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Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. (Santa Cruz County forming the northern half). As of 2000, the population was 401,762. The county seat is Salinas.

The beautiful coastline of the county, including Big Sur, California State Route 1 and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, has made the county world famous. Monterey County is also the site of a Monarch butterfly preserve in the city of Pacific Grove.

History

Monterey County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to San Benito County in 1874.

The county derived its name from Monterey Bay. The word itself is composed of the Spanish words monte and rey, which literally means "king of the mountain." The bay was named by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602, in honor of Gaspar de Zuniga y Acevedo, Conde de Monterrey, the Viceroy of New Spain.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,767 km² (3,771 mi²). 8,604 km² (3,322 mi²) of it is land and 1,163 km² (449 mi²) of it (11.91%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 401,762 people, 121,236 households, and 87,896 families residing in the county. The population density was 47/km² (121/mi²). There were 131,708 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (40/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.92% White, 3.75% Black or African American, 1.05% Native American, 6.03% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 27.82% from other races, and 4.98% from two or more races. 46.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 121,236 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 19.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 female residents there were 107.30 male residents. For every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were 107.70 male residents.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,305, and the median income for a family was $51,169. Men had a median income of $38,444 versus $30,036 for women. The per capita income for the county was $20,165. About 9.70% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Environmental features

Monterey County has habitat to support the following endangered species:

Home Prices

As of December 2005, Monterey County ranked among America's ten most expensive counties with Santa Barbara County topping the list with a median home price of $753,790. In Monterey County, the median home price was $699,900. In the northern, more densely populated part in the county, the median home price was even higher, at $712,500, making it the fourth most expensive housing market in California. The wide disparity between the rather average median household income of roughly $48,305 and the median home price of $700k has excluded many potential middle and upper middle-class homebuyers from the market, while yet boosting the equity of those who entered the market in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

It was recently determined that the average income need to live in Monterey County, assuming a conventional 30 year mortgage of $530,000 being financed at a fixed interest rate of 5.7%, would be roughly $95,000, if the household was to spend 50% of its gross income on mortgage payments. While a six-figure household income is needed to afford an average 1,300 sq ft home in the county, only 11% of households boast such incomes, leaving the rest to rely on California's infamous Proposition 13. In other words, a household willing to spend half of its gross income on housing would still need a $95,000 income, assuming a $170,000 downpayment.

Cities and towns

Census-designated places

Other locales

See also

External links

California counties | Monterey County, California

Монтерей | Monterey County | Comté de Monterey | Monterey County | Condado de Monterey

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Monterey County, California".

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