Monterey has a rich history dating back thousands of years to the Rumsien/Ohlone native people who settled on our bay. This was followed by the founding of a settlement by the Spanish in 1770. Some of the buildings in Monterey still standing today date from this era. The California State Parks have marked a Path of History by yellow round sidewalk markers. The link below is a guide to the Path of History throughout downtown. The history of the various buildings can be listened to on your mobile device using the code number at the site markers. Take a walking tour of our many historic civic buildings and discover the rich history of Monterey.
In addition, the Old Town neighborhood has many historic homes, several of which have been designated as historic landmarks by the City of Monterey, the State of California, or the National Registry. We have compiled a list and path of the designated landmark homes through the Old Town neighborhood. The path through Old Town begins facing Colton Hall and goes uphill on a jagged loop ending at the Perry House on Van Buren and Scott. The streets above High Street are quite steep, and good walking shoes are recommended. The description, history and photos of the designated landmark homes in Old Town are in the link labeled Old Town Historic Homes Walk. A list and map of the route is available to guide you. This walk will take approximately two hours. Please note this is a sidewalk tour only, so please respect the privacy of residents. All of the homes are privately owned unless otherwise noted!
This walk includes only the publicly designated landmarks, some of which were eligible for the Mills Act, which helped many owners of historic homes with the cost of maintenance through property tax limitations. There are many other historic homes in Old Town that have not been so designated, but that owners may want to include in our historic walk. If you would like to share your home’s history and include it in our walk, please contact us and choose “Historic Walks.” Current owner’s information is not included without permission. Residents who want to research the history of their homes or the prominent occupants may want to use some of the resources listed in Tracing Your Historic Home (direct download), available online or through the California History Room of the City of Monterey Library.