A gorgeous California beach town known for its whimsical charm and unique home names will now be forced to have house numbers over fears emergency responders struggle to reach its growing elderly population.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, a coastal town near Monterey, has never had traditional addresses in its 109-year history. Instead, homes have quirky names such as Seashell and Jelly Haus.
If they need a package to be dropped off or there is an emergency, residents have to tell first responders the street they live on, plus the cross streets, then describe their property.
In a town where the median age is 69, this slowed ambulances, and town officials began to worry that responders would be unable to find the town’s elderly residents in times of crisis.
‘With over half of our residents age 65 or older, [and] no streetlamps, our aging population faces unacceptable risk during nighttime emergencies’ Karen Ferlito, a former City Council member, told The Los Angeles Times.
‘We can’t wait for tragedy to force our hand.’
Now, the town will soon be issuing street addresses to all homes in the one-mile town. The town of 3,200 could see the change as early as May, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The charming area was once home to Doris Day and Clint Eastwood, who also served as its mayor in 1986.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, a coastal town by Monterey, has never had traditional addresses in its 109-year history but that will soon be changing
Homes have names, such as Seashell and Jelly Haus, instead of numbers. The town is still encouraging people to name their properties, but they will now have house number too
Before the address change, those looking to reach City Hall were told to head to Monte Verde Street between Ocean and 7th Avenues. Soon, the address might be 662 Monte Verde Street.
It will be the first time that Carmel-by-the-Sea will be in compliance with the California Fire Code, which requires the use of street addresses.
However, residents will not have to lose their fairy tale-like home names, as officials are still encouraging them to continue the traditions.
‘We just have to do this,’ Nancy Twomey, a member of the Address Group, told The Times. The Address Group was formed last year to help research the implementation process.
She said even the ‘reluctant traditionalists’ are starting to be on board with the new change.
Residents will, however, still use the town’s post office to receive most of their mail, as is tradition. The town will not implement mail delivery, even with street addresses.
Some residents are celebrating the long overdue change, especially those who have to frustratingly explain to a delivery driver or a loan provider that they do live in a real place that does not have house numbers.
Ferlito had to have her husband sit outside with a sign directing a delivery driver to their home after she ordered a watch that failed to show up after the first two delivery attempts.
The median age of the one-mile town is 69 and officials worry the delay of first responders trying to find their homes could be dismal
The map still has to be approved, but hose numbers could roll out by May
‘My husband sat at the end of our driveway all day long,’ she said during a meeting.
Ferlito also remembered a man who came to city council meetings frequently to request street addresses so he could ‘died peacefully at his house knowing that someone would find him if he was in trouble,’ she recalled to The Times.
Police Chief Paul Tomasi also relishes the change, saying the current system delays first responders.
‘If you have a medical emergency or a fire and you need that service, you’re essentially calling 911 twice, which slows the response,’ he told The Times in 2024.
For a police response, the town can dispatch an officer immediately, but for fire or medical, it goes to the Monterey County dispatcher, which slows things down as the person has to explain where they live to someone not nearly as familiar with the setup.
Twomey used to be against the change, but after participating in the research, she saw the good that it would bring, she told SF Gate in October.
‘There is no question that our dependencies on technology are increasing at a really high rate. And we can’t kind of close ourselves to the world of the internet and all the advantages that some of those tools can bring to our security and the like,’ she said.
Council Member Hans Buder said at a meeting last year that the new system will alleviate a lot of frustrations for residents.
The charming town was once home to Doris Day and Clint Eastwood, who also served as its mayor in 1986
The town still does not offer mail delivery. Residents will need to go to the post office
‘[The lack of addresses] just kind of turns these normal chores, like getting insurance or creating a business entity or registering for a Real ID, into, you know, a time-sucking odyssey of frustration,’ he said.
The street address proposition was unanimously approved earlier this month by the city council.
The city still has to finalize the map, but addresses could roll out by late spring.
