24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 4, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com south side of Big Sur, describing areas around Gorda as “funky,” a place where people grew cannabis, sold jade jewelry and lived unconventionally. She linked up with the Harlan family who ran the Lucia Lodge, managing it briefly before taking a series of caretaking jobs in the area. Such jobs, she notes, were once more common in Big Sur. Wealthier owners who lived elsewhere often provided housing for local workers at a discounted rate or in exchange for looking after their properties. “Now, there’s more wealthy people, more showplace homes, and not fulltime residents,” McCoy says. “And they hire property managers.” Roughly two-thirds of existing residences are without permanent residents, existing as vacation homes, according to Diehl. Housing has also become increasingly expensive, with at least two homes in the area selling for more than $30 million in the past year, and an increasing number of “legacy homes” have been hitting the market. And in this shift, many properties no longer provide the caretaker housing that once helped local workers live in the area. The demographic shifts have affected Big Sur’s north and south differently, with the southern region seeing a greater loss of families. If it’s not housing affordability, locals report that repeated disasters have pushed people out. McCoy, 75, considers herself one of the lifers, planning to stay in the area and live among the steep landscape as long as her body will allow. She describes her life now as remote, supported by a close-knit community. She estimates around 38 people live in the area, some part time, many of whom are older. She and her neighbors have adapted their routines to their specific isolation and road closures. After Paul’s and Regent’s slides, which closed sections of the highway for three years until a full reopening in January, she shifted her medical appointments and supply runs to Cambria and Morro Bay. Rhea Withrow, who has lived on the south side of Big Sur for the last decade, recalls that Pacific Valley Center School, a K-12 school near Sand Dollar Beach, had about five kids total at the school when her kids attended. Her husband, who grew up in the area and went to the same school, remembers going to school with at least 50 other students. Housing availability affects community life, and with fewer permanent residents that means fewer people to support the community. “Outside property management isn’t going to sit on a school board,” Diehl says. And new construction of housing, she adds, isn’t going to solve the problem. Instead she sees an opportunity to encourage those with existing homes to re-incorporate caretaker housing, ADUs or other ways to serve the community. Housing needs are infinite, “Big Sur can’t build its way out of the housing problem,” Diehl says. Even without protective zoning in place, the very nature of the region—the steep slopes and protected species— makes creating new development incredibly limited. But as Big Sur grapples with how many people it can accommodate, the stakes extend beyond housing and traffic, one that becomes especially clear when disaster strikes. On Monday, Sept. 28, the back patio of the Big Sur River Inn is packed again. This time, it’s not tourists but local and state officials, gathered for a meeting of the Big Sur MultiAgency Advisory Committee (BSMAAC). The aim is to bring everyone together to discuss lessons The Big Sur Land Use Plan, adopted in 1986, is widely regarded as the community’s most important safeguard and prioritizes viewshed protection as one of its key tenets. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Campground is one of the region’s most popular campgrounds. This year, it was closed during peak season because of the Timber Fire, which began Aug. 8 and eventually burned 25,352 acres. Bixby Bridge has become one of Big Sur’s most popular attractions, but it was never intended to be. Citing safety concerns, a 12-month no-parking restriction was enacted in June of this year. “Once everything was on Instagram, it became more like a theme park.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS KAREN LOUTZENHEISER BIG SUR continues on pg. 29
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