Are you considering a move to the Monterey, CA area?
There are so many great spots in California that it can be hard to narrow your options down to just one.
With the number of impressive cities, entertainment, weather, and even a fairly strong economy, California is a dream come true for many homeowners.
However, just like many other places in the countries, there are pros and cons associated with the Monterey, CA area, and it is essential to be aware of these before you make your move.
We are going to look at some of the most important pros and cons of living in Monterey, CA.
After reading this, you should have a better understanding of whether or not this is the right place for you to live.
Pros Of Living In Monterey, CA
For the most part, people find that Monterey, CA has more positives than it does negatives.
Part of this has to do with the general location of the area.
When you look at a map and see the jut of land where the Monterey, CA area is positioned, you can see how this unique landscape would create some impressive views and observation areas.
Let’s take a deeper look into why so many people find the Monterey, CA area to be an impressive place to live.
1. Low Poverty Rate
Overall, the poverty rate in Monterey is very low.
This may seem like it is a positive thing about the economy in the area, and although that certainly adds to it, the other concept here is that the Monterey area is for those with much higher incomes.
California is expensive, but when you take your California move and bring it close to the water in any way, the expenses will increase considerably.
Those who are looking for an area with higher income are people who have plenty of money in their bank accounts.
With the high price of real estate in Monterey, you are not going to even move there unless you have some major savings in place, plus a very high income.
The lower poverty rate is undoubtedly a positive and a good thing for those who are living in the area, but generally, this is traditional because of the money that the residents have.
Lower poverty rates can sometimes increase the safety of the area.
However, the Monterey area is overall quite safe.
2. Small Population
Monterey does not have a very large population.
For those with higher income who are looking for a smaller group of people and neighbors who have the same interests and incomes, Monterey is a great spot.
The small population can often be a concern from an economic standpoint, but in this case, it is not at all.
The only thing to keep in mind is that even though the population is small, there is a tourist population in this area as well.
For those living in Monterey, you will be able to enjoy seeing some of the same people you know, even if they are mixed in with the travelers and tourists.
For a highly touristy town to have a small population is a good thing.
This means that, during the times of the year when tourist rates are down, you will probably have the town mostly to yourself.
Those who are living in Monterey will know the busy and quiet times and they will make sure they enjoy their favorite things during the times when fewer people are in their town.
3. Impressive Views
The views that you get in the entire state of California are truly like no other state in our nation.
With California views, you can get impressive landscapes and amazing sunrises and sunsets.
Monterey is known for having some of the best water views in the entire state.
Regardless of where you are visiting in Monterey or where you are living, you will be able to see some of the best sights in the entire state of California.
Let’s face it: most people enjoy a view of the water.
Whether you want to see it from your hotel room or sit at a restaurant and enjoy a view, getting to look at the ocean is nothing to complain about.
The views in the Monterey area are very natural, and they are going to remain this way over time.
The way the city is built allows for tremendous preservation of the landscape and an overall impressive look.
If you are still undecided if Monterey, California is a place you would like to live, take a visit and see if you could get used to those views all the time.
4. Lots To Do
There is so much to do in the Monterey, California area.
Of course, any place in California with a beach is going to be one of the best spots for entertainment.
Even if you don’t like to surf or swing, you can still sun yourself and relax on the beach.
In addition, when there is a beach, there are typically restaurants and bars on the beach and even some live entertainment.
This entire lifestyle just seems to fit together, and the Monterey area is a perfect place to take advantage of it.
There are many high-end restaurants in the Monterey area.
People who live there typically have higher incomes and are fine with paying a bit more for a very well-cooked meal.
This pays off well for tourists who are coming to the area and interested in very highly rated foods.
One of the most popular things to do in the Monterey area is to head over to the aquarium.
The Monterey Aquarium is a spot that many people enjoy when visiting and even as a resident.
The aquarium is home to both large and small sea life.
In the general Monterey area, people are very fond of sea animals, and there are many places where you can stop and watch for whales in Monterey.
Overall, this is a part of California that has plenty for people to do and really great food to enjoy at the same time.
5. Great Weather
The weather in Monterey is generally very mild.
Regardless of the time of year you plan to visit, you will probably notice that the temperatures are around 60 to 70 degrees.
The overall climate stays relatively the same throughout the year, and you won’t have to worry about having a large wardrobe or even heating and cooling costs.
Most of that is to be handled for you by Mother Nature.
As a homeowner, the rainy season in California is not all that harsh, so you won’t have too many issues with your home and the costs involved with keeping it in great condition.
Most of the people who move to California say that the move is in part due to the fact that the weather is perfect.
As you can imagine, if you enjoy being outside and doing things on the beach or hiking, the weather in Monterey is going to be appealing to you.
6. Good School System
If you have a family with school-age children and plan to move to the Monterey area, you can rest assured about the quality of the education they receive.
The state of California as a whole takes its education system very seriously.
However, in these higher-income areas like Monterey with very nice and expensive homes, the high tax dollars help to ensure that the schools have all the latest and greatest educational materials for children.
It’s the goal of the United States to give all children access to the same educational opportunities, but when you compare one school to the next, you will see there are distinct differences.
Not all schools are created equal, and it is essential to consider what type of education your children will be receiving when they are enrolling in a new school.
Overall, the fact that this is a good school system is just another reason that the Monterey area is a great place to live.
Even though there are private schools in the area, many find that the public schools are plenty good enough and offer a very high level of education.
Cons Of Living In Monterey, CA
Now that we have gone through the pros of living in Monterey, it’s time to start looking into the cons.
The area of Monterey, California is going to be very popular and beautiful, and this is because the list of cons is certainly not as extensive as the list of pros.
You are not going to find all that much to complain about when you move to the Monterey area.
People are enjoying this area of California more and more each year, and it continues to remain one of the best little pockets in the state.
Here are a few of the cons that are worth being aware of, even though they really don’t need to be deal breaks for most people considering a move to the area.
1. High Cost Of Living
The cost of living in Monterey is relatively high.
However, this is nothing that is out of the ordinary for the state of California.
The cost of living in the entire state of California is higher than the national average, and it likely won’t change anytime soon as more and more people move to the California area.
Even those who live internationally often find that California is a great place to move to long term, and this just increases the competition for the prices in the area and makes the cost of living quite a bit higher.
The cost of living will come down to food costs, real estate costs, car costs, and more.
Pretty much every aspect of your life will be impacted by the higher cost of living in Monterey.
Make sure that before you move to this area, you should do a cost-of-living calculator where you compare the costs of your current location to the costs of the Monterey area.
Doing these calculators can let you know how far you can get, financially, with the money you currently make.
In addition, it can allow you to plan out how you will manage your finances and what type of living situation you should get into when you move to the Monterey area.
2. Higher Tourist Rates
The area of Monterey attracts visitors from areas like San Francisco quite often.
Monterey is a perfect weekend trip from the San Francisco area, and many people who live in California often take advantage of this.
Of course, with areas that have a higher level of travel and tourism, you can expect to see some inflated pricing.
People who are on vacation often have a different budget than those who are living their everyday lives.
They will not think twice about ordering a special meal or enjoying a play or a special event.
Therefore, the area of Monterey will put higher prices on some of their entertainment options and overall costs just to try and make money off of these tourists who don’t come around all that often.
This is a good thing for the Monterey area, but it could mean that you are stuck paying higher fees for everyday items in Monterey.
After living there for quite some time, you will know where to go and when in order to get some great benefits and a better cost of living.
However, when you first move in, you may be feeling as though there are no breaks for those that are living in the Monterey area full time.
In the end, the higher tourism rates can be avoided, but you need to first learn how to do so.
If you don’t like visitors coming into your town to see what the town has to offer and enjoying all the reasons that you moved there in the first place, then you may want to try moving to another state.
People will continue to visit California from all over the world as it has so much to offer.
3. Many Homeless People
Unfortunately, there are many homeless people in Monterey.
If you remember correctly, we told you that the weather in Monterey is pretty reasonable all year long.
You won’t have to deal with many issues with cold or even heat, and that affords an excellent spot for those who are homeless.
There are many homeless people along the west coast of the United States, and a lot of this has to do with the milder weather and temperatures.
In the end, there is not much that you are going to be able to do about this issue of homeless people.
Getting involved with the homeless shelters and working to help those who are trying to get back on their feet can certainly help, but you won’t be able to single-handedly fix this situation.
Obviously, you can imagine that there is not much affordable housing in the Monterey area, and some people who are homeless could simply be waiting for some more affordable housing to open up in the Monterey area.
Don’t be surprised on your first trip to Monterey when you see homeless people because this has been the way the city has looked for many years.
The homeless people living in Monterey mostly do their own thing and are just looking to get by.
4. Expensive Real Estate
Purchasing a home in Monterey means that you are going to have a large price tag attached to your home.
There is no nice way of saying this, but Monterey real estate is incredibly expensive.
Plan to spend close to a million dollars to get a great home in this area.
One of the reasons that the real estate pricing is so high is simply the fact that the area is so nice.
There are incredible beaches, perfect weather, and cute, quaint towns.
There are hardly any reasons a person would not want to live in this area of California, and that is a major reason that real estate is so expensive.
When you buy this high-end real estate, you can expect that it will hold its value quite well.
In addition, if this is not your permanent residence, you can end up saving a lot of money by renting out your home in the Monterey area from time to time.
Since there are not many vacation rentals in this area, expect the pricing to be incredibly high.
People will pay thousands of dollars a night just to stay in a home in the Monterey area.
If this is something that appeals to you, it makes sense to do a bit of research on the real estate in the vicinity.
Homes are built to take advantage of outdoor space and maximize any type of view that you may have.
Although you will probably love and cherish your Monterey home, be aware that it is going to be a very expensive purchase.
5. Far From A Major Airport
The last negative about living in the Monterey area is that it is a long way from a major airport.
Although there are smaller local airports, those can be quite expensive to use and will have some people traveling a long way to get to an airport like San Francisco.
You can expect that a trip to San Francisco is going to cost you about two hours of time.
For major trips where you don’t want to spend extra money for the convenience of a local airport, the ability to get on a large commercial flight can be a little difficult.
There are other areas in California a bit further south where you can have access to any major airport you want and have international flights leaving multiple times per day.
If you are someone who travels for work and needs to have quick access to a major airport, Monterey may not be the right town for you.
Conclusion
We hope you now feel as though you have a better understanding of what the city of Monterey, California has to offer.
Clearly, this is a city that has a little something for everyone, and the history and culture are quite rich as well.
You will have to spend a good bit of money to be able to afford to live in Monterey, but the benefits that you get in return will be well worth it.
People who move to Monterey often stay in the area for years to come because of its impressive features and landscape.
There is no denying the fact that some of the best views in the state of California are seen in the Monterey area.
Even if you have been to visit this spot several times, nothing quite compares to what it is like to live here and get to enjoy all that there is to offer every day.
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