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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, showing a small decline since 2000. 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. The climate is also ideal for the floral industry and grape vineyards planted by world-famous vintners. Salinas is known for being an agricultural center as well as being the hometown of famed writer and Nobel prize laureate John Steinbeck.
Salinas began around 1856 as the Halfway House, a stagecoach stop between Monterey and 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' economy is largely based on 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 crops is documented by aerial photographic interpretation of Earth Metrics, which study also indicated a major conversion of cropland to urban 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 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, which featured in John Steinbeck's novel
, 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.