This Week on the Central Coast…
The best of the best are found in Monterey County and locals help the needy.
Monterey
Carmel -by-the-Sea Ranked in Top 5 Best Places to Live
Travel + Leisure ranked Carmel-by-the-Sea as the fourth best small town to live in. The publication noted Carmel’s “enchanting lifestyle characterized by its walkability, strong sense of community and vibrant local businesses”.
To appear on the list, cities must have a population smaller than 25,000, offer various amenities that can be found in larger cities, but at a smaller scale, and provide a strong quality of life.
Reflecting the city’s high rank, living in Carmel comes at a high price. The average home price as of June 2024 is $2.53 million.
Marina Company in the Top 16 Coolest Things Made in California
Local aircraft company Joby Aviation has made it into the top sixteen coolest things made in California. The company is based in Marina and is known for their electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the S4.
In order to be ranked, featured products must all be created by use of a manufacturing process in California. You can vote on the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) website. The competition follows a bracket-style voting format where products are eliminated each week until only a winner remains. The winner will be announced at the CMTA’s MakingCA conference on October 18. The overall winner will get an award that recognizes their product as the “Coolest Thing Made in California”, an article written about them, and a filmed interview with the CMTA president and CEO.
For a full list of companies still in the competition, visit this page.
You can vote for the next round starting today (August 26) at this link.
Salinas
Volunteers Pack Produce Boxes for Homeless
Last week, Rancho Cielo held its annual fundraiser at their youth campus in Salinas. Hundreds of volunteers from local businesses, community clubs, and organizations packed produce boxes for families in need. The boxes were sent to various nonprofits, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Salvation Army Salinas, the Food Bank for Monterey County, and Second Harvest Food Bank, which would then help distribute the produce.
As of current reports, over 73% of extremely low income households in the county spend more than half of their income on housing. Renters now need to be making “$40.25 per hour … to afford the average monthly asking rent of $2,093.”
Rancho Cielo is often at the forefront of offering help to those in need. If you would like to contribute in any way to the organization, you can visit their website for more information.
The Best Sandwich in California is in Prunedale
This week, Yelp shared its Best Sandwiches in Every State and declared Prunedale Market and Deli the best in California. The winners were determined based on the number of positive reviews a business got with the keyword “sandwich”.
Prunedale Market & Deli offers a variety of deli sandwiches, including their famous tri-tip topped with Flamin’ Hot Fritos. The market gets extra points for providing an outdoor space that is family friendly and perfect for enjoying the late summer weather. In addition to sandwiches, you can also find a variety of barbecue offerings and the usual deli sides, like pasta salad.
Owner Martin Muñoz starts barbecuing at 4am to ensure the meat is fresh and tender every day. He said he wanted to provide hearty meals for the construction crews that frequent the area.
If you’re trying it for the first time, note that the deli is cash-only.