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MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
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Monterey County was created February 18, 1850, and is an original California county. It sits on California's beautiful Central Coast.

Monterey County derived its name from the Bay of Monterey. The word Monterey is composed of the Spanish words monte and rey, and literally means "king of the forest." The Monterey Bay was named by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602 in honor of the Conde de Monterey, the Viceroy of New Spain.

Monterey was the original capitol of "Alta California" throughout both Spain and Mexico's rule (1777-1849). Shortly after the United States took possession of California, the capitol was moved to San Jose.

My name is Claire and I am the coordinator for Monterey County. If you have any information you would like to contribute to this site, please contact me. If you are interested in sponsoring a county site of your own within California, please contact the CAGenWeb State Coordinator.

Spanish and Mexican Periods 1777 - 1849

Missions in Monterey County
Presideo of Monterey
Birth, Marriage, Death Records

Census Records
Original Ranchos
Land Grants / Patents

Records and Special Contributions

Local History and Genealogy Books

Monterey, All Of It Between Two Covers
Old Monterey, California's Adobe Capital
Monterey Peninsula
Monterey County Resources

Monterey County, Salinas Valley
History of Monterey County
The California Earthquake of 1906
 

State Resources

Historic Landmark No. 1 - The Customs House, oldest government building in California. Center unit built by Spain in 1814, North unit by Mexico in 1822, and the South unit by the United States in 1846. In Historic Old Monterey, Calif.

Monterey County Historical Landmark

NO. 1 CUSTOM HOUSE - Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag over this building on July 7, 1846 to signal the passing of California from Mexican to American rule. Restored through the efforts of the Native Sons of the Golden West with the assistance of the people of California.

Location: Monterey State Historic Park, Custom House Plaza,
between Scott and Decatur Streets, Monterey

You are visitor number   counter   since April 14, 2007.  

This site was last updated 26 Jun 2008

Credits
Banner Photo: Midway Point, 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach.
A special thank you to former County Coordinators Dr. Bonnie Walsh, Rich Hill, Amy E. Armstrong and Kellie Crnkovich!

Copyright © 2007 Claire Martin. All files on this site are copyrighted by their creator. They may be linked to but may not be reproduced without specific permission from Claire Martin or the file's contributor and/or author.