Named for the Count of Monte Rey, viceroy of Mexico, by the Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino around 1600, the area was first settled in 1770 with the arrival of a Spanish governor and a Franciscan priest.
The Monterey Peninsula has many opportunities for recreation and offers ample transportation for tourists. The sardine industry, the reason for the development of Monterey's Cannery Row, has disappeared and tourism has replaced fishing as the major source of economic activity in the area. The principal communities on the peninsula include Carmel, Monterey, Seaside and Pacific Grove.