You've made it to the town of Monterey, California! As with many parts of California, Montery was originally inhabited by Native Americans, but was later taken over by the Spanish. However, when Mexico suceeded and claimed its independance they got control over California. Finally, after the Mexican-American War, America would claim Mexico. However, Monterey has a speical place in that it was the first place a constitutional convention was held in California, in 1849.

Today, Monterey is known for its abundance and diversity of marine life. This includes sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, bat rays, kelp forests, pelicans, dolphins, and several kinds of whales. In addition to that, the Monterey Canyon is only a few miles offshore, and is the largest and deepest underwater canyon on North America's Pacific coast.

The town also features the Monterey Jazz Festival. Originally beginning in 1958, this festival had artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holliday, and Louie Armstrong, and now claims to be the longest running jazz festival in the world.

The city of Monterey has also been associated with several notable people. Some of these people include Tory Belleci, presenter on the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters, famed producer, director, and actor Clint Eastwood, author Jack London, Monkees member Michael Nesmith, author John Steinbeck, musicians Frank Zappa, and famed artist Salvador Dali, just to name a few (image courtesy of Smatprt / Public domain, all information courtesy of Wikipedia.com).