SOUTH
MONTEREY
BAY DUNES
The Monterey Bay shoreline is one of the most significant and rare dune landforms on the west coast. These dunes extend inland under most of Marina, Sand City, and Seaside. These ancient inland dunes exist as consolidated sandhills while the dunes on the shoreline are the progeny of a once receding ocean that is now reclaiming them as sea-level rises.
The first Europeans found little use for the dunes and settled in the sheltered forested areas and uplands where the ground was suitable for building. Later, after WW2, sand mining became the most prevalent use for the dunes and several operations established themselves along the 12-mile stretch of dunes from Sand City to Marina. Landfill dumping and Off-road use was another activity in the dunes.
This all started to change with the emerging tourist economy that blossomed during the 1960’s. The coastal zone became a major tourist draw and the value of sand dunes expanded to include hotels. But Sand City was a sleeping giant and by 1990 its shoreline was still relatively undeveloped, though quite abused by sand mining, a regional dump, and vehicular use.
