Fun Facts about Carmel

It has been more than 30 years since Clint Eastwood, also known to his fans as "Dirty Harry," was mayor of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, but visitors continue to ask "Is Clint Eastwood still the mayor?" referring to his one term that ran from 1986 to 1988. His campaign slogan was "Bringing the Community Together," and he stressed his desire to build bridges between the business community and the residential community. His strategy worked and though he enjoyed his experience, he did not to run for a second term.

With no fast food restaurants in the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the city's charming eateries and tasting rooms offer a full range of cuisine and wine tasting all within walking distance from the over 40 hotels and inns. From Wine Spectator award-winning restaurants to casual eateries and pubs, great dining is abundant, but don't plan for your typical Starbucks venti frappuccino instead plan a stop at one of the many family owned coffee shops for specialty drinks and your morning cup of joe.

Unwilling to see their village become "citified," Carmel's founding fathers rejected the practice of house- to-house mail delivery in favor of a central post office. To this day, while the city is finally in the process of assigning numbers to houses, there is still no mail delivery, parking meters or street lights, and no sidewalks outside of Carmel's downtown commercial area. Homeowners adorn their homes with legendary names such as "Hansel" or "Sea Urchin." It is, by the way, bad luck to change the name on a Carmel cottage.

Though often mistakenly thought of as an urban myth, the municipal code of Carmel bans wearing shoes having heels more than 2 inches in height or with a base of less than one square inch unless the wearer has obtained a permit for them. While the local police do not cite those in violation of the ordinance, this seemingly peculiar law was authored by the city attorney in 1963 to defend the city from lawsuits resulting from wearers of high-heeled shoes tripping over irregular pavement distorted by tree roots. Permits are available without charge at City Hall.