Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey.
The Monterey Bay Area, or sometimes just Bay Area, are local colloquialisms sometimes used to describe the whole of the coastal communities of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. The Monterey Bay Area is also part of the larger area known colloquially as the Central Coast.
Read more about Monterey Bay: Toponymy, Geology, Flora and Fauna, Marine Protected Areas, Communities Around Monterey Bay, Gallery