Originally published June 20, 2014; substantially updated August 2026.

Most Monterey neighborhoods are named for geography, old subdivisions or streets. Peter's Gate is different. It carries the name of one of the most colorful figures in early California art: painter Charles Rollo Peters, whose atmospheric nighttime paintings of …

Originally published August 22, 2013; substantially updated September 2026.

The hills above downtown Monterey can be surprisingly difficult to name.

Ask one longtime resident where a particular house is located and you may hear Monterey Vista. Ask a real-estate agent and the same general area may be …

Originally published August 19, 2013; substantially updated September 2026.

From downtown Monterey, the wooded ridge above the city can look as though it has always been there untouched.

It hasn't.

Hidden among the Monterey pines and coast live oaks is one of the city's most interesting examples …