CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. -- No one in this wealthy California community known for its white-sand beaches and storybook charm has a street address. But unlike the houses in Carmel-By-The-Sea, those days may soon be numbered.
After more than a century of address-free living, this seaside tourist destination where Clint Eastwood once presided as mayor is moving ahead with a plan to assign street numbers to homes and businesses. Many long-time residents aren't happy about it. The city's residents and visitors must navigate a woodsy, 1-square-mile (2.
5-square-kilometer) landscape where houses, stores, restaurants and other buildings don't have numbers. It's even more difficult at night because the town has few street lights. When asked for their address, residents describe their homes' color or style, nearby landmarks like cypress trees and fire hydrants or their location relative to the nearest cross street.
Many houses have signs with whimsical names like Neverland, Dreamcatcher and Pinch Me or descriptors such as "San Antonio 3 SE of 9th." There is no mail delivery service, so residents must pick up up their mail at the U.S.
post office, the only building with an official address. But street addresses may finally be coming to this coastal city of 3,300 residents, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of San Francisco. In July, the city council voted 3-2 to move forward with a plan to issue street numbers.
"When emergency crews are responding, particularly at night, it's very .