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Located less than 100 miles from San Francisco and less than three miles from the Pacific Ocean and beaches, the Monterey County city features miles of artichoke crops, and some interesting road stops for tourists to buy artichokes.
The World's Largest Artichoke: The World's Largest Artichoke is a sculpture commissioned in 1963 for a roadside stand and restaurant owned by Ray Bei. Built from concrete and rebar, this giant creation stands 20 feet tall and 12 feet across. Today you can still see the giant artichoke in front of The Giant Artichoke, 11261 Merritt St., Castroville, CA. Phone: 831-633-3501. Stop at one of the artichoke restaurants and dine on some of the biggest artichokes available on the planet!
The "Artichoke Capital of the World" celebrates harvests of the crop with an Artichoke Festival in May.
Where Marilyn Monroe got her start: In 1947 young Norma Jean
was crowned Castroville's first artichoke queen. She became known as the famous actress, Marilyn Monroe
after this momentous crowning.
John Steinbeck used Castroville as the
setting for his short story, Johnnie Bear.
Castroville soil and climate
create the perfect combination of sun and fog for artichokes and
the nation's only artichoke processing plant shown in the distance in
the photo is located in Castroville.
Around 75% of the California's total acreage of artichoke crops lies within Monterey County, and California, itself, raises 100% of all artichokes grown in the U.S.
Castroville population is primarily Hispanic and the city features a Main Street with shops and dining, churches, grocery and food markets, plus community parks.
Castroville was founded in 1863 and is the second oldest city
in Monterey County. Sugar, hay, beets,
grain and dairy farming once were the mainstay crops of the region and
artichokes began appearing in fields around 1920. Pezzinni Farms is one of several
growers selling artichokes and artichoke items to the public at the
roadside stands and stores in Castroville.
