Monterey Bay Area vs. Morro Bay/SLO

[chessgeek]

Both regions have great fall weather. September/early October is sometimes the warmest time of year for the Monterey area. I visited Hearst Castle and Cayucos a few years ago in early October and also had very nice weather.

We Monterey County folks have to admit that SLO has the more prestigious four year university..Cal Poly. CSU-Monterey Bay is only two decades old (if that).

We do have the tourist attractions that draw larger crowds (high end car shows in late August; Laguna Seca races, Monterey Jazz Festival, Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament that just ended yesterday, etc). Morro Bay and environs is lower key. There are large crowds at Hearst Castle on the weekends, but it is fairly laid back otherwise. I believe SLO County has more wineries than Monterey County because of the large number in the Paso Robles area. Morro Bay has less nightlife than Monterey, but it definitely does not shut down at 7:00...maybe 9:00-10:00 range.

We do have the advantage of being able to easily fly to places like Las Vegas, San Diego, and Denver directly from Monterey's airport.

There is a lot to be said for both places and I have enjoyed a lot in both Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.

[chessgeek]

How could I forget to mention Monterey's number one tourist area...Monterey Bay Aquarium/Cannery Row!

[JohnSoCal]

I do far prefer Monterey Bay area over SLO or Morro Bay.

[EclecticEars]

I prefer the vibe of SLO County over Monterey County--a little friendlier, if you will. But maybe that's just me.

Although the City of SLO itself can be quite snobby with the upper income transplants that have come there from SF and LA over the years, but the County of SLO otherwise is a pretty laid back place.

Monterey County just feels more Northern Californian, more Bay Arean. A lot more laid back and friendly than SF and the Bay Area, but not nearly as friendly as, say, SLO County. Just my experience--although I was in Prunedale last weekend and people seemed pretty friendly there.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I prefer the vibe of SLO County over Monterey County--a little friendlier, if you will. But maybe that's just me.

Although the City of SLO itself can be quite snobby with the upper income transplants that have come there from SF and LA over the years, but the County of SLO otherwise is a pretty laid back place.

Monterey County just feels more Northern Californian, more Bay Arean. A lot more laid back and friendly than SF and the Bay Area, but not nearly as friendly as, say, SLO County. Just my experience--although I was in Prunedale last weekend and people seemed pretty friendly there.

Prunedale is mostly laid back. At their Starbucks, you can see a young person with their lap top computer and then an older or middle aged guy with a cowboy hat will walk in and they seem to coexist fairly well. It is more a country feel, but you definitely have to drive elsewhere for good restaurants and anything beyond grocery/pharmacy shopping. Moss Landing, Salinas and San Juan Bautista are not too far away for those better choices, though. Northridge, Harden Ranch and Westridge shopping centers in north Salinas are all about 10 miles (or less) south.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by chessgeek

Prunedale is mostly laid back. At their Starbucks, you can see a young person with their lap top computer and then an older or middle aged guy with a cowboy hat will walk in and they seem to coexist fairly well. It is more a country feel, but you definitely have to drive elsewhere for good restaurants and anything beyond grocery/pharmacy shopping. Moss Landing, Salinas and San Juan Bautista are not too far away for those better choices, though. Northridge, Harden Ranch and Westridge shopping centers in north Salinas are all about 10 miles (or less) south.

Yeah, I went in that Starbucks! The characters you're talking about weren't in there that day. But the two baristas behind the counter couldn't have been any nicer; they were very conversational and friendly.

Yep, I left Prunedale with a good impression.

[hnsmith]

Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,234, down from 10,350 at the 2000 census.

[the city]

Morro Bay is a very sleepy tourist town. Weather wise I think they are similar, but Monterey gets more rain. Monterey is more of a small city like SLO is a small city.