Pacific Grove, California

What It Is Like to Retire in Pacific grove

Pacific Grove is a beautiful and quaint coastal city located at the tip of the Monterey Bay Peninsula in Monterey County, California, and sits between Pebble Beach and Monterey. The town was founded in 1875 as Methodist retreat and modeled after the Methodist Sunday school teachers' training camp established in 1874 at Chautauqua Lake, New York, and soon after attracted artists and writers, including John Steinbeck. Today, Pacific Grove is known for a city of beautiful victorian homes, a nationally recognized 18-hole golf course and is also the wintering-over spot for thousands of Monarch butterflies, with a majority of them protected in the city's Butterfly Sanctuary. Pacific Grove was a filming location for films Turner & Hooch, A Summer Place and the series Big Little Lies, and has been named as one of Budget Travel's 10 Coolest Towns in America in 2019.

Watch this short Youtube video prepared by Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce:

Where to Retire in Pacific grove and Home Prices

Pacific Grove has numerous Victorian-era houses with many built prior to 1940, boasting over 1,200 historic homes many of which are now bed and breakfasts or restaurants. The town also offers single family homes, cottages, townhomes and manufactured homes. Zillow reports the median home value to be $909,322 in early 2020. Pacific Grove does not allow development on the waterside of the ocean-front street, so that the beaches and scenic points are unobstructed.

What Is Special about Pacific grove

The spectacular scenery and miles of walkable and bikeable trails along the coast make Pacific Grove special. The town of about 15,000 residents is made up of beautiful old homes, winding streets and many parks. It is home to the oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast, conservation areas, a marine reserve, a monarch butterfly sanctuary, along with museums and an art center.

What Is Not Special about Pacific grove

Beautiful views and location come at a price. It is expensive to live here with the average price of homes over $800,000.

Who Will Like Retirement in Pacific grove

Retirees who want to live in a beautiful, small, coastal community in California would enjoy Pacific Grove. The town is walkable, has a library, art center, plenty of parks, volunteer opportunities and nearby medical care.

Local Economy Is Driven by

Education, tourism and professional services drive the economy.

Climate and Physical Environment

January's average temperature is 51 degrees, with July's average at 60 degrees.

Restaurants & Cultural Scene

There are many restaurants in Pacific Grove offering all types of cuisine and of course many popular seafood restaurants. Culturally, the town offers the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, the Pacific Grove Art Center and the Point Pinos Lighthouse. It also boasts 28 parks, which can be explored with a walking tour of over 10 scenic miles with views of wildflowers, beautiful birds, seals and whales.

Crime

The crime rate here is low.

Medical facilities

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula is about 4 miles from Pacific Grove.

Transportation

The small town is walkable, and bikeable, and the Monterey-Salinas Transit serves Pacific Grove. Monterey Regional Airport is just 5 miles away, but the nearest International airport is in San Jose, about 80 miles away.

Valuable Links

City of Pacific Grove