Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Carmel-by-the-Sea is a tiny Monterey County city on the Monterey Peninsula, famous for coastal scenery, cottages, galleries, and a long artistic history. The city is compact and deliberately distinctive, with a village-like center, beach access, and a cultural tradition that includes the Carmel Arts and Crafts Clubhouse and the annual Carmel Bach Festival. It is also one of California's most expensive small towns. Carmel feels carefully preserved and intensely scenic, more like an artists' village and coastal retreat than a standard beach city.