Country United States County Monterey County Elevation 45 m Local time Thursday 8:26 PM | State California GNIS feature ID 271364 Zip code 93920 Area code 805 | |
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Weather 19°C, Wind N at 8 km/h, 85% Humidity | ||
Gorda is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Cape San Martin, at an elevation of 148 feet (45 m). It is one of the three small settlements of filling stations, restaurants, and motels located along State Route 1 on the Big Sur coast. The ZIP Code is 93920, but mail must be addressed to Big Sur, and the community is inside area code 805.
Contents
Map of Gorda, CA 93920, USA
History
The fresh springs in Gorda were used by Native American tribes. The first settlement by Westerners was in 1878, when a stagecoach stop was built in Gorda. The settlement expanded with the Gold Rush of the 1880s. The town is now the location of the Gorda Springs Ocean Side Resort.
Gorda is derived from the Spanish word for "fat" or "well-fed".
A post office operated at Gorda from 1893 to 1923, moving in 1910.
Government
At the county level, Gorda is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Dave Potter.
In the California State Legislature, Gorda is in the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat Bill Monning, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero.
In the United States House of Representatives, Gorda is in California's 20th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta
Fuel prices
As of April 26, 2008, Gorda had the highest gasoline prices in the United States at $6.70 per gallon. Part of this cost goes to subsidize the 100 gallon per day Diesel generator fuel bill for the town.
Geography
Under the Köppen climate classification, "dry-summer subtropical" climates are often referred to as "Mediterranean". This climate zone has an average temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) in their warmest months, and an average in the coldest between 18 to −3 °C (64 to 27 °F). Summers tend to be dry with less than one-third that of the wettest winter month, and with less than 30 mm (1 in) of precipitation in a summer month.