Welcome to Big Sur ...
Big Sur is located in Monterey County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Big Sur, you might consider that their post office opened in 1915.
Big Sur is 140 feet [43 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Big Sur lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Big Sur: (831)
The ZIP code for Big Sur: 93920<3>
Websites for Big Sur ...
Junior League: www.jlmontereycounty.org/
Communities near Big Sur ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Big Sur.
- Carmel Valley Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Valley Village
- Carmel Valley Village is located in Monterey County
- Carmel Valley Village has also been known as:
- Carmel Valley
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carmel Valley Village <4>
- Carmel Highlands
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Highlands
- Carmel Highlands is located in Monterey County
- Carmelito ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest) - Carmel-by-the-Sea
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Carmel-by-the-Sea is located in Monterey County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,744 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carmel-by-the-Sea <4>
- Ambler Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambler Park
- Ambler Park is located in Monterey County
- Del Monte Forest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Monte Forest
- Del Monte Forest is located in Monterey County
- Del Rey Oaks
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey Oaks
- Del Rey Oaks is located in Monterey County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,645 people
- Lucia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucia
- Lucia is located in Monterey County
- Pebble Beach
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pebble Beach
- Pebble Beach is located in Monterey County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pebble Beach <4>
- Monterey
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Monterey is located in Monterey County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 28,511 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monterey <4>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Big Sur. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Big Sur.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Big Sur. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Sur.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Sur. See our Newspapers Page for Big Sur.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Big Sur ...
Looking for more information about Big Sur? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Big Sur, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Big Sur.
Adding Big Sur to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Big Sur in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Big Sur was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Big Sur post office opened in 1915.
We also found Big Sur on a map titled Shell Oil Road Map for California (1956).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Big Sur.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Big Sur. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Monterey County: www.co.monterey.ca.us/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of California's counties, including Monterey, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Big Sur - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Big Sur). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Big Sur or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |