An unincorporated, gated community bordered by Carmel to the south, Pacific Grove to the north, Monterey to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Pebble Beach is well known throughout the world for its beauty, its golf courses, the grandeur of many of its residences and its fabled 17-Mile Drive.

Although it is not incorporated as a city, Pebble Beach has its own Community Services District to provide most of the traditional city public works services. Roads within "the forest," as Pebble Beach is often called, are owned and maintained by the Pebble Beach Company, the original land owner and current owner/operator of most of the golf courses and all the lodges within its bounds.

There is no "downtown" area of Pebble Beach, only a convenience store, bank and gas station near The Lodge at Pebble Beach. Residents do most of their routine shopping outside, but seem to like it that way. On numerous occasions, they have voted down efforts to create a city government to run their affairs.

Pebble Beach residents tend to be long-timers, with an average length of residence of slightly more than 12 years. Almost half of the forest's 2,500 plus housing units were built between 1950 and 1970.

Median age is close to 52 years, second only to Carmel, and household income is over $130,000, the highest in the country. Pebble Beach is generally considered an area for the wealthy, but few people realize the abundance of homes surrounding the Monterey Peninsula Country Club on the north portion of the forest, which follow more affordable pricing trends.