Montara is a census-designated place in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2020 census. Nearby communities include Moss Beach and Princeton-by-the-Sea. According to historical sources, the name "Montoro" was initially used, at least in 1867, for Montara Mountain and Montara Point by the Whitney Survey. In 1…Montara is a census-designated place in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2020 census. Nearby communities include Moss Beach and Princeton-by-the-Sea. According to historical sources, the name "Montoro" was initially used, at least in 1867, for Montara Mountain and Montara Point by the Whitney Survey. In 1869, the United States Coast Survey referred to the area by its current name of Montara; the name is thought to be a misspelled interpretation of a Spanish word, or even a combination of several Spanish words for mountains or wilderness, such as montuoso, montaraz or the word for mountain, montaña. Additionally, the Spanish verb montar, or one of its conjugated forms, could have influenced the name by referencing “riding” through or traversing the land on horseback or by wagon. Montará is a future-tense conjugation of “to ride”, becoming “will ride”, more or less. This could have been further confused by non-Spanish speakers as sounding like “montaña”, interpreted as “riding the mountain”.
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