Pacific Grove is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California.

By the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Pacific Grove had come to host a notable art colony, along with the other communities of the Monterey Peninsula.

The first people to inhabit Pacific Grove were members of the Ohlone Rumsen tribe who lived between Big Sur and San Francisco since the 6th century CE.

Jacks sold the property to The Pacific Improvement Company which attempted removal of the Chinese American community in 1905 due to several development interests including Stanford University on which Hopkin's Marine Station now sits.

Even through the years of the national Chinese Exclusion Act[11][circular reference] there were many positive interactions with the summer Methodist Camp, later to be the town of Pacific Grove.

Also, a lighted boat parade originally put on by the Chinese fishermen at the closing of the Methodist summer camp was a tradition which continued until a few years ago.

The pine, oak and cypress trees, along with many varieties of wild plants and flowers, made Pacific Grove an attractive place for camping.

The Pacific Improvement Company (which later became Del Monte Properties) and David Jacks provided the land for the Retreat area.

[13] In November 1879, after the summer campers returned home, Robert Louis Stevenson wandered into the deserted campgrounds: "I have never been in any place so dreamlike.

[14] Thomas Albert Work built several of the buildings in Pacific Grove, including the three-story Del Mar hotel in 1895, at the corner of Sixteenth, and in 1904 he built a commercial block along Lighthouse Avenue to house local businesses, including the two-story Romanesque-style Bank of Pacific Grove.

Artists of the En plein air school in both Europe and the United States were seeking an outdoor venue with natural beauty, and Pacific Grove became a magnet for this movement.

William Adam was an English painter who first moved to Monterey and then decided on Pacific Grove for his home in 1906.

Taken together, the construction of Holman's Department Store, the Grove Theater, and the Forest Hill Hotel embodied the vibrant optimism of the 1920s.

During this era, Pacific Grove witnessed a growing accessibility to automobile tourists and a rising population of year-round residents.

Additionally, two of these structures exemplify significant architectural trends of the period, as both the Grove Theater and Forest Hill Hotel feature elements influenced by Spanish-style design.

Around the same period, it underwent remodeling to adopt the Mediterranean Revival style, marked by stucco cladding and distinctive red tile embellishments.

[17] For a number of years, John Steinbeck lived in a cottage in Pacific Grove owned by his father, Ernest, who was Monterey County treasurer.

[18] In Steinbeck's book Sweet Thursday, a chapter is dedicated to describing a (probably fictional) rivalry that arose among the town's residents over the game of roque.

Mid-April, a Good Old Days festival is held downtown, which includes rides, crafts booths, food, entertainment, and a parade.

It was founded in 1892, originally at the site of Lover's Point, making it the oldest marine laboratory on the US Pacific Coast, and the third-oldest in the US.

Originally located in Gary Kildall's house on the corner of Lighthouse and Willow, it later moved to offices on Central Avenue.

Due to the city's religious and gated history, alcohol was not served to the public until July 4, 1969, at the grand opening of the Pacific Grove Art Center by ElMarie Dyke, its founder.

[21] At the November 6, 2018, general municipal election, Pacific Grove voters approved Measure M, which prohibits short-term vacation rentals in residential districts outside the Coastal Zone.

[22] Pacific Grove contains several habitat types, including marine, littoral, pine forest, and mixed-oak woodland.

These monarchs migrate 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) to reach Pacific Grove after their summer in the Rocky Mountains, often soaring as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 ft).

[6] Asilomar, Lovers Point, and the intervening coastline afford surfing, which is challenging due to near-shore rocks, albeit waves are typically moderate in height.

Owing to its coastal location, Pacific Grove's climate is mild and fairly consistent throughout the year, essentially the same as in neighboring Monterey, with most of the rain falling from November through April.

As of the November 2022 election, the mayor is Bill Peake, and the six councilmembers are: Joe Amelio, Debby Beck, Luke Coletti, Lori McDonnell, Chaps Poduri, and Nick Smith.

Local radio station KAZU-FM - 90.3 was created by Don Mussel in 1977 in Pacific Grove, but is now located in Seaside, California.