Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. As of 2000, the population was 401,762. The coastline, including Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula has made the county world famous. The city of Monterey was the capital of California under Spanish and Mexican rule. The economy is primarily based upon tourism in the coastal regions, and agriculture in the Salinas Valley. Monterey county is home to famed writer and Nobel prize laureate John Steinbeck.

Some of the attractions to Monterey County are:

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Colton Hall
• Larkin House
• Carmel-by-the-Sea
• 17 mile scenic drive
• Pebble Beach golf resort
• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
• Monterey State Historic Park
• Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
• Pinnacles National Monument
• Salinas River
• California Rodeo Salinas
• John Steinbeck Library
• National Steinbeck Center

Home prices

With many attractsions, the area has become very disirable. As of December 2005, Monterey County ranked among America's ten most expensive counties, with Santa Barbara County topping the list with a median home price of $753,790. In Monterey County, the median home price was $699,900. In the northern, more densely populated part in the county, the median home price was even higher, at $712,500, making it the fourth most expensive housing market in California. The disparity between the median household income of roughly $48,305 and the median home price of $700k has been cause for recent concern over excluding potential home buyers from the market. While the end of the United States housing bubble has caused prices to drop substantially, the median home price remains at over $500,000 and median household income below $60,000.

Crime

Statistics presented are based on data collected by the FBI as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting Program. These data represent offenses reported to and arrests made by State and local law enforcement agencies as reported to the FBI. These data do not include Federal law enforcement activity. Additionally, not all law enforcement agencies consistently report offense and arrest data to the FBI. Users should refer to the Coverage Indicator for the proportion of the population covered by the agencies reporting to the FBI.

Crime	Number
Murder	25
Rape	152
Robbery	675
Aggravated Assault	1,465
Burglary	2,236
Larceny - theft	7,476
Motor vehicle thefts	960
Total	13,111

References