Facts about Big Sur
In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolа was the first Europeans known to set foot in Big Sur, in the far south near San Carpoforo Canyon.
Still, Big Sur typically enjoys a mild climate year-round, with a sunny, dry summer and fall, and a cool, wet winter.
The people of Big Sur today are a diverse mix: Descendants of the original settler and rancher families, artists and other creative types, along with wealthy home-owners from the worlds of entertainment and commerce.
Another film based in Big Sur was the 1974 Zandy's Bride, starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullman.
After passage of the federal Homestead Act in 1862, a few hardy pioneers moved into Big Sur, drawn by the promise of free 160 acre (0.6 kmІ) parcels.
Bedrock mortars—large exposed rocks hollowed out into bowl shapes to grind the acorns into flour—can be found throughout Big Sur.
Jack Kerouac spent a summer in Big Sur in the early 1960s, and wrote a novel titled Big Sur based on his experience there.
An adaptation of The Stranger in Big Sur by Lillian Bos Ross, the film portrayed the 1870s life of the Ross family and their Big Sur neighbors.
Big Sur is a 100-mile stretch of ruggedly beautiful seacoast along the Pacific Ocean in west-central California; an area known worldwide for its beauty.
The section of Highway 1 running through Big Sur is widely considered as one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world.
Sunset over Big Sur on the north-western edge of Andrew Molera State Park.
The oldest surviving structure in Big Sur, the so-called Cooper Cabin, was built in 1861, on the Cooper ranch.
A common "foreign" species is the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), which was uncommon in Big Sur until the late nineteenth century, when many homeowners began to plant it as a windbreak.
The mountainous terrain, environmentally conscious residents, and lack of property available for development have kept Big Sur almost unspoiled, and it retains an isolated, frontier mystique.
Big Sur remains sparsely populated, with about 1,000 inhabitants, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
Measurable snowfall has not been recorded in coastal Big Sur, but is common in the winter months on the higher ridges of the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Along with the rest of California, Big Sur became part of Mexico when it gained independence from Spain in 1821.
Big Sur changed rapidly when Highway 1 was completed in 1937, after eighteen years of construction, aided by New Deal funds and the use of convict labor.
Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the lower 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1.6 km) above sea level, only three miles (4.8 km) from the ocean.
Hunter S. Thompson worked as a security guard and caretaker at Big Sur Hot Springs for eight months in 1961, just before it became the Esalen Institute.
Along with much of the central and northern California coast, Big Sur often has dense fog in summer.
In 1835 the Platte Purchase was added to the northwest corner of the state after the land was purchased from the native tribes, making the Missouri River the border north of the Kansas River.
Orson Welles and his wife, Rita Hayworth, bought a Big Sur cabin on impulse during a trip down the coast in 1944.
The first Europeans to see Big Sur were Spanish mariners led by Juan Cabrillo in 1542, who sailed up the coast without landing.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in the 1965 film, The Sandpiper, featuring many location shots of Big Sur, and a dance party scene on a soundstage built to resemble the same restaurant.
Fog is an essential summer water source for many Big Sur coastal plants.
Three tribes of Native Americans—the Ohlone, Esselen, and Salinan—were the first inhabitants of the area now known as Big Sur.
The Sandpiper was one of the very few major studio motion pictures ever filmed in Big Sur, and perhaps the only one to use actual Big Sur locales as part of the plot.
Still, Big Sur typically enjoys a mild climate year-round, with a sunny, dry summer and fall, and a cool, wet winter.
Consistent with the Anglo-Hispanic heritage of the area, the new settlers mixed English and Spanish and began to call their new home "Big Sur."
The inhabitants of Big Sur have been proactive in installing measures to protect, preserve, and restore the wilderness qualities and biodiversity of the region.
The land use restrictions that preserve Big Sur's natural beauty also mean that tourist accommodations are limited, often expensive, and fill up quickly during the busy summer season.
Beginning in the 1920s, his poetry introduced the romantic idea of Big Sur's wild, untamed spaces to a national audience, which encouraged many of the later visitors.
The DVD, released in 2006, includes a Burton-narrated short film about Big Sur, quoting Robinson Jeffers poetry.
The many climates of Big Sur result in an astonishing biodiversity, including many rare and endangered species such as the wild orchid Piperia yadonii.