Salinas, California

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Salinas, California

Salinas is the county seat

County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
and largest municipality of Monterey County

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific Ocean coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay....
in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
of California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. The most current estimate from the California Department of Finance, places the 2006 population at 148,350, showing a small decline since 2000. The largely suburban city is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley

Salinas Valley

The Salinas Valley in the Central Coast of California region of California, United States that lies along the Salinas River between the Gabilan Range and the Santa Lucia Range....
roughly eight miles from the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
and enjoys a mild climate. The climate is also ideal for the floral industry and grape vineyards planted by world-famous vintners.

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Encyclopedia

Salinas is the county seat

County seat

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific Ocean coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay....
in the U.S. state

U.S. state

California

Salinas Valley

Pacific Ocean

John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck III was an American literature. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937....
.

History

Salinas began around 1856 as the Halfway House, a stagecoach stop between Monterey

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific Ocean coast in Central California. As of 2005, the city population was 30,641....
and San Juan Bautista

San Juan Bautista, California

San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, California, United States. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista....
. In 1867, a post office was established, Salinas City was laid out, and the city was incorporated ten years later. The city was named after the word for Salty Marsh in Spanish, salinas
Salinas River (California)

The Salinas River is the largest river of the central coast of California, draining nearly 4,200 square miles. It flows north-northwest and drains the Salinas Valley that slices through the Pacific Coast Ranges south from Monterey Bay....
.

Salinas' economy is largely based on agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
. Located in one of California's richest farming regions, the area produces a variety of fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
s and vegetable
Vegetable

The term "vegetable" generally means the Eating parts of plants. The definition of the word is traditional rather than scientific, however, and therefore the usage of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective, as it is determined by individual cultural customs of food selection and food preparation....
s, including lettuce
Lettuce

Lettuce is a temperate annual plant or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. In many countries, it is typically eaten cold, raw, in salads, hamburgers, tacos, and in many other dishes....
, strawberries
Strawberry

Fragaria is the name of a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits....
, watermelon
Watermelon

Watermelon refers to both fruit and plant of a vine-like herb originally from southern Africa and one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botany as a Epigynous berry, which has a thick Peel and fleshy center ; pepos are derived from an inferior ovary and are characteristic of...
s, broccoli
Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae .It is classified as the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli possesses abundant arboreal, luscious, fleshy, flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible, sturdy, meaty stalk....
, carrot
Carrot

The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange or white, or red-white blend in colour, with a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot....
s, cabbage
Cabbage

The cabbage is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae , used as a Leaf vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial plant, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, forming a characteristic compact, globular cluster ....
s and spinach
Spinach

Spinach is a flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm....
. Therefore many major vegetable producers are headquartered in Salinas. The historic prevalence of row crops is documented by aerial photographic interpretation of Earth Metrics, which study also indicated a major conversion of cropland to urban
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
uses over the time period 1956 to 1968, with that trend continuing for the next decades as well.

Salinas was also the birthplace of writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
and Nobel Prize laureate John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck III was an American literature. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937....
. The recently revitalized historic downtown, featuring much fine Victorian architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
, is home to the National Steinbeck Center
National Steinbeck Center

The National Steinbeck Center is a museum and memorial dedicated to the author John Steinbeck that is located at One Main Street in Salinas, California, the town where Steinbeck grew up....
by Kasavan Architects, Executive Architect, the Steinbeck House (open weekdays) and the John Steinbeck Library
John Steinbeck Library

The John Steinbeck Library is a public library in Salinas, California, California. The library was named after writer John Steinbeck in 1969. The library held the Steinbeck archives until 1998 when they were transferred to the new National Steinbeck Center....
. 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
Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
damage. The plan calls for a high-rise hotel, conference facilities, retail and condominiums. Plans to restore the old Chinatown
Chinatown

A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of overseas Chinese residents, usually outside of Greater China. Chinatowns are present throughout the world, including those in East Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, South America, Australasia, and Europe....
, which featured in John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden

East of Eden

East of Eden is a novel by Nobel Prize for Literature winner John Steinbeck, published in September 1952.Often described as Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, East of Eden brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, and their interwoven stories....
, 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.

Widewaters Near-Downtown Development Proposal This proposal anticipates the potential development of new municipal facilities; city hall, police station, library and other governmental uses, combined with new commercial locations and new residential components in a multi-block area located two streets westward of the central city downtown area of the 100/200/300 blocks of Main Street (Oldtown area).

The primary properties to be considered for redevelopment include many City of Salinas parcels, buildings, and parking facilities. As many as five city blocks could be effected by this new redevelopment plan. The City of Salinas is currently in the process of establishing an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Widewaters Group.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the city has a total area of 22.8 square miles (52.5 km²), all of it land.

The city lies approximately 18 meters (59 ft) above sea level and is located roughly eight miles from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
. The Gabilan and Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia Mountains

The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey, California southeast for 105 miles to San Luis Obispo, California....
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
King City, California

King City is a city in Monterey County, California, California, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 101 and adjacent to the Salinas River in the Salinas Valley of the Central Coast of California....
.

Demographics
At the 2005 census
Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population....
, there were 22 people, 39,297 households and 25 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
was 7,948.4 per square mile (3,068.1/km²). There were 39,659 housing units at an average density of 2,086.8/sq mi (805.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 45.16% White, 6.22% Asian American
Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
, 3.27% African American, 1.26% Native American, 38.70% from other races, and 5.12% from two or more races. 64.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 49.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
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 3.69 and the average family size was 4.08.

Age distribution was 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 117.7 males. For every 102 females age 18 and over, there were 117.4 males.

The median household income
Income

Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings received......
was $43,728, and the median family income was $44,669. Males had a median income of $35,641 versus $27,013 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
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 alongside the city limits, especially in the northern Harden Ranch and Creekbridge neighborhoods. East Salinas and the downtown area suffered from a very low median household 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.

Economy
Salinas is known as the Salad Bowl of America or Salad Bowl of the World. Over 80% of the lettuce
Lettuce

Lettuce is a temperate annual plant or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. In many countries, it is typically eaten cold, raw, in salads, hamburgers, tacos, and in many other dishes....
grown in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
is grown in the Salinas Valley
Salinas Valley

The Salinas Valley in the Central Coast of California region of California, United States that lies along the Salinas River between the Gabilan Range and the Santa Lucia Range....
. The city's labor force is 54.6% blue collar and 45.4% white collar. 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.

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
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
to close its libraries
Public library

A public library is a library which is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and may be operated by Civil services....
. However, 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 opening 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, which was achieved in October 2008. 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.

Housing/ Prices
In 2005, Salinas was ranked as the least affordable city in the United States. According to Alen Tugend, writing for the New York Times, "in 2005, the least-affordable place in the country to live, measured by the percentage of income devoted to mortgage payments, was Salinas, Calif." While the median household income
Household income in the United States

Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions. To measure the income of a household, the pre-tax money receipts of all residents over the age of 15 over a single year are combined....
in Salinas remains near the national median at $50,165, the median home price in the city has risen to $560,600. The large discrepancy between household income levels and the median home price is largely due to a surge in house prices in the coastal California. Between 2004 and 2005, home prices within the city rose by 23.3%. The city has seen double digit growth in its median home prices each consecutive year between 2000 and 2005. During the 2000 US Census, the median asking price for a home was $229,000. Since then home prices have risen by $326,000 (142%) to over a half-million dollars. Household income, however, only rose a relatively modest 16.27%. Today Salinas has a far higher median home price than considerably more affluent
Affluence in the United States

Affluence in the United States refers to an individual's or household's state of being in an economically favorable position in contrast to a given reference group....
communities such as Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue is a rapidly growing city in King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb....
with a median home price of $405,000 and a median household income
Median household income

The median household income is commonly used to provide data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more....
of $88,432. As of 2006, the city's median household income remained 8.6% above the national median of $46,000, while the median home price had risen to 232.68% above the national median of $167,500.

However, in the aftermath of the subprime mortgage crisis
Subprime mortgage crisis

The subprime mortgage crisis is an ongoing financial crisis triggered by a dramatic rise in mortgage delinquency and foreclosures in the United States, with major adverse consequences for banks and financial markets around the globe....
, home prices are in the process of returning to some semblance of affordability. The real estate research website Zillow's data shows that, as of mid-2008, home prices in Salinas had returned to early 2004 levels, eliminating nearly all of the appreciation of the speculative bubble peak years.

A planned major redevelopment project located in the eastern portion of the central city area is anticipated to include more than 50 acres of currently developed properties. This project, as proposed, will offer mixed-use environment for residential, retail, services, commercial, office space and municipal uses.

Crime
One of the city's most serious problems are the violent crime-gangs
Crime in the United States

Crime in the United States is characterized by high levels of violence and homicide compared to other developed country. Some authors attribute both trends to the fact that criminals in America are more likely to have firearms....
. 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
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
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. But in 2007 there were 14 homicides. Overall the rate of homicides per 100,000 persons has remained largely stagnant since the mid 1980s, having returned from its record high levels in mid and late 1990s.

Type of Data 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008
Salinas Homicide rate 11.1 7.0 6.7 6.3 12.9 12.5 14.6 9.7 9.7 12.6 12.9 10.7 10.0 22.9
National homicide rate 8.0 8.3 8.7 9.8 9.5 8.2 6.8 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.6 N/A N/A N/A
SOURCE: US Department of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005; KSBW.com, 2009

Weather

Salinas enjoys cool and moderate temperatures due to the "natural air conditioner" that conveys ocean air and fog in from the Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is a Headlands and bays of the Pacific Ocean, south of San Francisco between the cities of Santa Cruz, California and Monterey, California....
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
Central Coast of California

The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, California, San Benito County, California, Monterey County, California, San Luis Obispo County, California, Santa Barbara County, California, and parts of western Ventura C...
rather than that of inland valleys and thus enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate

A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide....
with typical daily highs ranging from the low 50s (°F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
) 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
Marine layer

A marine layer is an air mass which develops over the surface of a large body of water such as the ocean or large lake in the presence of a temperature inversion....
) 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 14.4 in
Inch

An inch is the name of a Units of measurement of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units....
. Occasionally there is snowfall on the peaks of the Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountain ranges, but snow in the city itself is extremely rare, occurring about once every 10-20 years on average.

Arts and Culture
Salinas boasts an emerging arts scene led by the First Fridays Art Walk and the innovative use of non-traditional or business venues to exhibit art and host live local music. The oldest gallery in Salinas, the Valley Art Gallery, has been active for over 30 years. The Hartnell College Gallery hosts world-class exhibitions of art during the school year. The National Steinbeck Center has two galleries with changing exhibits, and the city's newest @Risk Gallery features cutting-edge and visionary exhibitions. The Art Walk, held in the downtown area, features 50 venues.

Live theater companies in Salinas include Ariel Theatrical located in the Wilson's Children's Theater in Oldtown Salinas, and the Western Stage , a professional company who performs in the Hartnell College Performing Arts Center designed by Kasavan Architects.

Live local music is available at many restaurants in the downtown area, and during the First Fridays Art Walk. Concerts are held at the historic Fox California Theater , Sherwood Hall and the Salinas Sports Complex
Salinas Sports Complex

The Salinas Sports Complex is a sporting complex located in Salinas, California on the Central Coast of California. The main feature of the complex is a 17,000-seat stadium sutible for rodeo, Football , American football, and Rugby football....
,designed by Kasavan Architects, as well as at Hartnell Community College .

Salinas is home to many public murals, including work by John Cerney which can be viewed in the agricultural fields surrounding the city. Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg is a sculpture, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects....
placed his sculpture, Hat in Three Stages of Landing, in Sherwood Park at the center of the city.

Sister Cities

Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima, Japan
Guanajuato
Guanajuato

Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. It is named after its capital city, Guanajuato, Guanajuato, which comes from the local indigenous P'urh?pecha language, meaning "Hill of Frogs"....
, Mexico
Cebu City
Cebu City

The City of Cebu , is the capital city of Cebu in the Philippines, and is the second most Metro Cebu in the Philippine Islands. The Cities of the Philippines is located on the eastern shore of Cebu, and is the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines....
, Philippines

Services

Transportation

Rail
Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
, the national passenger rail system, serves Salinas
Salinas (Amtrak station)

Salinas Station is an Amtrak station in Salinas, California, California, United States.External links...
, operating its Coast Starlight
Coast Starlight

The Coast Starlight is a 1,377-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from Seattle, Washington's King Street Station to Los Angeles, California's Union Station ....
daily in each direction between Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the most populous city in the US state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest....
, and Los Angeles
Union Station (Los Angeles)

Union Station in Los Angeles, California, which opened in May 1939, is known as the "Last of the Great train station" built in the United States, but even with its massive and ornate waiting room and adjacent ticket concourse, it is considered small in comparison to other union stations....
.

Bus
Public transportation via bus is provided by . Public buses take passengers throughout the county, as well as San Jose and Gilroy. Buses to San Jose and Gilroy connect to Caltrain and Amtrak in those cities.

Airport
Salinas Municipal Airport
Salinas Municipal Airport

Salinas Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Salinas, California, a city in Monterey County, California, California, United States....
is located on the southeastern boundary of the City of Salinas, three miles (5 km) from the 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 a day, seven days a 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 agreed 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 access the new hangars.

The airport has full Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System

The Instrument Landing System is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during Instrument meteorological conditions, such as low Flight ceiling or reduced...
(ILS) and VHF omnidirectional range
VHF omnidirectional range

VOR, short for VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier in morse code , and data that allows the airborne receiving equipment to derive a Bearing #Types of bearings from the station to the aircraft...
(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%

Education

School districts in Salinas
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. The Salinas City Elementary School District
Salinas City Elementary School District

About this DistrictSalinas City Elementary is an elementary school district located in Salinas, California. As of 2006, Salinas City Elementary had an enrollment of 7, 954 students, of which 80% were Hispanic or Latino....
is the largest elementary school district in Salinas, with 12 schools and 7,954 students. . Other districts include Santa Rita Union Elementary School District
Santa Rita Union Elementary School District

Santa Rita Union Elementary School District is located in Salinas, California, USA. The school district consists of Gavilan View Middle School , La Jolla Elementary School , Santa Rita Elementary School , McKinnon Elementary School , and New Republic Elementary School ....
, Graves Elementary School District, Washington Union School District, Lagunita School District]], and Alisal Union School District.

Higher education
Opportunities for higher education in Salinas include Hartnell College
Hartnell College

Hartnell Community College is a 2-year community college in Salinas, California, USA. It was founded in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, and renamed in 1948 for William Edward Petty Hartnell....
, a California Community College
California Community Colleges system

The California Community Colleges System consists of 110 community colleges in 72 community college districts in the U.S. state of California....
.

Hospitals
The Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital
Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital

The Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital is a public district hospital in Salinas, California.With 269 hospital beds and 2,132 employees, the hospital has tried to improve the health of the Salinas Valley by using the latest healthcare technology....
and are both located in Salinas.

Points of interest

California Rodeo Salinas
Salinas is a major stop on the professional rodeo circuit. The California Rodeo Salinas
California Rodeo Salinas

Salinas is a major stop on the professional rodeo circuit. The Salinas, California rodeo began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now the Salinas Sports Complex....
(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
Salinas Sports Complex

The Salinas Sports Complex is a sporting complex located in Salinas, California on the Central Coast of California. The main feature of the complex is a 17,000-seat stadium sutible for rodeo, Football , American football, and Rugby football....
. 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.

Gallery

Media

Notable residents

Monica Abbott
Monica Abbott

Monica Cecilia Abbott is an United States athlete who pitched for the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team from 2004-2007. She is currently under contract with National Pro Fastpitch's Washington Glory and took the year 2008 off to participate in the Beijing Olympics with Team USA....
, softball pitcher
Everett Alvarez Jr.
Everett Alvarez Jr.

Everett Alvarez Jr. was a United States Navy Commander who endured one of the longest periods as a prisoner of war in American history. Alvarez was the first American POW in North Vietnam....
, American Navy pilot and prisoner of war
Chris Dalman
Chris Dalman

Chris Dalman is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers . He was an offensive tackle/defensive tackle for Palma High School in Salinas, and was a four-year football letter-winner at Stanford University....
, American football offensive lineman and coach
Jackie Greene
Jackie Greene

Jackie Greene , is an United States singer-songwriter and musician....
, singer-songwriter and blues musician
Alvin
Alvin Harrison

Alvin Harrison is an United States athletics . He won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at both the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics....
and Calvin Harrison
Calvin Harrison

Calvin Harrison is an United States athletics . He won a gold medal in the Men's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia....
, twins, and athletes
Vanessa Hudgens, singer and actress
Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan

Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan, is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers....
, NASCAR
NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
driver
Joe Kapp
Joe Kapp

Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American football and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the California Golden Bears football, and a former general manager#Sports teams of the Canadian Football League BC Lions....
, American football quarterback
Slim Keith
Slim Keith

Nancy "Slim" Gross Hawks Hayward Keith, Lady Keith was a New York City socialite and fashion icon during the 1950s and 1960s, exemplifying the American jet set....
, socialite
Craig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn

Craig Kilborn is an United States comedian and former talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show ....
, talk show host
Xavier Nady
Xavier Nady

Xavier Clifford Nady VI is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees....
, baseball player
Carl Nicks
Carl Nicks (American football)

Carl Nicks, Jr. is an American football offensive tackle who was a 5th round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League ....
, American football offensive lineman
Kassim Osgood
Kassim Osgood

Kassim Osgood is a National Football League wide receiver and top special teams player for the San Diego Chargers out of San Diego State.Osgood was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Salinas, California, where he graduated from North Salinas High School....
, American football wide receiver
Van Partible
Van Partible

Van Partible is the creator of the Cartoon Network cartoon series Johnny Bravo.He has also created the animated portions for certain episodes in the series, Medium ....
, cartoonist
Del Rodgers
Del Rodgers

Rodrick Del Rodgers , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 3rd round of the 1982 NFL Draft....
, American football running back
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck III was an American literature. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937....
, author and Nobel laureate
Anthony Toney
Anthony Toney

Anthony Toney is a former professional American football running back for five seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles....
, American football running back
Monty Roberts
Monty Roberts

Monty Roberts is a horse trainer whose 1996 autobiography, The Man Who Listens to Horses, became a best-seller.He wrote that by personally observing horses in the wild, he learned to "listen" to their non-verbal "language"; that when horses understood that they can trust you, they will decide to be with you....
, Great Horseman

External links

from the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Salinas, California

History

Geography

Demographics

Economy

City funding

Housing/ Prices

Crime

Weather

Arts and Culture

Sister Cities

Services

Transportation

Rail

Bus

Airport

Airport operational statistics

Education

School districts in Salinas

Higher education

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Points of interest

California Rodeo Salinas

Gallery

Media

Notable residents

See also

External links