Moss Landing, CA

Moss Landing, formerly Moss, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. The 2020 census counted 237 residents. Moss Landing is on the shore of Monterey Bay, at the mouth of Elkhorn Slough and at the head of the submarine Monterey Canyon. Evidence from archaeological digs show that they may have lived here as long ago as 4,000 years. The Moss Landing Antique Street Fair is held annually on the last Sunday in July and hosts hundreds of antique vendors. A newcomer can read Moss Landing through the overlap of its older landmarks, surrounding geography, and current places.

ATTRDick Rowan / Public domain

For a newcomer, Moss Landing comes into focus through those concrete links among its past, landscape, and current routines. Moss Landing is located in northern Monterey County, where Elkhorn Slough becomes an estuary as it flows into Monterey Bay at the head of the Monterey Submarine Canyon. California State Route 1 follows the eastern edge of the community, leading north 8 miles to Watsonville and southwest 18 miles to Monterey. Moss Landing is home to Shakespeare Society of America.