SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

'Salinas' is the county seat and largest municipality of Monterey County in the U.S. state of California. The most current estimate from the California Department of Finance, places the 2006 population at 148,350,^[1] showing a slight decrease since 2000 which is largely attributed to the city's high cost of living. The largely suburban city is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley roughly eight miles from the Pacific Ocean and enjoys a mild climate. Salinas is known for being an agricultural center as well as being the hometown of famed writer and Nobel prize laureate John Steinbeck.

Contents

History

Geography

Conveyor belt weather

Demographics

Airport

Airport operational statistics

California International Airshow

California Rodeo Salinas

Rail transportation

Economy

Housing prices

City funding

Gallery

Crime

Gangs

Schools

School closures / openings

Higher education

School districts in Salinas

Notable residents

Media

References

External links

History

Salinas began around 1840 as the Halfway House, a stagecoach stop between Monterey and San Juan Bautista. In 1864, a post office was established, Salinas City was laid out, and the city was incorporated ten years later.
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. The historic prevalence of row crop is documented by aerial photographic interpretation of Earth Metrics,^[2] which study also indicated a major conversion of cropland to urban uses over the time period 1956 to 1968,^[3][4] with that trend continuing for the next decades as well.
Salinas was also the birthplace of writer and Nobel Prize laureate John Steinbeck. The recently revitalized historic downtown, featuring much fine Victorian architecture, is home to the National Steinbeck Center by Kasavan Architects, Executive Architect, the Steinbeck House (open weekdays) and the John Steinbeck Library. The city is currently meeting with a group of local businesspeople who have received preliminary approval for a plan to build a mixed-use development on the site of the old Cominos Hotel which was torn down in the early 1990s due to earthquake damage. The plan calls for a high-rise hotel, conference facilities, retail and condominiums. Plans to restore the old Chinatown (featured in John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden), just north of downtown, began in March 2007 with a vision of mixed uses emphasizing walkable neighborhoods, affordable and workforce housing, social services, retail and public green spaces.

Geography

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 Salinas Valley to the east and west, respectively. Both mountain ranges and the Salinas Valley run approximately 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.

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 19 or younger, 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.
Median household income in the city tended to be significantly higher alonside the city limits, especially in the northern Harden Ranch and Creekbridge neighborhoods. East Salinas and the downtown area suffered from a very low median households income as well as high crime rates. South and North Salinas featured roughly the same level of median households income with the latter being home to city's wealthiest newly constructed neighborhoods.^[5]

Airport

Salinas Municipal Airport is located on the southeastern boundary of the City of Salinas, three miles from city center. It is a general aviation facility occupying , 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. Salinas Airport Commissioners gave the nod to a proposed project that would bring a 100-room hotel, offices and hangars to a vacant lot in front of the Salinas Municipal Airport terminal. The Salinas Jet Center would include a national chain hotel, of office space, four large complexes combining more offices with airplane hangars and a 24-hour, full-service plane-fueling station. The project would also include a taxiway to allow planes to come and go from the new hangars.
The airport has full Instrument Landing System (ILS) and VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) located on the airport. The ILS 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).

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; Transient general aviation 57%; Local general aviation 40%; Air taxi 5%; Military less than 1%

California International Airshow

Salinas Airport is the location of the annual California International Airshow (http://www.salinasairshow.com/) The airshow often features top-tier aerobatic teams such as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, with the proceeds going to local charities.

California Rodeo Salinas

Salinas is a major stop on the professional rodeo circuit. The Salinas rodeo http://www.carodeo.com/index.php (pronounced the Spanish way "roDAYo") began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now the Salinas Sports Complex. Every third week of July is Big Week, when cowboys and fans come for the traditional rodeo competitions, including bullriding. Rodeo-related events held in Salinas and Monterey include cowboy poetry, winetasting, a carnival, barbecues and a gala cowboy ball.

Rail transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, serves Salinas, operating its Coast Starlight daily in each direction between Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles.

Economy

Salinas is known as the ''Salad Bowl of America'' or ''Salad Bowl of the World''. Over 80% of the lettuce grown in the United States is grown in the Salinas Valley. The city's labor force is almost evenly divided between blue collar, 54.6%, and white collar, 45.4%. 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 near the national median at $50,165
,^[7] the median home price in the city has risen to $560,600^[8]. The large discrepancy between household income levels and the median home price is largely due to the recent surge in house prices, that affected coastal California in an especially strong manner. Between 2004 and 2005 alone home prices within the city rose by 23.3%.^[9] The city has seen double digit growth in its median home prices each consecutive year since 2000, which becomes apparent when comparing 2005 home prices to those from the year 2000. During the 2000 US Census, the median asking price for a home was $229,000.^[10]. Since then home prices have risen by $326,000 or 142% to being in excess of a half-million dollars. Household income, however, only rose a relatively modest 16.27%.^[11] Today Salinas has a far higher median home price than considerably more affluent communities such Bellevue, Washington with a median home price of $405,000 and a median household income of $88,432, more than double that of Salinas.^[12] While the city's median household income remains a mere 8.6% above the national median of $46,000, the median home price has risen to 232.68% above the national median of $167,500.^[8]

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 effect 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. In July 2007, library restoration had progressed enough to increase open hours to 117 (across the three branches), which was the number before the budget cuts but only 68% of the system's peak of 171. In late July, the city announced the hiring of a new library director who declared a long-term goal of opening the system 7 days a week. Various community groups, including Friends of the Salinas Public Library and the Salinas Library Commission, are championing the effort for reinvention of the library system to improve and expand services.

Gallery

Crime

One of the city's most serious problems is violent crime-gangs. While the city's current violent crime rate is above the national average, historic trends suggest improvement. The number of aggravated assaults fell from 844 in 1993 to 661 in 1998. In 2004, there were 11.4 murders per 100,000 residents, more than twice the national average of 5.5. In 2005, however, the city's homicide rate decreased dramatically to a record low of 4.96 homicides per 100,000 persons, approximately 15% below national average where it remained for 2006.^[14] Overall the rate of homicides per 100,000 persons is currently at its lowest level since the late 1980s, having returned from its record high levels in mid and late 1990s.Violent Crime in Salinas since 1985">^[15]
SOURCE: US Departement of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005

Gangs

Gang activity is responsible for a substantial portion of the violent crime in Salinas. The majority of street gang territory in Salinas comes under the Norteño and Sureño gangs, located mostly in the Eastside.
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 low educational attainment, low household income (considering the median house price), and high population density caused by a lack of affordable housing as aggravating factors. The County of Monterey launched a 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. The Sheriff's Office and the Salinas Police Department have ordered 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. The mayor of Salinas announced (March 2007) the appointment of a Community Safety Director, a new position created to coordinate multiple government agencies and nonprofit organizations involved with crime prevention and suppression.
At the present time, the only gang prevention, intervention and counseling program that is working directly with at-risk youth is Second Chance Family & Youth Services located at 745 N. Sanborn Road, Salinas CA 93905. Brian K. Contreras founded the agency in 1980 and is a recipient of the California Wellness Foundation of the 2001 California Peace Prize. Second Chance provides a number of programs and services to residents throughout the County of Monterey and the city of Salinas including youth counseling, group counseling, tattoo removal (gang or drug related), community presentations, training for parents, teachers, educators, administrators, law enforcement and social service providers, neighborhood clean-up and graffiti removal are among a few.

Schools

Salinas has seven school districts serving the city core and adjacent unincorporated areas. The largest school district in Salinas is the Salinas Union High School District (grades 7-12) with 13,578 students enrolled in 10 campuses.[1] The Salinas City Elementary School District is the largest elementary school district in Salinas. Salinas City Elementary has 12 schools and 7,954 students. [2].

School closures / openings

In April 2005, in a last ditch effort to keep the district solvent, the Salinas City Elementary School District voted to close two elementary schools, Boronda School and Lincoln School. Closing Roosevelt School (K-6) was considered but the school was saved by its historical ties to John Steinbeck, who attended it as a child.
The newest school in Salinas is Boronda Meadows Elementary, built in 2005. Boronda Meadows was to have been a magnet school. This magnet school was to be divided into two campuses, one for technology and the other for fine arts. With the closing of Boronda and Lincoln schools, the magnet school idea was dropped in favor of a traditional school setting. Boronda Meadows is, however, perhaps the most technologically advanced elementary school in Salinas. Some of the advances include wi-fi access available campus wide, integrated digital projectors in each room, a television studio, mobile computer accounts for students, VOIP, and mobile computer labs. As a reminder of the two campus idea, Boronda Meadows currently has two gyms, two outdoor amphitheaters, two indoor stages, two cafeterias, two separate bussing lanes and two playgrounds.

Higher education

Opportunities for higher education include Hartnell Community College and California State University Monterey Bay, in nearby Seaside, CA.

School districts in Salinas

Notable residents

★ John Steinbeck (1902-1968), one of the best-known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century, winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 and a Pulitzer Prize in 1940, 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)

★ Anthony Toney, former Philadelphia Eagles running back and North Salinas graduate.

★ Ernie Irvan, a former NASCAR driver, is a native of Salinas and resides there.

★ Joseph Robert Kapp, an American football quarterback during 1960s, Minnesota Vikings standout, labeled "Toughest Chicano" in the NFL by Sports Illustrated.

★ Xavier Nady, an American baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played with the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres. (While not a current resident of Salinas, Nady was raised in Salinas.)

★ Efrem Giovanni "Van" Partible, creator of cartoon character Johnny Bravo and 1989 Salinas High School graduate.

★ Say No More, a rock band which consists of Peter Pedrazzi, Tim Spier, Jon Rasmussen and Peter Holbert. All members were graduates of Salinas High school, and are currently signed to famed indie label Drive Thru Records.

★ Joseph Hennawi, an American astrophysicist at UC Berkeley, was born and raised in Salinas.

★ Twin brothers, Alvin and Calvin Harrison reside in Salinas. They are athletes who won gold medals in the US 4x400 m relay squad at the Olympic Games in 2000. The team was retroactively disqualified when Alvin and Calvin Harrison were found guilty of doping. They were both later barred from competitive racing for 4 years after testing positive for a banned substance.

★ Del Rodgers, former NFL running back and kickoff returner.

★ Harold Gordon A notable author, who spent time in Nazi concentration camps and wrote about his experiences.

★ "Slim" Keith, (born Nancy Gross), Hollywood and New York socialite, formerly married to producer Leland Hayward and director Howard Hawks, dubbed the original "California Girl", was born in Salinas.

★ Craig Kilborn A former sportscaster at KCBA-TV Channel 35 in Salinas who went on to host 'The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn' (CBS network 1999), resided there.

★ Jesse G. Sanchez, Esq. A prominent local Latino civil rights advocate who died from cancer in 1995. Jesse G. Sanchez was an attorney who graduated valedictorian from UC Davis School of Law and founder of LULAC Council #2055.

★ Heather Rene Smith Playboy's Miss February 2007, was born in Salinas.

★ Monica Abbott, softball pitcher for the University of Tennessee and the U.S. National softball team, the NCAA career leader in strikeouts, was born and raised in Salinas and attended North Salinas High School.

★ Kassim Osgood is a National Football League wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers who graduated from North Salinas High School.

★ Vanessa Hudgens was born in Salinas, but raised in Southern California.

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 has been lacking 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).

References

1. California Department of Finance, 2006 population estimate
2. Earth Metrics Inc., ''Aerial photographic interpretation for Salinas, California'' and ''Environmental Assessment for Canada Mobile Estates, Salinas, California'', January 1990
3. U.S.G.S. Map May 14,1956 ABG-6R-5, #75 1:20,000
4. U.S.G.S. Map June 13,1968 GS-VBZK-2-224, #214 1:30,000
5. US Census Bureau, Income Map
6. US Census Bureau, Income Map
7. US Census Bureau, Salinas median household income
8. US Census Bureau, US Census Bureau, Salinas 2005 demographic profile
9. Money Magazine, Salinas median home price
10. US Census Bureau, median home price asked during the 2000 Census
11. US Census Bureau, Salinas median household income, 2000 Census
12. Bellevue, WA median home price and income
13. US Census Bureau, US Census Bureau, Salinas 2005 demographic profile
14. FBI uniformed crime report statistics, Salinas, 2005
15. US Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Vioent Crime Rates
16.
17. FBI uniformed crime report statistics, Salinas, 2005
18. US Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Violent Crime Rates

External links

★ Hartnell College

★ Salinas City Elementary School District

★ Salinas International Airshow

★ Salinas Rodeo

★ Salinas Chamber of Commerce

★ Downtown Salinas events and info

★ Hospital serving community

★ SkyCam Salinas

★ Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital; City of Salinas

★ City of Salinas Airport

★ City of Salinas Official Web Site

★ Monterey County Realtors Association

★ Newspaper serving The City of Salinas

★ Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau

★ National Steinbeck Center Salinas

★ LULAC Council #2055

★ Salinas City Police Department

★ Friends of the Salinas Public Library