The small California town growing almost every artichoke in America

It’s a foggy farm town on Monterey Bay

You probably drive right past Castroville on Highway 1 and never think twice.

About 7,500 people live in this unincorporated town in Monterey County, just a few miles inland from Monterey Bay. Fields of artichokes stretch out in every direction.

Close to two-thirds of the fresh artichokes sold in America grow in and around this one small community, and California produces nearly all of the nation’s supply.

The town calls itself the Artichoke Center of the World, and the math holds up.

Italian immigrants turned 150 acres into 12,000

Juan Bautista Castro founded the town back in 1863 on land from a Mexican-era rancho. Artichokes came later.

In 1922, Andrew Molera planted the first shoots in Castroville soil. Italian immigrant farmers leased 150 acres soon after and kept expanding.

By 1926, over 12,000 acres of artichokes covered the area. The coastal fog, mild temperatures, and rich soil do the work that greenhouses do elsewhere.

And every single artichoke still gets picked by hand, not by machine.

A 20-foot concrete artichoke watches the road

Pull over on the main road through town and you’ll find a 20-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide artichoke built from concrete and rebar. Ray Bei, the son of a local artichoke farmer, put it up in 1963.

It sits right next to the Giant Artichoke Restaurant, where you can order deep-fried artichoke hearts and other dishes built around the town’s signature crop.

The statue ranks as one of California’s most photographed roadside stops, and it earns it.

Marilyn Monroe held artichokes before she held Oscars

Before she was Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean showed up in the Monterey Bay area in February 1948. She was filling in at the last minute for another model at a jewelry store promotion.

Representatives from the California Artichoke Association saw an opportunity and crowned her the first Artichoke Queen on the spot.

She posed with local farmers, artichokes in hand, and those photos spread across the produce industry. The tradition of crowning an Artichoke Queen carried on for decades.

The state vegetable became official in 2013

Monterey County claimed the artichoke as its official county vegetable back in 1986. Then in 2013, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom made it the official state vegetable for all of California.

Close to 75 percent of the state’s total artichoke acreage sits in Monterey County. Ocean Mist Farms, the country’s largest artichoke grower, has called Castroville home since its founding in 1924.

If artichokes have a capital, this is it.

The Artichoke Trail has 20 stops and artichoke cocktails

Monterey County launched the Artichoke Trail in 2023, and it runs right through town.

The trail strings together more than 20 stops along Highway 1, from restaurants to farm stands to local attractions in Moss Landing, Marina, Monterey, and Pebble Beach.

Castroville’s stretch goes by Artichoke Alley, and it anchors the whole route.

You can try artichoke dishes you never knew existed, from cupcakes to burgers to cocktails mixed with artichoke-infused spirits.

150 sea otters float in the slough next door

Just minutes from Castroville, Elkhorn Slough cuts seven miles through the coast as a tidal estuary on Monterey Bay.

It ranks as one of California’s largest wetlands and belongs to the National Estuarine Research Reserve. More than 700 species of mammals, birds, fish, and plants live here.

Around 150 sea otters call this slough home, the greatest concentration in all of California. Five threatened or endangered species share the water, including the southern sea otter and California brown pelican.

Paddle a kayak past harbor seals and pelicans

You can rent a kayak and glide through the calm waters of Elkhorn Slough while sea otters float on their backs a short distance away.

Guided nature boat tours launch from nearby Moss Landing harbor if you’d rather sit back. Harbor seals, sea lions, and pelicans show up regularly along the waterway.

The slough stays calm enough for paddlers at just about any skill level. Just keep at least 100 feet between you and the wildlife.

Over 340 bird species circle one wetland

Elkhorn Slough draws more than 340 species of resident and migratory birds, enough for the National Audubon Society to name it a Globally Important Bird Area.

The reserve gives you five miles of trails and a visitor center open Wednesday through Sunday.

The South Marsh Loop covers about two miles through tidal wetlands and oak woodlands and puts you right in the middle of it all. Look up.

Red-tailed hawks, ospreys, and peregrine falcons are regulars overhead.

Snowy plovers nest right on the dunes

Salinas River State Beach sits just minutes away, with sandy shores, rolling dunes, and estuary views stretching along the coast.

These dunes belong to Monterey Bay’s coastal dune system, and the western snowy plover, a protected species, nests directly on the beach sand.

The Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge covers 367 acres of dunes, marshes, and grasslands nearby. It sits along the Pacific Flyway, so thousands of migrating birds pass through every spring and fall.

The festival’s coming back to town in 2026

The Castroville Artichoke Festival ran for 65 years before it shut down permanently in 2025. Rising production costs, insurance premiums, and permitting headaches made it too expensive to keep going.

The festival had moved away from Castroville back in 2014, which stung for locals. But in August 2025, community organizers announced plans to bring a new version home in 2026.

They want it free, focused on the community, and built around celebrating the farmworkers and agricultural heritage that keep this town running.

Walk the fields where artichokes grow in every direction

Agritourism tours take you straight into the artichoke fields to see how the crop goes from dirt to plate.

Pezzini Farms, a longtime local family operation, sells fresh produce and artichoke-themed bites like artichoke cupcakes.

Drive the back roads and you’ll pass rows of silvery-green artichoke plants that seem to run to the horizon. Morning fog rolls in from Monterey Bay and settles over the fields like clockwork.

Spring is peak season, but the coastal climate keeps artichokes growing year-round.

Visit Castroville along California’s Highway 1

You’ll find Castroville in Monterey County, about 10 miles north of Monterey, right where Highways 1, 156, and 183 come together. Monterey Peninsula Airport is the closest commercial airport, about 15 miles south.

Most people pair a Castroville stop with a trip to Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, or Big Sur, all within easy driving distance along Highway 1.

Give yourself a full morning to eat your way through town, then head to Elkhorn Slough in the afternoon.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• California suffers another blow as Del Monte Foods shuts down last peach canneries
• Nearly 4 in 10 California fruits and veggies carry traces of pesticides called PFAS
• Five wild islands sit right off the California coast, and almost nobody goes