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Salinas is the county seat and largest municipality of Monterey County in the U.S. state of California, and it is also known as the "Salad Bowl" of America. As of the 2000 census, the population within the city was 151,060, with a metropolitan area of 412,104. The city's development in the 19th century may have been a WASP response to the predominantly Italian fishing community of Monterey.

Brief History

Small tribes of Native Americans first made their home here in the Salinas Valley many centuries before the first European explorers came to California to build a presidio in Monterey and missions in Carmel, Soledad, San Juan Bautista and the San Antonio Valley.

During the time of Spanish rule settlements developed around the missions here on the Central Coast, but the area remained largely undeveloped until after Mexico overthrew their Spanish rulers and began granting lands in Alta California to its people.

"Salinas" is Spanish for 'salt marsh' because at that time there was a large slough that ran through the area. Sausal and Nacional were among some of the first ranchos granted by the Mexican government after Mexico seceded from Spain in 1822. It was on adjoining parts of these ranchos that "Salinas City" was born after California became a territory of the United States.

Early in the gold rush years James Bryant Hill bought Rancho Nacional and became a pioneer in the agricultural industry by farming wheat; the valley had primarly been used for cattle and other livestock from the time of some of it's earliest settlers until the 1920's. Sometime in 1854 Mr. Hill was named postmaster of Salinas, even though there was no town "officially" of that name yet. In 1852 Jacob Leese purchased Rancho Sausal for $600, later he sold 80 acres to Elias Howe. Howe built an inn called "Halfway House" at the intersection of the Monterey-San Juan Bautista and the Los Angeles-San Francisco stage lines in 1856.

In 1867 Alberto Trescony, Alan Riker and William Jackson formed a partnership with cattle rancher Eugene Sherwood and laid out a city plan of a half-square mile. Realizing the importance of the railroad to getting the agricultural products to market, Sherwood offered Southern Pacific Railroad free acreage for the right-of- way and a depot; which opened its doors for business in 1872, that was also the year that "Salinas City" became the seat of Monterey County. Two years later the name was changed to the "City of Salinas" and incorporated.

The agricultural industry began to change from hides and tallows to more of what we are know for to this date; products like grains, beans and of course sugar beets. After World War I the "green gold" of lettuce, broccoli and artichokes helped to make Salinas one of the wealthiest cities per capitia in the U.S.

In our community today the Spanish heritage is reflected in the names of our streets, lakes, shopping centers, recreation areas and school districts. Salinas is a very multi-cultural city with contributions being made for many different groups such as: The Chinese, Mexican, Dutch, African Americans and Germans just to name a few.

If you would like to know more about the history of the Salinas Valley please visit The Monterey County Historical Society at the Boronda Adobes or take the virtual tour at the Historical Society Website.

(Source: The Monterey County Historical Society)

Salinas' economy is largely based upon agriculture. Located in one of California's richest farming regions, the area produces a variety of fruits and vegetables, including lettuce, strawberries, watermelons, broccoli, carrots, cabbages, and spinach.Therefore many major vegetable producers are headquartered in Salinas.

Salinas was also the birthplace of writer John Steinbeck. The recently revitalized historic downtown is home to the National Steinbeck Center and the John Steinbeck Library. The city is currently meeting with local developers to build a high-rise hotel and condominum complex. As of now, no defenite decision has been made but development of one of the proposal is likely to proceed in the coming months.

Geography

Salinas is located at (36.683859, -121.643128).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.2 km² (19.0 mi²), all land.

The city lies approximately 18 meters (59 feet) above sea level and is located roughly eight miles from the Pacific Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Salinas Valley. The Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountain ranges border the city to the east and south, respectively. Both mountain ranges and the Salinas Valley run approximately 90 miles south-east from Salinas towards King City.

Conveyor Belt Weather

Salinas enjoys cool and moderate temperatures due to the "natural air conditioner" that conveys ocean air and fog in from the Monterey Bay to Salinas while towns to the north and south of Salinas experience hotter summers as mountains block the ocean air. Thus Salinas weather is closer to that of the Central Coast of California rather than that of inland valleys and thus enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate with typical daily highs ranging from the low 50s (°F) in the winter to the low 70s (°F) in the summer. The difference between ocean and air temperature also tends to create heavy morning fog during the summer months (known as the marine layer) driven by an onshore wind created by the local high pressure sunny portions of the Salinas Valley which extend north and south from Salinas and the Bay.

The average annual rainfall for the city is approximately 242.3 mm (9.5 in). On rare occasions there is snowfall on the peaks of the Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountain ranges, which border, respectively, the east and west sides of the Salinas Valley.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 151,060 people, 38,298 households, and 30,025 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,068.1/km² (7,948.4/mi²). There were 39,659 housing units at an average density of 805.5/km² (2,086.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.10% Hispanic, 45.16% White, 5.90% Asian American, 3.27% African American, 1.26% Native American out of which 49.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.66 and the average family size was 4.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,728, and the median income for a family was $44,669. Males had a median income of $35,641 versus $27,013 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,495. About 12.8% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Airport

The Salinas Municipal Airport is located on the southeastern boundary of the City of Salinas, three miles from city center. It is an excellent, well-constructed, general aviation facility occupying 763 acres, with three runways serving single and twin engine aircraft and helicopters, as well as an increasing number of turbopropeller and turbine-powered business jets. The airport has an air traffic control tower in operation twelve hours/day, 7 days/week. The Airport Terminal is located on Mortensen Avenue and houses Airport Office staff as well as professional offices. The City is currently accepting proposals for leasing and operation of the restaurant located within the Terminal. The airport has a full Instrument Landing System (ILS) and a Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range (VOR) located on the airport. The ISL has a Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System, with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights. The VOR approach has Runway End Identifier Lights. All but the ILS runway, RWY 31, have Visual Approach Slope Indicators (VASIs). FAA Identifier: SNS Lat/Long: 36-39-46.0520N / 121-36-22.8970W 36-39.767533N / 121-36.381617W 36.6627922 / -121.6063603 (estimated) Elevation: 84 ft. / 25.6 m (surveyed) Variation: 16E (1980) From city: 3 miles SE of SALINAS, CA Zip code: 93905 Airport Operational Statistics Aircraft based on the field: 224 Single engine airplanes: 160 Multi engine airplanes: 49 Jet airplanes: 1 Helicopters: 14 Aircraft operations: avg 237/day 57% transient general aviation 40% local general aviation 2% air taxi <1% military

Economy

Salinas is known as the "Salad Bowl of the World," and for good reason. Over 80% of the lettuce grown in the United States is grown in the Salinas Valley. According to the 2000 US Census, 24% of the population worked in sales and office occupations, 21.4% worked in management, professional, and related occupations, 16.2% worked in service occupations, 14.9% worked in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, 14.4% worked in production, transportation, and material moving occupations, and 9.1% worked in construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations.

Housing Prices

While the median household income in Salinas remains at $44,669, the median home price now lies in excess of $630,000 according to the Monterey County Realtors Association. This means that when financed through a regular 30 year loan at 5.7% interest with a $100,000 downpayment, the mortgage payment on an average 1300+ sq ft home would be in excess of $3,000 a month. Assuming a household spends 50% of all net income on housing an annual gross income of $95,932 would be required. If the household only spends 30% of all net income on mortgage payments an annual gross income of $143,899 would be required. Only 8.54% of households in Salinas have six-figure incomes, excluding many from a housing market in which fixer-uppers start in the 500,000's.

City Funding

During the first half of this decade, the Salinas city government struggled to deal with funding shortages. A downturn in the state economy, combined with an unusually low per-capita tax base, forced the city to curtail certain services. During the crisis, Salinas almost became the first city in the United States to close its libraries. However, an outpouring of private donations provided an ample stop-gap measure, keeping the libraries open with reduced hours. Donations were raised through Rally Salinas!, a grassroots fundraising organization launched by the city's mayor, to keep the libraries open through 2005.

In November 2005, voters approved a tax measure to fund several vital services in the city, including libraries, by a 61 percent vote. The measure, known locally as Measure V, will provide some $11 million in funding to take affect in the 2007 fiscal year. The measure will allow the city to start restoring more than $15 million in service cuts including the closure of three recreation centers and the elimination of graffiti abatement and crossing guard money for schools. An independent oversight committee was appointed by the City Council to oversee the money raised by the tax increase, which will be in place for the next 10 years. In April 2006, the committee recommended dedicating 70% of revenues to restoring library and police services.

In 2006, the city's financial situation was considerably improved, as Salinas officials announced a budget surplus.

Gang Activity and Violence

One of the city's most serious problems is violent crime. The problem has become a large priority for the Salinas police. Salinas' violent crime rate is relatively high. In 2004, there were 11.4 murders per 100,000 residents, more than twice the national average of 5.5. However, historic trends suggest improvement. The number of aggravated assaults fell from 844 in 1993 to 661 in 1998.

Gang activity is responsible for a substantial portion of violent crime in Salinas. In 1998, local police estimated that 17% of all violent crimes -- and 71% of the city's homicides -- were gang related. Partners for Peace, a local gang prevention and youth welfare group, cites the city's low literacy rate and high population density due to lack of affordable housing as aggravating factors. The County of Monterey launched a gang task force early this year in an effort to fight the problem of gangs, the Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force is composed of personnel from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, Probation Department, District Attorney's Office and the Salinas Police Department. During the fall, the Sheriff's Office and the Salinas Police Department placed orders for a total of seven cars that will allow task force members to use their own equipment. The cars will feature radio and computer systems that can communicate across both Sheriff's Office and police frequencies. To increase their visibility to gang members, the cars are painted black with the words "Gang Task Force" written in silver across the sides, making them distinct from the black-and-white cars used by regular patrol officers.

Notable Residents

  • Labor leader César Chávez was once a "temporary resident" as he was jailed in the Monterey County Jail for his labor-related protesting.

  • Joseph Robert Kapp, an American football quarterback, Minn. Vikings standout, labeled "Toughest Chicano" in the NFL by Sports Illustrated.

  • Xavier Nady, an American baseball player for the New York Mets and formerly the San Diego Padres (while not a current resident of Salinas, Nady was raised in Salinas).

  • John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born and raised in Salinas. "I remember Salinas, the town of my birth, when it proudly announced it had reached four-thousand citizens.. even those people who joy in numbers and are impressed with bigness are beginning to worry, gradually becoming aware that there must be a saturation point and the progress may be a progression toward strangulation. And no solution has been found." (Travels with Charley (1961))

Media

The Monterey/Salinas metro area is served by a limited variety of local television stations, and is the 125th largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 218,080 homes (0.198% of the U.S.). Those stations are:

Channel 8: KSBW - (NBC) - Salinas

Channel 15/22: K15CU/KMUV - (Telemundo) - Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz (Simulcast of KSTS 48).

Channel 25: KCAH - (PBS) - Watsonville (Simulcast of San Jose's KTEH)

Channel 33: KDJT - (Telefutura) - Monterey

Channel 35: KCBA - (Fox) - Salinas

Channel 43: KMCE - (Azteca America) - Monterey/Salinas

Channel 46: KION - (CBS) - Monterey

Channel 67: KSMS - (Univision) - Monterey

The Monterey/Salinas area lacks an ABC (American Broadcasting Company) affiliate since 2000, when KNTV was purchased, and subsequently became the NBC station for the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose metropolitan area. KNTV, now known as NBC11, later moved its transmission tower from Loma Prieta Peak (located between San Jose and Santa Cruz) to San Bruno Mountain, north of San Francisco International Airport, therefore ceasing its signal coverage in Monterey and Salinas. A microwave relay feed of KGO-7, the ABC affiliate out of San Francisco, is available through the local cable provider (Comcast).

External links

Cities in California | Monterey County, California

Salinas (Kalifornien) | Salinas (Californie) | Salinas (Californië) | Salinas (Kalifornia)

 

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

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