History of Big Sur Coast

Big Sur remains sparsely populated, with about 1,000 year-round inhabitants, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Big Sur residents include descendants of the original ranching families, artists and writers, along with wealthy home-owners. These wealthy homeowners, however, are usually only part-time residents of Big Sur. The mountainous terrain, environmental restrictions imposed by Monterey County, and lack of property available for development has kept Big Sur relatively unspoiled. As a result, real estate prices are high, with land and homes prices above $2 million. There are no urban areas, although three small clusters of gas stations, restaurants, and motels are often marked on maps as "towns": Posts in the Big Sur River valley, Lucia, near Limekiln State park, and Gorda, on the southern coast. The economy is almost completely based on tourism. Much of the land along the coast is privately owned or has been donated to the state park system, while the vast Los Padres National Forest, the Ventana Wilderness, and Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation encompass most of the inland areas.

The Basin Complex Fire of 2008 forced an eight-day evacuation of Big Sur and the closure of Highway 1, beginning just before the July 4 holiday weekend. The fire, which burned over 130,000 acres (530 km), represented the largest of many wildfires that had broken out throughout California during the same period. Although the fire caused no loss of life, it destroyed 27 homes, and the tourist-dependent economy lost about a third of its expected summer revenue.

Like in several of its other segments across the state, Highway 1 occasionally suffers damage due to California landslides and erosion. In March 2011, a landslide in