The Holman Building

Perched on a rocky peninsula where Monterey Bay meets the open Pacific, Pacific Grove carries a distinct personality that sets it apart from every other California coastal city. Known affectionately as "Butterfly City USA," the community hosts one of the largest monarch butterfly populations in the country each winter, a spectacle that has drawn visitors and residents alike for generations. The city sits directly adjacent to Monterey, giving residents easy access to that city's employment centers, Naval Postgraduate School, and Monterey Peninsula College, while Pacific Grove itself maintains a quieter, more intimate pace. Downtown revolves around Lighthouse and Forest Avenues, where locally rooted shops and eateries anchor a walkable core framed by well-preserved Victorian architecture. The surrounding neighborhoods range from hillside cottages near the golf links to tree-lined streets of craftsman and Queen Anne homes closer to the bay.