Carmel, California (pop. 3,220), is a seaside community on the Monterey Peninsula, south of San Francisco. Its official name is Carmel-by-the-Sea. The town’s mild climate, rugged coastline, and white sand beaches attract many visitors.
In 1771, Spanish missionaries relocated Mission San Carlos Borromeo to the area from Monterey. A group of American artists and writers settled the town in the early 1900’s. They wished to keep the community simple and rural, and for many years it had no paved streets and no gas or electric service. Carmel still has no jail or neon signs, nor does it have street lights, sidewalks, or street numbers in its residential area. Mail delivery is limited to a small portion of its residential area. Carmel was incorporated in 1916. The town has a council-manager form of government, with a city administrator.
See also Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo .
