Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Elkhorn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States.Elkhorn was originally a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad 4 miles (6 km) north of Castroville, at an elevation of 10 feet (3.0 m). The settled part of the community now occupies the hills to the east of the railroad. The population of the Elkhorn CDP was 1,588 at the 2020 census. Local understandings of the extent of Elkhorn may vary from the Census definition. Elkhorn was named after the elk in the area that have since gone extinct.

Elkhorn Slough is a 7-mile-long (11 km) tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. It is California's second largest estuary and the United States' first estuarine sanctuary. The community of Moss Landing and the Moss Landing Power Plant are located at the mouth of the slough on the bay. Elkhorn Slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside the San Francisco Bay and provides much-needed habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds. It has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2018.

North Monterey County High School is a high school in Castroville, California, USA, was established in 1978. It serves the populations of Aromas, Castroville, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Elkhorn and Salinas. The school is part of the North Monterey County Unified School District. North Monterey County High School is abbreviated on some official documents as NMCHS although it is more commonly known as either "North County" or "NC".

Oak Hills is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 56 feet (17 m). It is located on California State Route 156 between Castroville and Prunedale.

Rancho Bolsa Nueva y Moro Cojo was a 30,901-acre (125.05 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to María Antonia Pico de Castro. Literally translated, the name means "new pocket and lame moor". In the plains of Argentina and Uruguay, "moro" is the color of a horse, a special gray-bluish shade. This name must certainly be of Spanish origin, so it is not unreasonable to suppose that this Spanish name of a place in California does not refer to a "moor" (a muslim inhabitant of northern Africa, a very unlikely occurrence in California) but to a lame horse. The name "pocket" refers to pockets of land surrounded by marshes. The grant extended from Moss Landing on the Monterey Bay inland to present day Prunedale, and south to Castroville.

Carneros Creek is a westward flowing stream and is the primary source of freshwater flowing into Elkhorn Slough. The Carneros Creek official mainstem is 9.8 miles (15.8 km) long. Its source is in the northern Gabilan Range along Highway 101/156. After it waters transit Elkhorn Slough, the historic mouth of the Salinas River, Carneros Creek empties into Monterey Bay at Moss Landing, California.

Rancho Los Carneros was a 4,482-acre (18.14 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to David Littlejohn. The name means quite literally "Ranch of the Rams". The grant was east of Elkhorn Slough and encompassed present-day Elkhorn.

Las Lomas (Spanish for 'The Hills') is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. Las Lomas is located 7 miles (11 km) north-northwest of Prunedale. The elevation is 43 feet (13 m). The population was 3,046 at the 2020 census.

The Moss Landing Power Plant is a natural gas powered electricity generation plant located in Moss Landing, California, United States, at the midpoint of Monterey Bay. Its large stacks are landmarks, visible throughout the Monterey Bay Area. The plant is owned and operated by Houston-based Dynegy and currently has a generation capacity of 1020 MW (net) from its two combined cycle generation units. It was once the largest power plant in the state of California, with a generation capacity of 2560 MW, before its two large supercritical steam units were retired in 2016. It is the site of a new battery storage power station for grid battery storage of over 567 MW / 2,270 MWh of power, potentially the world's largest when completed. A fire occurred on site in 2022 during construction, and PG&E and Tesla took corrective actions. The project still moved forward and Phase III was completed and went into operation in June of 2023.

Moss Landing Wildlife Area is a California State wildlife preserve on the shore of Elkhorn Slough.

The Castroville Japanese Language School, also known as the Castroville Nihon Gakko, is a historic building located at 11199 Geil St. in Castroville, California that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Moro Cojo Estuary State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a marine protected area established to protect the wildlife and habitats in Moro Cojo Slough. Moro Cojo Slough is located inland from Monterey Bay on the central coast of California, directly south of the more widely known Elkhorn Slough. The area covers 0.46 square miles (1.2 km2). The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing and take of all living marine resources is prohibited.