History
Toro Park Estates
We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful sunbelt along scenic Highway 68 only minutes from Salinas to the northeast and about 20 minutes from the Monterey Peninsula to the southwest. Local residents who used to drive past this area in the late 50's along "Monterey Road" on their daily trip between Monterey and Salinas would emerge from the Monterey fog in the west, or the cooler temperatures in Salinas to the northeast, and into the sun shining on the Guidotti tomato fields and think, "wouldn't this be a nice place to have a home. That vision was realized in the mid 1960's when the Toro Park Estates community started to take shape. At that time, the U.S Army's Fort Ord occupied the property to the west on the other side of El Toro Creek. To the east was Marks Ranch, an 816-acre egg ranch owned by Nisene and Benjamin Marks.
​
​​Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area was occupied by the Native American Ohlone tribe who had thrived in the area for hundreds of years. From 1775-1776, Lt Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza led more than 240 men, women, and children on a 1200-mile overland journey across the frontier of New Spain to settle Alta California. On March 10, 1776, de Anza and his colonists' route took them directly through the Toro Park Estates area on their trek from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco. After the arrival of the Spanish, the land now known as Marks Ranch and Toro County Park was given to José Ramón Estrada in 1835 as part of the 5,668-acre El Rancho de Toro land grant by a Mexican governor, José Castro. Estrada owned the land for roughly 17 years, and, after passing through various hands of ownership, the land was eventually purchased by the Marks family in 1890.
​
Back in the 1950's the Guidotti tomato fields occupied much of the subdivision as it appears today. Bollenbacher and Kelton purchased the Guidotti property after a traditional battle between environmentalists and developers. The idea wasn't even very popular with the County of Monterey or the other residents along Highway 68. Eventually, permits were granted and model homes were constructed on Toreador Drive in 1964. Prospective buyers toured these homes, then selected their lots and models and the Toro Park Estates community became a reality. Original owners have watched their home values increase over the years from $25,000 - $30,000 to over 1 million dollars which is the current market rate value of the homes. The subdivision has 6 sections that includes 476 homes. The developer donated to the county certain areas of the land for greenbelts and park areas. Toro Park School was built in 1974 and continues to be one of the highest performing schools in Monterey County. The Washington Union School District's success is evident when comparing school districts in Monterey County and has strong parental and community support. A small strip-mall style shopping center, Toro Park Center, along Portola Drive on the north end of the subdivision supports the community with a variety of services.
​
Toreador Drive was the original main entrance to Toro Park Estates which contained the model homes of the subdivision. Toreador Drive still maintains a median in the middle of the road now lined with mature trees. Toreador Drive connects to Portola Drive on the west end, and originally with Monterey Road (now Highway 68) on the east end. On the east of Toreador Drive at Monterey Road, there were two large Toro Park Estates entrance signs. When the new highway was completed in the 1970's, Toreador Drive was blocked off on the east end and the two entrance signs were relocated; one is now at the entrance to Toro Park Estates at Torero Drive, and the other is on the north end of the subdivision across from the Toro Park Center.
​
To the east of Toro Park Estates is the 4,756-acre Toro County Park first opened to the public in 1971. To the immediate west of the subdivision is Fort Ord National Monument, established in April 2012 following the closure of the Fort Ord Military Base in 1994. ​​
​​
Toro Park Roads
Since Toro Park history dates back to the time when the entire Toro Area was included in the holdings of a Spanish Viceroy, it seems appropriate that many of the street name are Spanish bullfighting terms. Toro, of course, means "bull" and the members of the bullfighting team are the "Toreadors" or "Toreros". The "Picador" is the horseman who goads the bull with his "Estoque", and the "Matador" kills the bull. Famous bullfighters have been "Cordoba", "Ortega", "Ordonez" and "Manolete". The "Capote" is the large colorful cape worn by the bullfighter. The cap worn by bullfighters is called a "Montera" and is typically made of astrakhan fur with an inner lining of velvet. The bullfighter's hair in back worn as a pigtail or tied in a bun is called a "Coleta." The "Muleta" is the bullfighter's red flag that conceals his sword. A "Veronica" is the name of a certain kind of "pass" the matador makes with his cape, and we all know about the famous bull named "Ferdinand". The Kelton's, the developer of Toro Park Estates, son's names, David and Richard were combined to form "Davenrich." The family name of the previous landowner is "Guidotti". "Portola" is the name of the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola who led the first overland expedition through what is now California in 1769 - 1770 founding settlements one which became the City of Monterey.
Parks
The subdivision includes three neighborhood parks and one "secret" park. The parks are named Kelton Park, Lopp Park, and Warren Sutherland Park, all along Portola Drive. The "secret" park, well we'll just keep that location a secret otherwise it wouldn't be a secret. There is also a baseball field behind Toro School dedicated to the memory of Sean McAuliffe, a second grader who died after an accident near the school. Many of these parks have playground equipment, park benches and are frequently used for birthday parties, gatherings, and other events.
