeling to adopt the [[Mediterranean Revival architecture|Mediterranean Revival]] style, marked by stucco cladding and distinctive red tile embellishments.<ref name="Statement">{{cite report |date=31 October 2011 |url=https://cms9files.revize.com/pacificgrove/Document_Center/Departments/Community%20Development/Housing/Historic%20Resources/hcs2.pdf |chapter=D. Pacific Grove Comes of Age (1903 - 1926) |title=Historic Context Statement |publisher=City of Pacific Grove |place=Pacific Grove, California |pages=160–161 |access-date=August 7, 2023}}</ref>
[[File:Monterey pacific grove ca 1917.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Pacific Grove and the southern [[Monterey Bay]], 1917.]]
For a number of years, [[John Steinbeck]] lived in a cottage in Pacific Grove owned by his father, Ernest, who was Monterey County treasurer. The cottage still stands on a quiet side street at 147 11th Street, without any plaque or special sign, virtually overlooked by most Steinbeck fans. Another Steinbeck-related house is at 222 Central Avenue, which was his grandmother's house. A golden statue of Steinbeck in the front yard stood for years before it was removed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.montereyherald.com/20110414/pacific-grove-cottage-where-steinbecks-grandmother-lived-being-restored |title=Pacific Grove cottage where Steinbeck's grandmother lived being restored |first=Kevin |last=Howe |date=April 14, 2011 |work=The Monterey Herald}}</ref> In Steinbeck's book ''[[Sweet Thursday]]'', a chapter is dedicated to describing a (probably fictional) rivalry that arose among the town's residents over the game of [[roque]].

Local traditions include a Butterfly Parade held in early October to celebrate the return of the [[monarch butterfly]] to its wintering habitat. Mid-April, a Good Old Days festival is held downtown, which includes rides, crafts booths, food, entertainment, and a parade. On the last Saturday of July there is a pet parade. Candy Cane Lane is a neighborhood of Morse Dr and Platt Park that is decorated for Christmas each December with an abundance of lights and decorations. Candy Cane Lane has been a local tradition for more than 60 years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2020 |title=Scaled back Candy Cane Lane in Pacific Grove still lights and delights |url=https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/12/15/scaled-back-candy-cane-lane-in-pacific-grove-still-lights-and-delights |access-date=November 25, 2022 |website=Monterey Herald |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Forest Hill Hotel, Pacific Grove.jpg|thumb|The [[Mission Revival]] style Forest Hill Hotel in 1923.]]
[[Hopkins Marine Station]] maintains a campus next to the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]]. It was founded in 1892, originally at the site of Lover's Point, making it the oldest marine laboratory on the US Pacific Coast, and the third-oldest in the US. Created after the [[Marine Biological Laboratory]] in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. It was originally named the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory, and was located on what is now Lovers Point. It was relocated to its current site at Point Alones.

In the 1980s, Pacific Grove was the site of the pioneering microcomputer software company [[Digital Research]]. Originally located in Gary Kildall's house on the corner of Lighthouse and Willow, it later moved to offices on Central Avenue.

On October 12, 1997, [[John Denver]] died when he crashed into the [[Pacific Ocean]] off Pacific Grove in his personal plane.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183015-1.html |title=Closeup: The John Denver Crash |date=January 28, 1999 |access-date=March 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309125905/http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183015-1.html |archive-date=March 9, 2017}}</ref>

Pacific Grove was the last [[dry town]] in California. Due to the city's religious and gated history, alcohol was not served to the public until July 4, 1969, at the grand opening of the Pacific Grove Art Center by ElMarie Dyke, its founder. This caused much controversy because the law was not to take effect until November of that year. Ironically, ElMarie was also a great proponent for keeping the town dry. To this day, Pacific Grove has very strict laws regarding the service of alcohol and has no stand-alone bars.<ref>Alton Pryor, November 15, 2005, "California's Last Dry Town".</ref>

At the November 6, 2018, general municipal election, Pacific Grove voters approved Measure M, which prohibits short-term vacation rentals in residential districts outside the Coastal Zone.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pacific Grove, California, Measure M, Limitations on Short-Term Rentals (November 2018) |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Pacific_Grove,_California,_Measure_M,_Limitations_on_Short-Term_Rentals_(November_2018) |access-date=November 14, 2023 |work=[[Ballotpedia]]}}</ref>

== Geography and ecology ==
[[File:Drosanthemum outbreak - 'Magic Purple Carpet' - Monterey, California10.jpg|thumb|''[[Drosanthemum floribundum]]'' growing by the coast at Perkins Park.]]
Pacific Grove contains several habitat types, including marine, littoral, pine forest, and mixed-oak woodland. The famed breeding habitat for the [[monarch butterfly]], the [[Monarch Grove Sanctuary]], is situated in the northwest part of town imbedded in residential neighborhoods in mixed oak forests. These monarchs migrate {{convert|2000|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} to reach Pacific Grove after their summer in the [[Rocky Mountains]], often soaring as high as {{convert|3000|meters}}.

The black-and-orange monarch butterflies spend much of the fall and winter in Monterey pine and eucalyptus trees, roughly from the autumnal equinox through the spring (or vernal) equinox.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20160825/NEWS/160829785 |title=P.G. monarch sanctuary hopes to benefit from butterfly conservation funds |first=Carly |last=Mayberry |newspaper=[[Monterey Herald]]|date= August 25, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2016}}</ref> Most butterflies are protected in the city's Butterfly Sanctuary. City Ordinance No. 352 makes killing or threatening a butterfly a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine.

[[Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area]], [[Lovers Point State Marine Reserve]], [[Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area]] and [[Asilomar State Marine Reserve]] are [[marine protected area]]s in the waters around Pacific Grove. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. Monterey Bay is a marine protected sanctuary.
[[File:Berwick Park, Pacific Grove, California.jpg|thumb|left|Berwick Park]]
The principal noise source in Pacific Grove is [[California State Route 68|State Route 68]]. There are approximately 800 residents exposed to sound levels of 60 CNEL or above, making Pacific Grove noticeably quieter than its neighbor Monterey, which has more tourist traffic and more through traffic.<ref>(Hogan, 1980).</ref>

The town sits between its two well known neighbors, [[Pebble Beach, California|Pebble Beach]] and [[Monterey, California|Monterey]]. [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|Carmel-by-the-Sea]] is the next city, {{convert|5|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} south, and the community of [[Big Sur]] is {{convert|30|mi|km|abbr=on|-1}} south. Pacific Grove is a favorite vacation getaway for [[San Francisco Bay Area]] residents, as it is located two hours south of San Francisco.

The town does not allow development on the waterside of the ocean-front street, so that the beaches and scenic points are unobstructed.
[[File:Pacific Grove, California - 2022 19.jpg|thumb|right|Lover's Point Beach.]]
Pacific Grove is on the Pacific Ocean coast between Monterey and Pebble Beach, about {{convert|40|mi|km|abbr=on|round=5}} south of [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]] and about {{convert|120|mi|km|abbr=on|round=5}} south of [[San Francisco]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|4.0|sqmi|km2}}, and about {{convert|2.9|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} are land and {{convert|1.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} (28.28%) are covered by water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/> [[Asilomar State Beach|Asilomar]], Lovers Point, and the intervening coastline afford [[surfing]], which is challenging due to [[rocky shore|near-shore rocks]], albeit waves are typically moderate in height.

===Climate===

Owing to its coastal location, Pacific Grove's climate is mild and fairly consistent throughout the year, essentially the same as in neighboring Monterey, with most of the rain falling from November through April. Extreme temperatures are rare, and fog is common, especially in the late night and early morning, all year.

This region experiences warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above {{Convert|71.6|F}}. According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], Pacific Grove has a [[Mediterranean climate#Warm-summer Mediterranean climate|warm-summer Mediterranean climate]], ''Csb'' on climate maps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Grove, California Köppen Climate Classification |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=597540&cityname=Pacific+Grove,+California,+United+States+of+America&units= |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Weatherbase}}</ref>

<div style="width: 75%;">
{{Weather box
|location = Pacific Grove, California
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 58.5
|Feb high F = 59.6
|Mar high F = 60.2
|Apr high F = 61.3
|May high F = 62.9
|Jun high F = 65.4
|Jul high F = 66.5
|Aug high F = 67.9
|Sep high F = 68.7
|Oct high F = 67.0
|Nov high F = 62.3
|Dec high F = 58.7
|year high F= 63.3
|Jan record high F = 90
|Feb record high F = 86
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 95
|Jun record high F = 100
|Jul record high F = 98
|Aug record high F = 96
|Sep record high F = 104
|Oct record high F = 104
|Nov record high F = 95
|Dec record high F = 89
|year record high F = 104
|Jan low F = 42.7
|Feb low F = 44.5
|Mar low F = 45.5
|Apr low F = 46.8
|May low F = 49.3
|Jun low F = 51.5
|Jul low F = 53.2
|Aug low F = 53.9
|Sep low F = 53.0
|Oct low F = 50.2
|Nov low F = 46.2
|Dec low F = 42.6
|year low F= 48.3
|Jan record low F = 20
|Feb record low F = 22
|Mar record low F = 32
|Apr record low F = 35
|May record low F = 35
|Jun record low F = 41
|Jul record low F = 43
|Aug record low F = 45
|Sep record low F = 45
|Oct record low F = 41
|Nov record low F = 30
|Dec record low F = 20
|year record low F = 20
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.55
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.14
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.17
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.24
|May precipitation inch = 0.42
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.16
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.08
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.11
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.24
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.91
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.15
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.32
|year precipitation inch = 17.49
|precipitation colour = green
|source = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://plantmaps.com/93950|title=Zipcode 93950|website=www.plantmaps.com|access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/california/pacific_grove|title=Climate in Pacific Grove, California|website=www.bestplaces.net|access-date=July 26, 2023}}</ref>
}}
</div>

==Government==
[[Image:Pacific Grove, California city hall.jpg|thumb|Pacific Grove City Hall, built in 1912 and designed by [[W. H. Weeks]].]]
Pacific Grove is governed by a [[city council]] consisting of a [[mayor]] and six councilmembers, all elected at-large. As of the November 2022 election, the mayor is Bill Peake, and the six councilmembers are: Joe Amelio, Debby Beck, Luke Coletti, Lori McDonnell, Chaps Poduri, and Nick Smith.<ref>{{cite web|date=December 7, 2020|title=Elected Officials|url=https://www.cityofpacificgrove.org/about-city/city-council/elected-officials|publisher=City of Pacific Grove}}</ref>

At the county level, Pacific Grove is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by [http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/board-of-supervisors/district-5-mary-adams Mary Adams].<ref>{{cite web|title=Monterey County Supervisorial District 5 Map (North District 5)|url=http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cob/sup_maps/district5-1.pdf|publisher=County of Monterey|access-date=September 21, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701050525/http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cob/sup_maps/district5-1.pdf|archive-date=July 1, 2012}}</ref>

In the [[California State Assembly]], Pacific Grove is represented by {{Representative|caad|29|fmt=linked}} as part of the [[California's 29th State Assembly district|29th Assembly district]]. In the [[California State Senate]], it is represented by {{Representative|casd|17|fmt=linked}} as part of the [[California's 17th State Senate district|17th Senate district]].<ref name=swd/>

In the [[United States House of Representatives]], Pacific Grove is in {{Representative|cacd|19|fmt=district}}.<ref name=gt20/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 1336
|1900= 1411
|1910= 2384
|1920= 2974
|1930= 5558
|1940= 6249
|1950= 9623
|1960= 12121
|1970= 13505
|1980= 15755
|1990= 16117
|2000= 15522
|2010= 15041
|2020= 15090
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>}}

===2010===
[[File:Monterey - panoramio - Eduardo Manchon (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Homes in Pacific Grove.]]
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0654848|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715032230/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0654848|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Pacific Grove city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Pacific Grove had a population of 15,041. The [[population density]] was {{convert|3,758.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people|people|abbr=on}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of Pacific Grove was 84.5% White, 1.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 5.8% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.7% of the population.

The Census reported that 14,686 people (97.6% of the population) lived in households, 140 (0.9%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 215 (1.4%) were institutionalized.

Of the 7,020 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present. About 5.0% were [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 0.8% were [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. About 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 14.4%had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09<!-- . There were 3,820 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (54.4% of all households) -->; the average family size was 2.74.
[[File:Pacific Grove.jpg|thumb|left|Pacific Grove Library]]
In the city, the age distribution was 16.5% under 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The 8,169 housing units averaged {{convert|2,041.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 3,205 (45.7%) were owner-occupied, and 3,815 (54.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 7,071 people (47.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,615 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Over 1300 structures were listed on the town's historic register, giving Pacific Grove the largest number of historic homes and structures for its size on the West Coast.

===2000===
[[File:Social Hall 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Asilomar Conference Grounds]].]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, 15,522 people, 7,316 households, and 3,972 families were residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|5,399.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people|people|abbr=on}}. The 8,032 housing units averaged {{convert|2,793.9|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 88.04% White, 1.14% African American, 0.55% Native American, 4.50% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.78% from other races, and 3.73% from two or more races. About 7.14% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 7,316 households, 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were not families. About 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10, and the average family size was 2.75. The age distribution was 17.8% under 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,254, and for a family was $59,569. Males had a median income of $43,897 versus $35,924 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $31,277. About 3.0% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Media==
{{See also|Media in Monterey County, California}}

Local radio station [[KAZU|KAZU-FM - 90.3]] was created by Don Mussel in 1977 in Pacific Grove, but is now located in [[Seaside, California]]. Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area. Local newspapers include ''[[The Monterey County Herald]]'' and the ''[[Monterey County Weekly]]''.

==Notable residents==
{{main category|People from Pacific Grove, California}}
[[File:Gedenktafel John Denver 6-23.jpg|thumb|upright|[[John Denver]] Memorial]]
{{Div col|colwidth=24em}}
* [[Isabella Abbott]], educator
* [[William Adam (artist)]]
* [[Bruce Ariss]], painter
* [[Alice Bailey]], theosopher, writer
* [[Lawrence Rogers Blinks]], biologist
* [[Ernest K. Bramblett]], politician
* [[Samuel Bolton Colburn]], painter
* [[Tom Craft]], football coach
* [[Peter S. Fischer]], writer
* [[Anne Hadden]], librarian
* [[Sean Halton]], MLB player
* [[Steve Hauk]], writer, gallery owner
* [[Ben Jealous]], NAACP president (2008–2013)
* [[Gary Kildall]], scientist and founder of [[Digital Research]]
* [[George Mattos]], pole vaulter
* [[M. Evelyn McCormick]], painter
* [[Ward Moore]], science fiction writer
* [[Julia Platt]], mayor
* [[Arthur Porges]], science-fiction writer
* [[Ed Ricketts]], marine biologist
* [[Clark Ashton Smith]], writer
* [[John Steinbeck]], author
* [[Chauncey Thomas Jr.]], rear admiral
* [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]], football coach
* [[Thomas Albert Work]], banker
{{Div col end}}

==See also==
* [[Coastal California]]
* [[List of school districts in Monterey County, California]]
* [[List of tourist attractions in Monterey County, California]]
* [[Pacific Grove High School]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Pacific Grove}}
* {{Official website|cityofpacificgrove.org}}

{{Monterey Bay Area}}
{{Cities of Monterey County, California}}
{{California}}
{{Monterey Peninsula Golf}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pacific Grove, California| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Monterey Bay]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1875]]
[[Category:1875 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1889]]
[[Category:1889 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]