Sand City, CA

Sand City is a Monterey County city on Monterey Bay, about two miles northeast of Monterey and mostly surrounded by Seaside. The 2020 census counted 325 residents. Its small footprint carries several jobs at once: larger retail stores and business sites occupy much of the city, while the West End has turned former industrial space into studios, galleries, and performance venues. Sand City incorporated in 1960, and its city limits reach into the bay as well as along the coast. The West End is the part of town where that mix is easiest to see.

ATTRAdam Kent / CC BY 2.0

Art Park hosts the monthly 831 Night Market, the SandBox and Lido Stage hold music and performances, and the annual West End Celebration and Mural Fest bring artists and food vendors into the industrial blocks. Monterey Bay and Seaside supply the larger regional setting, but Sand City has its own compact business-and-arts district. It is a coastal working city where retail, workshops, and creative spaces occupy the same few streets.