WELCOME TO SALINAS

Salinas and the Salinas Valley offer a unique combination of climate, natural resources and people. The City of Salinas was born after Mexico seceded from Spain in 1822 and began granting rancho lands. Named for a nearby salt marsh, Salinas became the seat of Monterey County in 1872 and incorporated in 1874.

Today the Salinas Valley is known as "The Salad Bowl of the World" for the production of lettuce, broccoli, mushrooms and strawberries, along with numerous other crops. The climate is also ideal for the floral industry and grape vineyards planted by world-famous vintners.

Although agriculture forms an economic base, more than 100 manufacturing firms call Salinas home. Some of the largest employers in the area include: Dole Fresh Vegetable, the County of Monterey, Household Credit Services and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.

Salinas’ hospitality blends yesterday’s charm with today’s modern conveniences. The California Rodeo, California International Airshow, and the world famous Steinbeck Festival are major attractions of our colorful and diverse city.

Visitors can also explore the nearby Monterey Peninsula: the historic missions of San Jan Bautista, Soledad, Carmel and San Antonio de Padus, the world class wineries of South Monterey County and the beauty of nearby beaches and Pinnacles National Monument.

Climate:
Salinas’ weather is influenced by our near proximity to Monterey Bay. The morning fog is generally cleared by afternoon breezes. The average temperature is 68.2 degrees, with summer temperatures in the 70’s, dipping at night into the 50’s. Winter temperatures are generally in the low 60’s, dropping at night into the middle 30’s. Average rainfall is 14.4 inches, usually occurring in winter and early spring.

Housing:
Salinas is a community of neighborhoods with a wide variety of housing options. With Victorians and the historic Spanish influence, Salinas provides renters and homebuyers a housing assortment, from modest cottages and modern townhouses to spacious "rancheros" nestled in the oak-dotted countryside.

Newer developments provide attractive and imaginative tract homes and condominiums, while there are many modern homes in well-established neighborhoods. Newcomers and longtime residents will find a neighborhood to their liking, regardless of whether they are looking for something larger to accommodate a growing family, or simply want to find smaller quarters for their retirement years.

Salinas offers approximately 39,175 housing units of which 20,881 are detached single family residences, 2,863 are attached single family residences, 3,341 two to four unit multifamily complexes, 10,833 apartment units and 1,257 mobile homes. The residential vacancy rate is approximately 3½% at any time during the year.

Rental – The median rent for two bedroom, one bath apartment was $756 per month as of July 2000.

Purchase – The median home price was $268,000 as of October 2000.
Percentage of home ownership – 43%

Median Income - $55,600 for a family of four.
           US Dept of HUD 2003 statistics

Families living below poverty level – 12.8%
          S Census Bureau 2000 Statistics
           

Racial/Ethnic Population Breakdown and Population by Age:

Work Force Distribution by Industry:

Tax Rates:

Sales Tax - The State of California retail sales tax levy in Monterey County is levied at the rate of 7.25% of which 1% is returned to the City of Salinas for general governmental purposes and ½% is returned to the County of Monterey for public safety activities.

Transactions and Use Tax (Measure V)
On November 8, 2005, the voters of Salinas approved a Temporary Transactions and Use Tax at the rate of one-half of one percent (0.50%) to be in effect for a period of ten (10) years.  The tax began April 1, 2006. With Measure V, the City's retail sales tax rate
is 7.75%.

Property Tax - The minimum property tax rate is one percent of assessed valuation. The bonded indebtedness of schools and other taxing agencies may be added to the base tax rate depending on the location of specific parcels of property.

Health Care:
Salinas has extensive health and medical services with two of the County’s four hospitals located within the City – Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and Natividad Medical Center. Salinas also offers skilled nursing and convalescent homes and residential retirement facilities for seniors, as well as over two-hundred practicing physicians.

Transportation:
Salinas is located fifteen miles inland from Monterey Bay, 325 miles north of Los Angeles and 106 miles south of San Francisco.

Highways – The major north-south freeway, US 101 bisects Salinas. State highways 68 and 183 connect with scenic Highway 1 accessing the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding cities.

Bus – Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) operates local bus service, Monterey-Salinas AirBus offers connections to San Jose and San Francisco airports and Greyhound offers service to all major cities.

Air – Salinas Municipal Airport has a lighted 6,000-foot runway. Commercial airlines serve nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport.

Rail – Southern Pacific’s main line with daily Amtrak service runs through Salinas with a stop at the new Intermodal Transportation Center.

Education:
Salinas is served by three elementary school districts; a unified high school district and several private schools at both the primary and secondary level. Hartnell College, a State Community College, offers two-year degrees and occupational certificate programs. California State University at Monterey Bay is located less than 15 miles away on the former Ft. Ord. Graduate studies through Chapman College, Golden Gate University and the Monterey Institute of International Studies are available nearby. Also in the area are Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Monterey College of Law and Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station.

Utilities:
Salinas is served by two private water companies: Alco Water Service (831-424-0441) and California Water Service (831-757-3644). High-quality ground water is obtained from deep wells. Salt-water intrusion threatens parts of Monterey County and continues to creep closer to the Northwest boundary of the City. The City is cooperating with other local government agencies and the two private water companies in response to the salt-water intrusion problem.

Electrical service is delivered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) (800) 743-5000.

Refuse service, including collection and disposal is provided by BFI Waste Services of Salinas (831-775-3840). The Company is also responsible for collecting recyclable products.

The Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (SVSWA) (831-755-1300) is a joint powers agency made up of the following local governments: Monterey County(eastern half of the unincorporated county), and the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Salinas, and Soledad. The Authority is responsible for providing secure long-term solid waste disposal service to all its members in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner. To accomplish this goal, the Authority currently owns four landfills and oversees the contract operation of these facilities. The Authority is also responsible for overseeing future landfill siting or expansion to meet the area's long-term solid waste disposal needs.

Salinas is served by the Monterey County Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (831-422-1001), which operates the regional treatment plant in Marina. Sewer charges are proportional to flow and strength for industrial customers and a flat rate is charged residential customers. The City of Salinas also operates an industrial waste treatment plant for food processing and related industries.

SBC, (1-800-310-2355) and numerous long distance telecommunications companies offer local businesses and residents the latest technology and telecommunication systems.

Cable television service is provided by Comcast (800) 945-2288.

Newspapers:
Local daily newspapers include The Californian, the Monterey County Herald and El Sol, the Spanish language newspaper.

Form of Government:
The City Council appointed City Manager is responsible for all City departments except the appointed City Attorney. The City Council legislates policies, enacts ordinances, approves the budget and appoints advisory boards and commissions. The seven-member City Council includes six members, elected by district for four-year staggered terms on a nonpartisan basis, plus the Mayor who is elected at-large and serves a term of two years.

Our current City Hall was built in 1964 and an addition was constructed in 1975. Our old City Hall no longer exists, but we have some records of the building dating back to 1907. It was demolished shortly after our current City Hall was opened in 1964.