Editing Salinas, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Salinas
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| official_name      = 
| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage
| photo1a                  = Monterey County Courthouse 2018 Salinas CA (1).jpg
| photo1b                  = Main Street Salinas City Center 1.jpg
| photo2b                  = Monterey Co Jail (cropped).jpg
| photo3a                  = Main Street, Salinas (cropped).jpg
| photo3b                  = Taylor Building Salinas CA.png
| spacing                  = 2
| position                 = center
| color_border             = white
| color                    = white
| size                     = 275
| foot_montage             = Top: [[Monterey County Court House]]; downtown; middle: historic [[Monterey County Jail]] building; bottom: [[Taylor Farms]] headquarters; downtown.
}}
| image_seal         = Seal of Salinas, California.png
| image_flag         = 
| image_shield       = 
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Salinas, California.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Wordmark
| blank_emblem_size  = 
| blank_emblem_alt   = 
| blank_emblem_link  = List of U.S. county and city insignia
| nickname           = "The Salad Bowl of the World"<ref>
{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/visitors/community_profile.cfm
 | title = Community Profile - Visitors
 | publisher = City of Salinas, California
 | access-date = January 31, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150121012838/http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/visitors/community_profile.cfm
 | archive-date = January 21, 2015
| url-status = live
 }}
</ref>
| motto              = "Rich in Land, Rich in Values."<ref>
 {{Cite web
  | url = http://businessinsalinas.com/home.aspx
  | title = City of Salinas - Home
  | publisher = City of Salinas Economic Development
  | access-date = December 8, 2014
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141219042733/http://businessinsalinas.com/home.aspx
  | archive-date = December 19, 2014
  | url-status = dead
 }}
</ref>
| image_map          = Monterey_County_California_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Salinas_Highlighted.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Salinas, California
| pushpin_map        = California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in California##Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_label      = Salinas
| pushpin_label_position = right
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|40|40|N|121|39|20|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of regions of California|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Northern California]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Monterey County, California|Monterey]]
| established_title  = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = March 4, 1874<ref>{{Cite web
  |url          = http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
  |title        = California Cities by Incorporation Date
  |format       = Word
  |publisher    = California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s
  |access-date  = August 25, 2014
  |url-status   = dead
  |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
  |archive-date = November 3, 2014
  |df           = mdy-all
 }}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Council-manager government|Council-Manager]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Dennis Donohue<ref name="JoeGunterRIP">Mayor Joe Gunter died unexpectedly on June 29, 2020. The city councilmembers will alternate as acting mayor until an election is held. {{cite news |last1=Meier |first1=Megan |title=City of Salinas selects interim mayor |url=https://kion546.com/news/top-stories/2020/06/30/city-of-salinas-selects-interim-mayor/ |access-date=July 1, 2020 |work=KION |date=June 30, 2020 |quote=District 5 city council member, Christie Cromeenes, will serve as mayor until the first week in October.}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = [[California's 17th State Senate district|State senator]]
| leader_name1       = {{Representative|casd|17|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd/>
| total_type         = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 60.74
| area_total_sq_mi   = 23.45
| area_land_km2      = 60.66
| area_land_sq_mi    = 23.42
| area_water_km2     = 0.08
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.03
| area_water_percent = 0.16
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis>{{Cite GNIS|277589|Salinas | access-date = November 18, 2014}}</ref>
| elevation_ft       = 52
| population_total   = 163542
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name=quick>{{cite web|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=Salinas (city) QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/salinascitycalifornia/POP010220|access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name=quick/>
| population_rank    = [[Monterey County, California|1st]] in Monterey County<br />[[List of largest California cities by population|35th]] in California<br />[[List of United States cities by population|163rd]] in the United States
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 93901–93903, 93905–93908, 93912, and 93915
| area_code          = [[Area code 831|831]]
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| website            = {{URL|www.cityofsalinas.org}}
| leader_title2      = [[California's 29th State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
| leader_name2       = {{Representative|caad|29|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd>{{Cite web |url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |title=Statewide Database |publisher=UC Regents |access-date=November 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_title3      = [[California's 18th congressional district|U. S. rep.]]
| leader_name3       = {{Representative|cacd|18|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|18|access-date=September 24, 2014}}</ref>
<!-- Area------------------>| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;8
| timezone_DST       = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;7
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info         = {{FIPS|06|64224}}
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info        = {{GNIS 4|277589}}, {{GNIS 4|2411768}}
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
}}

'''Salinas''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|l|iː|n|ə|s}}; [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "[[Salt pan (geology)|Salt Flats]]") is a city in the U.S. state of [[California]] and the [[county seat]] of [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]]. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County.<ref name="USCensusEst2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref> Salinas is an urban area located along the eastern limits of the [[Monterey Bay Area]], lying just south of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] and {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} southeast of the mouth of the [[Salinas River (California)|Salinas River]].<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|948}}</ref> The city is located at the mouth of the [[Salinas Valley]], about {{convert|8|miles|km|spell=in}} from the [[Pacific Ocean]], and it has a climate more influenced by the ocean than the interior.

Salinas serves as the main business, governmental, and industrial center of the region.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Jim|title=Monterey County, Salinas discuss alternatives to Capital One complex buy|url=http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20140731/monterey-county-salinas-discuss-alternatives-to-capital-one-complex-buy|website=Monterey Herald: News|date=July 31, 2014|publisher=Monterey Herald|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216154224/http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20140731/monterey-county-salinas-discuss-alternatives-to-capital-one-complex-buy|archive-date=December 16, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The marine climate is ideal for the floral industry, grape vineyards, and vegetable growers. Salinas is known as the "Salad Bowl of the World" for its large, vibrant agriculture industry.<ref name="McKibben 2022">{{Cite book |last=McKibben |first=Carol Lynn |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1236850398 |title=Salinas : a history of race and resilience in an agricultural city |date=2022 |isbn=978-1-5036-2945-5 |location=Stanford, California |oclc=1236850398}}</ref>

It was the hometown of writer and [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureate]] [[John Steinbeck]] (1902–68), who set many of his stories in the Salinas Valley and Monterey.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nolte |first1=Carl |title=Steinbeck Country: Touring the land that inspired a legend |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/centralcoasting/article/Steinbeck-Country-Touring-the-land-that-inspired-7961793.php |access-date=June 25, 2019 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=June 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808222057/http://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/centralcoasting/article/Steinbeck-Country-Touring-the-land-that-inspired-7961793.php |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Salinas has a high [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] proportion, which at 79.6%, is [[List of U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations|the highest proportion of Hispanic Americans]] out of any city in California, and 8th largest overall in the nation.<ref name="2020Hispanic">{{cite web |title=P2: HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=P2%3A%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO,%20AND%20NOT%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO%20BY%20RACE&g=0100000US%24160000_0400000US72%240500000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2&hidePreview=true |website=2020 Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 10, 2021 }}</ref> The city also has a sizable Asian-American population, with a large and historic Filipino population. The city once also had the 2nd biggest Chinatown in the nation behind only San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Davis-King|first1=Shelly|last2=Jew|first2=Nicholas P.|last3=Erlandson|first3=Jon M.|last4=Haversat|first4=Trudy|last5=Breschini|first5=Gary S.|last6=Bettinger|first6=Robert L.|date=November 10, 2014|title=NEWS AND NOTES|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/1947461x14z.00000000049|journal=California Archaeology|volume=6|issue=2|pages=297–313|doi=10.1179/1947461x14z.00000000049|s2cid=218667520|issn=1947-461X}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:José_Eusebio_Boronda.jpg|thumb|left|José Eusebio Boronda, a [[Californio]] ranchero, was granted [[Rancho Rincón del Sanjón]] in 1840, covering today's northwestern Salinas and [[Boronda, California|Boronda]].]]
[[File:Salinas City, First Mayor's House, 1874.jpg|thumb|left|First Mayor's House circa 1868]]
The land that Salinas sits on is thought to have been settled by Native Americans known as the [[Esselen]] prior to 200 AD.<ref>"The Esselen Indians of the Big Sur Country" by Gary S. Breschini and Trudy Haversat</ref> Between 200 and 500 AD, they were displaced by the [[Rumsen people|Rumsen]] group of [[Ohlone people|Ohlone]] speaking people. The Rumsen-Ohlone remained as the inhabitants of the area for approximately another 1,200 years, and in the 1700s, were the group of native inhabitants contacted and recorded by the first Spanish explorers of the Salinas area.

Upon the arrival of the Spanish, large Spanish land grants were initially issued for the [[Spanish missions in California|Catholic Missions]] and also as bonuses to soldiers. Later on after Mexican independence, smaller land grants continued to be issued for [[Ranchos of California|ranchos]] where mostly cattle were grazed. One of the many land grants was the [[Rancho Las Salinas]] land grant, part of which included the area of modern-day Salinas. As a result of the many new cattle ranches, a thriving trade eventually developed in cattle hide shipments, shipping primarily out of the Port of Monterey.<ref name="early-salinas">"Early Salinas" by Gary S. Breschini, Mona Gudgel, & Trudy Haversat</ref>

Before the transition to American administration, Monterey had been the capital of California. For a short while after the transition, California was ruled by [[martial law]].<ref name="early-salinas"/>  On September 9, 1850, California was admitted to the Union and became a State, celebrated as [[California Admission Day]].

In the 1850s a junction of two main stage coach routes was located {{convert|18|miles}} east of [[Monterey]] and along the big bend of what is locally referred to as the Alisal Slough.<ref>[http://mchsmuseum.com/halfwayhouse.html The Half Way House and the American Hotel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018151712/http://mchsmuseum.com/halfwayhouse.html |date=October 18, 2016 }} Monterey County Historical Society, by G.S. Breschini, 2000, downloaded November 15, 2016.</ref> In 1854, six years after becoming a part of the United States, a group of American settlers living in the vicinity of this route-junction opened a post office at the junction, naming their town "Salinas," apparently a reference to the original "Rancho Las Salinas" name for the area,<ref name=CGN /> which in turn was named in Spanish for the salt marshes of the area around the central Salinas slough, which was drained. Soon thereafter, in 1856, a traveler's inn called the Halfway House was opened at that junction in Salinas.<ref name=CGN />  (The nearby [[Salinas River (California)|Salinas River]], was apparently only later named by an American cartographer, after the nearest town of Salinas in 1858. Previously that river had gone by the name: "Rio de Monterey."). The streets of Salinas were laid out in 1867, and the town was incorporated in 1874.<ref name=CGN />

The conversion of grazing land to crops and the coming of the rail road in 1868 to transport goods and people was a major turning point in the history and economic advancement of Salinas. Dry farming of wheat, barley, and other grains as well as potatoes and mustard seed was common in the 1800s. Chinese labor drained thousands of acres of swampland to become productive farmland, and as much early farm labor was done by Chinese immigrants, Salinas boasted the second largest [[Chinatown]] in the state, slightly smaller than [[San Francisco]].<ref>"10,000 Years on the Salinas Plain" by Gary S. Breschini, Mona Gudgel, & Trudy Haversat</ref> [[Irrigation]] changed farming in Salinas to mainly row crops of root vegetables, grapes and sugar beets. Many major vegetable producers placed their headquarters in Salinas.<ref name="McKibben 2022"/>  Driven by the profitable agricultural industry, Salinas had the highest per capita income of any city in the United States in 1924.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Salinas|url=http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/visitors/history.cfm|website=City of Salinas: Visitors|publisher=City of Salinas|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018230330/http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/visitors/history.cfm|archive-date=October 18, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=June 2019}}

[[File:Salinas Assembly Center, California. Panorama of Salinas Assembly center. Persons of Japanese ance . . . - NARA - 537442.tif|thumb|left|Barracks at Salinas Assembly Center]]

{{Commons category|Salinas Assembly Center}}
During [[World War II]], the [[Salinas Sports Complex|Salinas Rodeo Grounds]] was one of the locations used as a temporary [[Internment|detention camp]] for citizens and immigrant residents of Japanese ancestry, before they were relocated to more permanent and remote facilities. One of seventeen such sites overseen by the Wartime Civilian Control Administration, the Salinas Assembly Center was built after President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] issued [[Executive Order 9066]], authorizing the [[Internment of Japanese Americans|removal and confinement]] of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. The camp opened on April 27, 1942, and held a total of 3,608 people before closing two months later on July 4. Of the 300 Japanese-American families in Salinas before the war, only 25 returned following internment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKibben |first1=Carol |title=The Story of Salinas: How World War II devastated families of Japanese descent |url=https://www.montereyherald.com/2022/10/29/the-story-of-salinas-how-world-war-ii-devastated-families-of-japanese-descent/ |access-date=August 27, 2023 |work=Monterey Herald |date=October 29, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Sargent House historic victorian home Salinas ca.jpg|thumb|Sargent House, a historic Victorian home on Central Avenue]]

Following [[World War II]] major urban and suburban development converted much farmland to city. The city experienced two particularly strong growth spurts in the 1950s and 1960s, and again in the 1990s and early 2000s.<ref name="SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS"/> Aerial photographic interpretation indicate such major conversion of cropland to [[Urban area|urban]] uses over the time period 1956 to 1968,<ref>U.S.G.S. Map May 14, 1956, ABG-6R-5, #75 1:20,000</ref><ref>U.S.G.S. Map June 13, 1968, GS-VBZK-2-224, #214 1:30,000</ref> while the city annexed the adjacent communities of [[Alisal, Salinas, California|Alisal]] and [[Santa Rita, Monterey County, California|Santa Rita]] during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://salinaspubliclibrary.org/pdf/Website-SPL-History.pdf |title=Salinas Public Library History |access-date=October 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918071732/http://salinaspubliclibrary.org/pdf/Website-SPL-History.pdf |archive-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Harden Ranch, Creekbridge and Williams Ranch neighborhoods constituting much of the city's North-East were built almost exclusively between 1990 and 2004.<ref name="SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS"/>

Salinas was also the birthplace of writer and Nobel Prize laureate [[John Steinbeck]]. The historic downtown, known as ''Oldtown Salinas'', features much fine Victorian architecture, and is home to the [[National Steinbeck Center]], the Steinbeck House and the [[John Steinbeck Library]].

Major development took place in the 1990s, with the construction of Creekbridge, Williams Ranch, and Harden Ranch.<ref>[https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/05/21/salad-days-near-end-in-lettuce-capital-as-development-boom-encroaches/ Salad days near end in lettuce capital as development boom encroaches] . ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''.</ref>

<ref>{{cite web|last1=DePillis|first1=Lydia|title=First Person: Salinas could've been Ferguson. Here's why it wasn't.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/22/first-person-salinas-couldve-been-ferguson-heres-why-it-wasnt/|website=Washington Post: Storylines|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828052609/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/22/first-person-salinas-couldve-been-ferguson-heres-why-it-wasnt/|archive-date=August 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Salinas from airplane October 2017.jpg|thumb|right|Salinas and the [[Salinas Valley]]. [[Fremont Peak (California)|Fremont Peak]] and the [[Gabilan Range]] are also shown.]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|23.2|sqmi|km2}}, 99.84% of it land and 0.16% of it water.

Prior to mass agricultural and urban development, much of the city consisted of rolling hills bisected by wooded creeks and interspersed with marsh land.<ref name="Monterey County Historical Society">{{cite web|last1=Seavey|first1=Kent|title=A Short History of Salinas, California|url=http://mchsmuseum.com/salinasbrief.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102175431/http://mchsmuseum.com/salinasbrief.html|archive-date=January 2, 2015|access-date=November 26, 2014|website=Monterey County Historical Society}}</ref> Today, the city is located mostly on leveled ground, with some rolling hills and wooded gulches with creeks remaining in the north-eastern Creekbridge and Williams Ranch neighborhoods, as well as the Laurel Heights section of East Salinas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salinas Topography Map|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@36.686635,-121.6411985,13z/data=!5m1!1e4|website=Google|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126104026/https://www.google.com/maps/@36.686635,-121.6411985,13z/data=!5m1!1e4|archive-date=January 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The natural ecosystems accompanying the area's topography and environment have been recreated in Natividad Creek Park and adjacent Upper Carr Lake.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Epley|first1=Ellen|title=Creeks of Salinas: Return of the Natives Work in the Creeks Important for Salinas|url=http://ron.csumb.edu/creeks-salinas-0|website=CSUMB|publisher=California State University, Monterey Bay|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307084955/http://ron.csumb.edu/creeks-salinas-0|archive-date=March 7, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city rests about {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level, and it is located roughly eight miles from the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The [[Gabilan Mountains|Gabilan]] and [[Santa Lucia Mountains|Santa Lucia]] mountain ranges border the Salinas Valley to the east and to the west, respectively. Both mountain ranges and the Salinas Valley run approximately {{convert|90|mi|km|0}} south-east from Salinas towards [[King City, California|King City]].

The Salinas River runs the length of the Salinas Valley and empties into the Pacific Ocean at the center of the [[Monterey Bay]]. During the summer months the river flows partially underground and it is this extensive underground aquifer that allows for irrigation of cropland in an area without much annual rainfall.

===Climate===
[[File:Main Street Salinas CA December.jpg|alt=Picture of Main Street in Salinas with a vintage car, holiday lights and trees.|thumb|Downtown Salinas in December 2018. Winter months are mild in Salinas.]]
Salinas has cool and moderate temperatures, due to the "natural [[air conditioner]]" that conveys ocean air and fog 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 has a mild [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csb'') with typical daily highs ranging from {{convert|62.4|°F}} in December to {{convert|74.7|°F}} in September. The record highest temperature was {{convert|107|°F|0}} on September 2, 2017.<ref name = NOWData/> The record lowest temperature was {{convert|22|°F|0}} on January 12, 1963, and January 13, 2007. Annually, there are an average of 5.8 days with {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs, and an average of 7.1 days with lows reaching the freezing mark or lower.<ref name = NOWData/><ref name = NOAA/>

Between 1958 and 2018, the coldest measured daytime high in Salinas was {{convert|42|F|C}} on December 21&ndash;22, 1990.<ref name=NOAA/> The warmest night during the station's operation was {{convert|67|F|C}} on September 2, 2017.<ref name=NOAA/>

In 2015 Salinas was in the top ten American cities for cleanest air quality,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-top-10-cities-for-air-quality/|title=The Top 10 Cities for Air Quality|first=Sophie|last=Bushwick|work=Scientific American|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716182906/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-top-10-cities-for-air-quality/|archive-date=July 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> 
[[File:Las Palmas Snow.jpg|thumb|left|Record-breaking snow covered nearby mountaintops in 2006]]
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 {{convert|15.38|in|mm|1|}}. The wettest "rain year" since records at the present station began in 1959 was from July 1997 to June 1998 with {{convert|34.63|in|mm|1}} of precipitation, and the driest from July 1971 to June 1972 with {{convert|7.29|in|mm|1}}. The most precipitation in one month was {{convert|11.10|in|mm}} in February 1998. The record maximum 24-hour precipitation was {{convert|2.96|in|mm}} on January 23, 2000.<ref name=NOWData/>

{{Weather box
|location = Salinas, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–2018
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F  = 87
| Feb record high F  = 86
| Mar record high F  = 90
| Apr record high F  = 100
| May record high F  = 99
| Jun record high F  = 99
| Jul record high F  = 95
| Aug record high F  = 102
| Sep record high F  = 107
| Oct record high F  = 105
| Nov record high F  = 94
| Dec record high F  = 92
| year record high F = 107
| Jan avg record high F  = 76.3
| Feb avg record high F  = 77.8
| Mar avg record high F  = 80.9
| Apr avg record high F  = 84.8
| May avg record high F  = 84.9
| Jun avg record high F  = 85.0
| Jul avg record high F  = 82.0
| Aug avg record high F  = 84.9
| Sep avg record high F  = 91.9
| Oct avg record high F  = 92.8
| Nov avg record high F  = 84.0
| Dec avg record high F  = 73.6
| year avg record high F = 96.7
| Jan high F  = 63.4
| Feb high F  = 64.1
| Mar high F  = 66.2
| Apr high F  = 67.3
| May high F  = 68.3
| Jun high F  = 70.2
| Jul high F  = 70.9
| Aug high F  = 72.5
| Sep high F  = 74.7
| Oct high F  = 74.2
| Nov high F  = 68.1
| Dec high F  = 62.4
| year high F = 68.5
| Jan mean F  = 52.3
| Feb mean F  = 53.2
| Mar mean F  = 54.9
| Apr mean F  = 56.2
| May mean F  = 58.4
| Jun mean F  = 60.7
| Jul mean F  = 62.4
| Aug mean F  = 63.4
| Sep mean F  = 63.6
| Oct mean F  = 61.5
| Nov mean F  = 55.8
| Dec mean F  = 51.3
| year mean F = 57.8
| Jan low F  = 41.2
| Feb low F  = 42.2
| Mar low F  = 43.7
| Apr low F  = 45.0
| May low F  = 48.6
| Jun low F  = 51.2
| Jul low F  = 53.9
| Aug low F  = 54.2
| Sep low F  = 52.5
| Oct low F  = 48.8
| Nov low F  = 43.4
| Dec low F  = 40.2
| year low F = 47.1
| Jan avg record low F  = 31.5
| Feb avg record low F  = 33.6
| Mar avg record low F  = 35.3
| Apr avg record low F  = 37.4
| May avg record low F  = 41.6
| Jun avg record low F  = 45.1
| Jul avg record low F  = 48.3
| Aug avg record low F  = 49.1
| Sep avg record low F  = 45.9
| Oct avg record low F  = 40.9
| Nov avg record low F  = 34.3
| Dec avg record low F  = 30.4
| year avg record low F = 29.2
| Jan record low F  = 22
| Feb record low F  = 25
| Mar record low F  = 25
| Apr record low F  = 30
| May record low F  = 35
| Jun record low F  = 41
| Jul record low F  = 43
| Aug record low F  = 42
| Sep record low F  = 37
| Oct record low F  = 34
| Nov record low F  = 27
| Dec record low F  = 24
| year record low F = 22
| precipitation colour    = green
| Jan precipitation inch  = 3.26
| Feb precipitation inch  = 2.98
| Mar precipitation inch  = 2.45
| Apr precipitation inch  = 1.07
| May precipitation inch  = 0.49
| Jun precipitation inch  = 0.08
| Jul precipitation inch  = 0.01
| Aug precipitation inch  = 0.04
| Sep precipitation inch  = 0.06
| Oct precipitation inch  = 0.61
| Nov precipitation inch  = 1.58
| Dec precipitation inch  = 2.75
| year precipitation inch = 15.38
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in.
| Jan precipitation days  = 9.4
| Feb precipitation days  = 9.8
| Mar precipitation days  = 8.2
| Apr precipitation days  = 5.7
| May precipitation days  = 3.0
| Jun precipitation days  = 1.0
| Jul precipitation days  = 0.5
| Aug precipitation days  = 1.0
| Sep precipitation days  = 0.9
| Oct precipitation days  = 2.9
| Nov precipitation days  = 6.1
| Dec precipitation days  = 9.5
| year precipitation days = 58.0
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00047668&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Salinas #2, CA
|access-date = February 11, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mtr
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS San Francisco
|access-date = February 11, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1870 = 599
| 1880 = 1854
| 1890 = 2339
| 1900 = 3304
| 1910 = 3736
| 1920 = 4308
| 1930 = 10263
| 1940 = 11586
| 1950 = 13917
| 1960 = 28957
| 1970 = 58896
| 1980 = 80479
| 1990 = 108777
| 2000 = 151060
| 2010 = 150441
| 2020 = 163542
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 167472
| estref = 
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020===
The 2020 United States census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Salinas city, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/salinascitycalifornia |access-date=May 17, 2022 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}</ref> reported that Salinas had a population of 163,542. The racial makeup of Salinas was 32% White (12% non-Hispanic White), 1% African American, 6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian and Alaska native, and 7% of two or more races. 79% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.

The median household income was $67,914, and the median income per capita was $23,707. About 14% of the population lived below the poverty line.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Salinas, California – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Salinas city, California|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US0664224|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web |title = P2 Hispanic or Latino, and not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Salinas city, California |url = https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0664224&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web |title = P2 Hispanic or Latino, and not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Salinas city, California |url = https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0664224&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|36,535
|23,333
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,351
|24.19%
|15.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.22%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|4,569
|2,343
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,927
|3.02%
|1.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.18%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|636
|418
|style='background: #ffffe6; |428
|0.42%
|0.28%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|8,840
|8,677
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,870
|5.85%
|5.77%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.42%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|275
|383
|style='background: #ffffe6; |342
|0.18%
|0.25%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|508
|218
|style='background: #ffffe6;|651
|0.34%
|0.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.40%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|2,817
|2,270
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,795
|1.86%
|1.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.71%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|96,880
|112,799
|style='background: #ffffe6; |130,178
|64.13%
|74.98%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |79.60%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''151,060'''
|'''150,441'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''163,542'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010===

The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0664224|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Salinas city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115164346/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0664224|archive-date=January 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> reported that Salinas had a population of 150,441. The population density was {{convert|6,479.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Salinas was 68,973 (45.8%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], down from 90.3% in 1970,<ref>{{cite web|title=California - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2,993 (2.0%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1,888 (1.3%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 9,438 (6.3%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 478 (0.3%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 59,041 (39.2%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 7,630 (5.1%) from two or more races. There were 112,799 residents of [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] origin, of any race (75.0%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0664224.html |title=Salinas (city), California |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=May 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712181009/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0664224.html |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Census reported that 147,976 people (98.4% of the population) lived in households, 658 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,807 (1.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 40,387 households, out of which 21,435 (53.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,380 (52.9%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 6,835 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,300 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,271 (8.1%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 271 (0.7%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 6,895 households (17.1%) were made up of individuals, and 2,587 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.66. There were 31,515 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (78.0% of all households); the average family size was 4.05.

There were 47,180 residents (31.4%) under the age of 18, 18,049 (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 44,978 (29.9%) aged 25 to 44, 28,976 (19.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,258 (7.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males.

There were 42,651 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,837.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 18,198 (45.1%) were owner-occupied, and 22,189 (54.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 65,108 people (43.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 82,868 people (55.1%) lived in rental housing units. The majority of residents were living in single-unit detached homes, built between 1950 and 2000, while one third of the housing stock had three or more units per structure.<ref name="SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS">{{cite web|last1=US Census Bureau|title=SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP04/1600000US0664224|website=2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213111904/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP04/1600000US0664224|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===2000===
The 2000 United States Census reported that Salinas had a population of 151,060. The population density was {{convert|7,948.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 39,659 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,086.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 65.2% 49.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.2% [[Asian American]], 3.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 38.7% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. 65.2% of the population was [[Hispanic]] or [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]], of any race.

49.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were [[Marriage|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 3.69 people, and the average family contained 4.08 members.

The age distribution was 33.0% 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]] 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]] 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.

Household incomes 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.<ref name="US Census Bureau, Income Map">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ThematicMapFramesetServlet?_bm=y&-tree_id=403&-_MapEvent=zoom&-errMsg=&-_useSS=N&-_dBy=150&-redoLog=false&-_zoomLevel=4&-tm_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_M00024&-tm_config=%7Cb=50%7Cl=en%7Ct=403%7Czf=0.0%7Cms=thm_def%7Cdw=0.3778881864165808%7Cdh=0.22403586680110513%7Cdt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent%7Cif=gif%7Ccx=-121.6414055%7Ccy=36.6865445%7Czl=5%7Cpz=5%7Cbo=%7Cbl=%7Cft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331%7Cfl=403:381:204:380:369:379:368%7Cg=16000US0664224%7Cds=DEC_2000_SF3_U%7Csb=50%7Ctud=false%7Cdb=150%7Cmn=0%7Cmx=83123%7Ccc=1%7Ccm=1%7Ccn=7%7Ccb=%7Cum=Dollars%7Cpr=0%7Cth=DEC_2000_SF3_U_M00024%7Csf=N%7Csg=&-PANEL_ID=tm_result&-_pageY=&-_lang=en&-geo_id=16000US0664224&-_pageX=&-_mapY=&-_mapX=&-_latitude=&-_pan=&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-_longitude=&-_changeMap=Identify|title=US Census Bureau, Income Map|access-date=November 2, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202001134/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ThematicMapFramesetServlet?_bm=y&-tree_id=403&-_MapEvent=zoom&-errMsg=&-_useSS=N&-_dBy=150&-redoLog=false&-_zoomLevel=4&-tm_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_M00024&-tm_config=%7Cb=50%7Cl=en%7Ct=403%7Czf=0.0%7Cms=thm_def%7Cdw=0.3778881864165808%7Cdh=0.22403586680110513%7Cdt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent%7Cif=gif%7Ccx=-121.6414055%7Ccy=36.6865445%7Czl=5%7Cpz=5%7Cbo=%7Cbl=%7Cft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331%7Cfl=403:381:204:380:369:379:368%7Cg=16000US0664224%7Cds=DEC_2000_SF3_U%7Csb=50%7Ctud=false%7Cdb=150%7Cmn=0%7Cmx=83123%7Ccc=1%7Ccm=1%7Ccn=7%7Ccb=%7Cum=Dollars%7Cpr=0%7Cth=DEC_2000_SF3_U_M00024%7Csf=N%7Csg=&-PANEL_ID=tm_result&-_pageY=&-_lang=en&-geo_id=16000US0664224&-_pageX=&-_mapY=&-_mapX=&-_latitude=&-_pan=&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-_longitude=&-_changeMap=Identify|archive-date=December 2, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Crime===
Salinas has a significant, but declining problem with organized [[street gang]]s, such as [[Nortenos]], [[Surenos]], and [[Crips]] and the associated [[violent crime]].<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news|last1=Goode|first1=Erica|title=In a Gang-Ridden City, New Efforts to Fight Crime While Cutting Costs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/us/in-salinas-fighting-gang-violence-on-a-shoestring.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019164153/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/us/in-salinas-fighting-gang-violence-on-a-shoestring.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|archive-date=October 19, 2017|url-status=live|date=January 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Salinas, California, Taco Shop Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 5 Injured|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/05/salinas-california-taco-shop-shooting_n_3708236.html|website=Huffington Post|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320082958/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/05/salinas-california-taco-shop-shooting_n_3708236.html|archive-date=March 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics]], the city's overall violent crime and homicide rates are above those for California and the nation overall. However, the violent crime rate in Salinas has declined by almost 75 percent since 2015.<ref name="Bureau of Justice Statistics">{{cite web|last1=US Department of Justice|title=Bureau of Justice Statistics|url=http://www.bjs.gov/ucrdata/Search/Crime/Local/RunCrimeJurisbyJurisLarge.cfm|website=Crime reported by Salinas Police Dept, California|publisher=Bureau of Justice Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=US Department of Justice|title=Uniformed Crime Reporting Statistics|url=http://www.bjs.gov/ucrdata/Search/Crime/State/RunCrimeStatebyState.cfm|website=Estimated crime in United States-Total|publisher=US Bureau of Justice Statistics|access-date=November 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Harris|first1=Kamala|title=Organized Crime in California: 2010 Report to the Legislature|url=http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/org_crime2010.pdf|website=California Attorney General|publisher=State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113173823/http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/org_crime2010.pdf|archive-date=November 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Gang activity and violent crime are focused in Central and East Salinas<ref>{{cite news|last1=Robledo|first1=Roberto|title=Agents of change fan out in Alisal|access-date=November 25, 2014|publisher=[[The Salinas Californian]]|date=June 12, 2014|url=http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/local/2014/05/17/agents-change-fan-alisal/2210724/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913142257/http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/local/2014/05/17/agents-change-fan-alisal/2210724/|archive-date=September 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and exacerbated by the city's comparatively low tax base and consequently limited policing resources.<ref name="New York Times"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Arreola|first1=Jose|title=Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction 2013-2018|url=http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/pdf/SalinasSWP_2013-2018.pdf|website=City of Salinas|publisher=Community Alliance for Safety and Peace|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114115308/http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/pdf/SalinasSWP_2013-2018.pdf|archive-date=November 14, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> A hypothesis to explain the city's particularly intense problem with gang related violent crime cites the city's proximity to [[Salinas Valley State Prison]]. The prison was an early launch pad for street operations of the notorious prison gang, ''[[Nuestra Familia]]''. This in turn, is seen as having spawned a legacy of multi-generational gang membership among the poorer and less educated residents of East Salinas.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Guadalupe|first1=Patricia|title=Author Spends Ten Years Inside California's Nuestra Familia Gang|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/author-spends-ten-years-inside-californias-nuestra-familia-gang-n202651|website=NBC News|date=September 13, 2014 |publisher=NBC|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228154831/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/author-spends-ten-years-inside-californias-nuestra-familia-gang-n202651|archive-date=December 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Taylor Building Salinas CA.png|alt=Small businesses are seen at the intersection of Main and Gabilan Streetsin Downtown Salinas.|thumb|The headquarters of [[Taylor Farms]] in Downtown Salinas, was constructed in 2015. ]]
Major employers in Salinas include [[Taylor Farms]], [[Tanimura & Antle]], [[Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital]], [[Natividad Medical Center|Natividad Hospital]], [[Mann Packing]], Hilltown Packing, Newstar Fresh Foods, [[Matsui Nursery]] and [[Monterey County, California|Monterey County]].<ref>Search Results - Salinas, California - [http://www.referenceusa.com/ ReferenceUSA] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081115005155/http://www.referenceusa.com/libraryLogin.asp?si=76128370484616&LFentry=yes |date=November 15, 2008 }} Current Businesses</ref>

Salinas is known for its AgTech industry, and is known as the emerging AgTech Capital of the nation and a global hub for agricultural technology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/07/09/forbes-and-svg-partners-will-host-forbes-reinventing-america-the-agtech-summit-july-2015-in-salinas-valley/|title=Forbes And SVG Partners Will Host "Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit," July 2015, In Salinas Valley|last=Communications|first=Forbes Corporate|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228082807/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/07/09/forbes-and-svg-partners-will-host-forbes-reinventing-america-the-agtech-summit-july-2015-in-salinas-valley/|archive-date=December 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Its close proximity to [[Silicon Valley]] and large number of agricultural employers give forth to an ideal location for developing high tech [[Agriculture|agricultural]] innovations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newfoodeconomy.org/women-ag-tech-salinas-silicon-valley/|title=Ag-tech investment topped $10 billon in 2017. How much went to women?|date=June 19, 2018|website=New Food Economy|language=en-CA|access-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Forbes AgTech Summit===
Since 2015, [[Forbes]] has hosted the yearly Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2016/06/01/forbes-media-will-host-its-second-agtech-summit-july-13-14-2016-salinas-valley/|title=Forbes Media Will Host Its Second AgTech Summit, July 13-14, 2016, Salinas Valley|last=Communications|first=Forbes Corporate|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228082840/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2016/06/01/forbes-media-will-host-its-second-agtech-summit-july-13-14-2016-salinas-valley/|archive-date=December 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The event draws agricultural technology entrepreneurs from around the world and includes speakers, group discussions, tours, on site demonstrations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2017/11/14/forbes-agtech-summit-returns-to-salinas-ca-in-june-2018-and-expands-with-a-summit-in-indianapolis-in-september-2018/|title=Forbes AgTech Summit Returns to Salinas, CA, in June 2018 And Expands with a Summit in Indianapolis in September 2018|last=Communications|first=Forbes Corporate|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228035321/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2017/11/14/forbes-agtech-summit-returns-to-salinas-ca-in-june-2018-and-expands-with-a-summit-in-indianapolis-in-september-2018/|archive-date=December 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sections and neighborhoods==
===North Salinas===
* Harden Ranch
* [[Santa Rita, Salinas, California|Santa Rita]]
* Northridge
* Santa Lucia Village
* Sherwood Gardens
* Creekbridge

===East Salinas===
* Sunset
* [[Alisal, Salinas, California|Alisal]]
* Monte Bella
* Williams Ranch

===South Salinas===

* Maple Park

===West Salinas===
* Laurelwood
* [[Boronda, California|Boronda]] is an unincorporated community in close proximity to the Westridge neighborhood.
* Westridge

===Downtown===

* Old Town

==Arts and culture==
[[File:T & D (Fox California) Theater, Salinas, CA.jpg|thumb|upright|Fox California Theatre.]]
[[File:Hat in three stages of landing claes oldemburg.jpg|thumb|''Hat In Three Stages of Landing'' by [[Claes Oldenburg]] and [[Coosje van Bruggen]]]]

Salinas has 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1st Fridays Art Walk 11.03.23 |url=https://allevents.in/salinas/1st-fridays-art-walk-110323/200024137452754 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=allevents.in}}</ref> The oldest gallery in Salinas, the Valley Art Gallery, has been active for over 30 years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://salinasvalleyartgallery.com/history.html |title=History |date=March 26, 2012 |website= |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326101832/http://salinasvalleyartgallery.com/history.html |archive-date=March 26, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Hartnell College Gallery hosts world-class exhibitions of art during the school year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gallery - Hartnell College Foundation |url=https://hartnellfoundation.org/the-gallery/ |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=hartnellfoundation.org}}</ref> The [[National Steinbeck Center]] has two galleries with changing exhibits, and the city's newest @Risk Gallery features humdrum exhibitions. The Art Walk, held in the downtown area, features 50 venues.

Live theater companies in Salinas include ARIEL Theatrical located in the Karen Wilson's Children's Theater in Oldtown Salinas, and [[The Western Stage]], based at Hartnell College.

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, Steinbeck Institute for Arts and Culture and the [[Salinas Sports Complex]], as well as at [[Hartnell 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]] placed his sculpture, ''Hat in Three Stages of Landing'', in Sherwood Park at the center of the city.

The city contains several art deco buildings, including the [[Monterey County Court House|Monterey County Courthouse]] and the [[The Salinas Californian|Salinas Californian]] Building.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amap1.org/|title=Alliance of Monterey Area Preservationists|website=Amap1.org|access-date=November 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004931/http://www.amap1.org/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cultural events===
[[File:Dancers in Salinas, California.jpg|thumb|Salinas youth at the [[El Grito de Dolores|El Grito Cultural Festival]], an annual celebration.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2017/09/14/salinas-el-grito-festival-celebrates-mexican-heritage-weekend/665884001/|title=Salinas' El Grito Festival celebrates Mexican heritage this weekend|work=The Salinas Californian|access-date=November 4, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212025829/http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2017/09/14/salinas-el-grito-festival-celebrates-mexican-heritage-weekend/665884001/|archive-date=December 12, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

====El Grito====
El Grito is a free annual event held every September in the [[Alisal, Salinas, California|Alisal Neighborhood]] of Salinas. The event draws up to 65,000 people and features a parade, performances, vendors, [[Mexican cuisine]], and cultural exhibits. [[Cry of Dolores|El Grito]] is a celebration of the beginning of the [[Mexican War of Independence]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2017/09/14/salinas-el-grito-festival-celebrates-mexican-heritage-weekend/665884001/|title=Salinas' El Grito Festival celebrates Mexican heritage this weekend|work=The Salinas Californian|access-date=November 5, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212025829/http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2017/09/14/salinas-el-grito-festival-celebrates-mexican-heritage-weekend/665884001/|archive-date=December 12, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Founders Day====
Salinas Founders Day is an annual event held since 1869, that celebrates the history of Salinas. The 2017 event was held at the Salinas Train Station Plaza in downtown Salinas, and included tours of the First Mayor's House and the Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad Museum, music, and historical talks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20170408/NEWS/170409844|title=Founders' Day: Salinas celebrates its 149-year journey|access-date=November 5, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021742/http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20170408/NEWS/170409844|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Ciclovía Salinas====
[[File:Ciclovia salinas (8753477711).jpg|thumb|left|250px|Ciclovía Salinas.]]
Ciclovía Salinas is an annual event that has taken place in the [[Alisal, Salinas, California|Alisal neighborhood]] of Salinas since 2013, and features a 1.5 mile stretch of Alisal Street that is closed off to automobiles, and exclusively for use of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-motorized forms of transportation. The goal of the event is to promote youth leadership, walking, biking, and other recreational activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.

The event is led entirely by Salinas youth volunteers and in 2018, it featured a 3-kilometer run, Cross Fit activities, soccer, zumba, boxing, community created murals, disc golf, folklorico dancing, and [[Oaxaca]]n cultural dancing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/sports/2018/10/04/music-dance-community-fun-annual-ciclovia-salinas-returns-sunday/1511124002/|title=Music, dance and community fun: Annual Ciclovía Salinas returns Sunday|website=The Salinas Californian|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref>

====California Rodeo Salinas====
As the host of a [[Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association|PRCA]]-sanctioned rodeo, Salinas is a major stop on the professional rodeo circuit. The [[California Rodeo Salinas]] 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 bull riding. Rodeo-related events held in Salinas and [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] include cowboy poetry, wine tasting, a carnival, barbecues and a gala cowboy ball.

====Kiddie Kapers Parade====
The [[Kiddie Kapers Parade]] began in 1930 and is an annual [[parade]] with only children in costume, held in conjunction with "Big Week" and the annual Rodeo.

====Salinas Asian Festival====
[[File:Lion Dance Salinas Asian Festival 2017.jpg|alt=A costume lion and man in garb play fight at the Salinas Asian Festival, in front of the red and mauve confucius church|thumb|The Lion Dance at 2017 Salinas Asian Festival, in front of the Salinas Confucius Church.]]

The Salinas Asian Festival is a free annual event in Salinas held since 2009 that celebrates the culture and history of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese immigrants in Salinas. The Salinas Buddhist Temple, the Salinas Chinese Association, and the Filipino Cultural Center of Salinas are open to tour. The event includes food, demonstrations of [[tai chi]], Filipino folk dancing, [[kendo]], and a [[bonsai]] display. The 2017 festival the Salinas Chinatown Virtual Walking Tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.salinasasianfestival.com/about|title=About the Festival|last=Administrator|website=www.salinasasianfestival.com|language=en-gb|access-date=November 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025812/http://www.salinasasianfestival.com/about|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Points of interest===
====John Steinbeck House====
{{Main|John Steinbeck House (Salinas, California)}}
The John Steinbeck House was the birthplace and childhood home of author [[John Steinbeck]], and is now home to a restaurant. The house was built in 1897 and is a [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne style]] Victorian.<ref name="SHIVANI">{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/salinas-valley-lush-fields-good-wine-and-steinbeck/|title=California's Salinas Valley: Lush fields, good wine, and Steinbeck|first=Shivani|last=Vora|date=April 6, 2017|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=November 4, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107100251/https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/salinas-valley-lush-fields-good-wine-and-steinbeck/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Boronda Adobe History Center{{Anchor|Boronda Adobe History Center}} ====
Just outside the official city limits, the restored adobe dwelling constructed in 1844 by José Eusebio Boronda, rests on one of the original Mexican land grants. The Boronda Adobe is a California Historical Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places and holds a museum of early Salinas and California history. Other historic buildings are located here, including the Lagunita School house [[John Steinbeck]] wrote about in ''the Red Pony''. The site also holds the official archive of Monterey County, open to researchers by appointment.

====Santa Lucia Highlands American Viticultural Area====
[[Santa Lucia Highlands AVA]] is nearby so the area is becoming a destination for wine tasting.<ref name="SHIVANI"/>

==Education==
===School districts===
Salinas has seven public 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.<ref>[http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ca/district_profile/398/ Salinas Union High in Salinas, CA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930232125/http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ca/district_profile/398/ |date=September 30, 2007 }}. GreatSchools (September 7, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.</ref> The [[Salinas City Elementary School District]] is the largest elementary school district in Salinas, with 13 schools and 7,954 students.<ref>[http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ca/district_profile/393/ Salinas City Elementary in Salinas, CA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235802/http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ca/district_profile/393/ |date=September 30, 2007 }}. GreatSchools (September 7, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.</ref> Other districts include [[Santa Rita Union Elementary School District]], Graves Elementary School District, [[Washington Union School District]], Lagunita School District, and [[Alisal Union School District]].

Private [[Catholic school]]s in the city include [[Palma School]] and the all-girls [[Notre Dame High School (Salinas, California)|Notre Dame High School]].

===Higher education===
[[Hartnell College]], as well as a satellite campus of [[California State University, Monterey Bay]], are located in Salinas.

==Media==
{{see also|Media in Monterey County}}

Local newspapers include ''[[The Salinas Californian]]'', ''[[Monterey County Weekly]]'' and ''[[Monterey County Herald]]''.

Local radio stations include:
* [[KION (AM)|KION/1460]]
* [[KTGE|KTGE/1570]]
* [[Radio Bilingue|KHDC/90.9]]
* [[KPRC-FM|KPRC-FM/100.7]]
* [[KDON-FM|KDON-FM/102.5]]
* [[KRAY-FM|KRAY-FM/103.5]]
* [[KOCN|KOCN/105.1]]
* [[KSQL|KSQL/99.1]]
* [[KBRG|KBRG/100.3]]
* [[KVVF|KVVF/105.7]]

Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area ([[Media market|DMA]]). [[KSMS-TV]] Channel 67, [[KION-TV]] Channel 46 and [[KSBW]] Channel 8 provide news for the area as the area's Univision, [[CBS]], [[NBC]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliates.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
====Highways and roads====
[[U.S. Highway 101 in California|U.S. Route 101]] is the major north–south highway in Salinas, linking the city to the rest of the [[California Central Coast|Central Coast]] region, [[San Francisco]] to the north, and [[Los Angeles]] to the south. [[California State Route 68]] heads west to [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], while [[California State Route 183]] runs northwest to [[Castroville, California|Castroville]].

====Rail====
[[File:Amtrak train station Salinas ca.jpg|thumb|Art Deco-style [[Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center|Amtrak train station in Salinas]]]]
[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, [[Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center|serves Salinas]]. Its ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' train runs daily in each direction between [[Seattle, Washington]], and [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles]], stopping in Salinas.

The Salinas Rail extension aims to provide weekday rail service to [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]] and San Jose Diridon station by 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tamcmonterey.org/programs/rail/monterey-county-rail-extension/ |title=Transportation Agency for Monterey County &#124; TAMC |access-date=August 31, 2020 |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928101822/https://www.tamcmonterey.org/programs/rail/monterey-county-rail-extension/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Bus====
Public transportation via bus is provided by [[Monterey–Salinas Transit]] (MST). Public buses take passengers throughout the county, as well as San Jose and Gilroy. Buses to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] and Gilroy connect to Caltrain and Amtrak in those cities.

[[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]] operates from the [[Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center|Salinas Amtrak station]] with service to other California cities and throughout the United States.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Greyhound Relocates in Salinas, Calif.| work = Greyhound.com| access-date = May 19, 2015| url = https://www.greyhound.com/en/newsroom/viewrelease.aspx?id=597&year=2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150520084851/https://www.greyhound.com/en/newsroom/viewrelease.aspx?id=597&year=2015| archive-date = May 20, 2015| url-status = live}}</ref>

====Airport====
[[Salinas Municipal Airport]] is located on the southeastern boundary of the City of Salinas, {{convert|3|mi|km}} from the city center. It is a general aviation facility occupying {{convert|763|acre|km2|1}}, with two 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. 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, {{convert|80000|sqft|m2|-3}} of office space, four large complexes combining more offices with airplane hangars and a 24-hour, full-service aircraft fueling station. The project would also include a taxiway to allow planes to access 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).

The airport is the site of the California International Airshow, set annually in the late summer or early autumn. The event draws thousands of visitors to Salinas over its three-day run.

===Hospitals===
Salinas and its surrounding towns are served by [[Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital]] and [[Natividad Medical Center]], both located in Salinas. Natividad is one of the [[University of California, San Francisco]]'s teaching hospitals and is owned and operated by Monterey County. Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and Healthcare System is a public district hospital run by an elected board of directors.

Natividad Medical Center, through its affiliated Natividad Medical Foundation, offers trained medical interpreters for speakers of several [[Mixe languages|Oaxacan languages]] (including [[Trique language|Triqui]], [[Mixtec language|Mixteco]], and [[Zapotec languages|Zapotec]]) as well as Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shemesh|first=Denelle|title=Indigenous Interpreting+ bridges language gaps to better serve the farmworker community at Natividad.|work=Monterey County Weekly|access-date=April 19, 2015|date=November 14, 2014|url=http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/831_tales/indigenous-interpreting-bridges-language-gaps-to-better-serve-the-farmworker/article_12b1db42-653c-11e4-ba19-001a4bcf6878.html}}</ref>
[[File:Monterey County Courthouse 2018 Salinas CA (1).jpg|thumb|The Historic and Former Monterey County Courthouse after 2018 renovations]]

===Facilities===
The Monterey County Jail is located in North Salinas and the Monterey County Juvenile Detention Center is located in the north side as well.

==Notable people==
[[File:SteinbeckHouse.jpg|thumb|[[John Steinbeck House (Salinas, California)|Steinbeck House]] in downtown Salinas]]
[[File:NationalSteinbeckCentre.jpg|thumb|[[National Steinbeck Center]], devoted to [[John Steinbeck]]]]
* [[Monica Abbott]] (born 1985), 2008 Olympic softball pitcher
* [[Everett Alvarez Jr.]], U.S. Navy pilot and prisoner of war<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a038.htm|title=Bio, Alvarez, Everett Jr.|work=pownetwork.org|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924080700/http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a038.htm|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Jodi Arias]] (born 1980), convicted murderer<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/jodi-arias-sentencing/25691575/|title=Jodi Arias sentenced to natural life in prison|last=Kiefer|first=Michael|date=April 13, 2015|work=The Arizona Republic|access-date=June 29, 2018|language=en|via=USA TODAY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629102315/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/jodi-arias-sentencing/25691575/|archive-date=June 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> of [[Murder of Travis Alexander|Travis Alexander]], was born in Salinas<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ksbw.com/article/salinas-native-jodi-arias-faces-death-penalty-if-convicted/1051303|title=Salinas native Jodi Arias faces death penalty if convicted|date=March 19, 2013|work=KSBW|access-date=June 29, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909073615/https://www.ksbw.com/article/salinas-native-jodi-arias-faces-death-penalty-if-convicted/1051303|archive-date=September 9, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Dustin Lance Black]] (born 1974), Academy Award-winning screenwriter<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.glaad.org/2009/02/22/dustin-lance-blacks-moving-acceptance-speech|title=Dustin Lance Black's Moving Acceptance Speech|date=February 22, 2009|work=GLAAD|access-date=June 28, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629102343/https://www.glaad.org/2009/02/22/dustin-lance-blacks-moving-acceptance-speech|archive-date=June 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Lester D. Boronda]] (1886–1953), painter, furniture designer<ref name="Hughes-1989">{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Edan Milton |author-link=Edan Milton Hughes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9LUzAQAAIAAJ |title=Artists in California, 1786–1940 |date=1989 |publisher=Hughes Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-9616112-1-7 |edition=2 |pages=61 |language=en |chapter=Boronda, Lester David}}</ref>
* [[Ernie Camacho]] (born 1955), Major League Baseball pitcher
* [[Jose Celaya]] (born 1981), boxer
* [[Doug Chandler]], Hall of Fame motorcycle racer, Grand Slam winner, World Superbike champion
* [[Ramiro Corrales]], former Major League Soccer defender with the [[San Jose Earthquakes]]
* [[Cordell Crockett]], bass guitarist with band Ugly Kid Joe
* [[Chris Dalman]], National Football League offensive lineman and coach<ref>[http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/dalman_chris00.html Stanford Sports&nbsp;- Chris Dalman Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226032843/http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/dalman_chris00.html |date=February 26, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Drew Dalman]], National Football League offensive lineman with the [[Atlanta Falcons]]
* [[Harold Davis (sprinter)|Harold Davis]], athlete in [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]]
*[[Amy Díaz-Infante]], visual artist and educator<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.amydiaz-infante.com/about-1|access-date=November 17, 2021|website=Amy Díaz-Infante|language=en-US|archive-date=November 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118032656/https://www.amydiaz-infante.com/about-1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Art Instructor Questions Her Pink Slip – The Guardsman|url=http://theguardsman.com/5_news_artcuts_blackwell/|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=theguardsman.com|date=March 24, 2021 }}</ref>
* [[Evan Dietrich-Smith]], Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman, [[Super Bowl XLV]] champion (2011 with Green Bay Packers), Salinas High School graduate, class of 2004
*[[Nick Duron]] (born 1996), baseball pitcher in the [[San Francisco Giants]] organization
* [[David Esquer]], head coach of the [[Stanford Cardinal baseball]] team, graduate of Palma High School<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/20/life-comes-full-circle-at-stanford-for-david-esquer/|title=Life comes full circle at Stanford for David Esquer|last=Mazeika|first=Vytas|date=June 20, 2017|work=The Mercury News|access-date=June 28, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117033138/https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/20/life-comes-full-circle-at-stanford-for-david-esquer/|archive-date=November 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[David Estrada (soccer)|David Estrada]] (born 1988), UCLA soccer player (midfield, forward), drafted in first round (11th overall) of 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Seattle Sounders FC
* [[Verna Felton]] (1890–1966), actress
* [[Michael Gasperson]] (born 1982), NFL wide receiver
* [[Susan Gerbic]] (born 1962), skeptical activist
* [[Brandi Glanville]] (born 1972), fashion model, television personality in ''[[The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills]]''
* [[Jackie Greene]], singer-songwriter and blues musician
* [[Sammy Hagar]] (born 1947), singer, former member of [[Van Halen]], now in bands Chickenfoot and Waboritas
* [[Noah Harpster]], actor
* [[Alvin Harrison|Alvin]] and [[Calvin Harrison (athlete)|Calvin Harrison]] (born 1974, twins) 1996 Olympic track and field athletes
* [[Vanessa Hudgens]] (born 1988), singer and actress, ''High School Musical''
* [[Ernie Irvan]] (born 1959), race car driver and winner of the 1991 [[Daytona 500]]
* [[Joe Kapp]] (1938–2023), quarterback for [[University of California, Berkeley]] in [[College Football Hall of Fame]], 1969 NFL champion
* [[Marie D. Kassing]], organization founder
* [[Slim Keith]] (1917–1990), socialite
* [[Craig Kilborn]] (born 1962), television personality
* [[Rick Law]], Disney artist and producer
* [[Howard H. Leach]], businessman and diplomat
* [[Sacheen Littlefeather]] (1946–2022), actress and activist for [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] rights.
* [[Thomas Merrill (racing driver)|Thomas Merrill]] (born 1987), professional racecar driver
* [[Herbert Mullin]] (1947–2022), serial killer
* [[Xavier Nady]] (born 1978), Major League Baseball player, Salinas High School graduate, class of 1997
* [[Carl Nicks (American football)|Carl Nicks]] (born 1985), offensive linemen, [[Super Bowl XLIV]] champion (2010), North Salinas High School graduate
* [[Kassim Osgood]] (born 1980), National Football League wide receiver, Pro Bowl, North Salinas High School
* [[Van Partible]], cartoonist, creator of ''[[Johnny Bravo]]''
* [[Ernie Reyes Sr.]], American martial artist, actor and fight choreographer 
* [[Mike Rianda]], writer and director of ''[[The Mitchells vs. the Machines]]''
* [[Monty Roberts]] (born 1935), horse tamer and author of ''The Man Who Listens to Horses''
* [[Del Rodgers]] (born 1960), NFL running back
* [[Gary Shipman]], artist, comic book illustrator and creator of ''[[Pakkins' Land]]''
* [[Brendon Small]], actor, composer, musician, known as creator of the animated series ''Home Movies'' and ''Metalocalypse''
* [[Edward Soriano]] (born 1946), retired [[United States Army]] [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zweigenhaft |first1=Richard L. |title=Diversity in the Power Elite: How it Happened, Why it Matters |date=2006 |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=9780742536982 |pages=92 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZbvZAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
* [[Sam Spence]] (1927–2016), NFL Films composer
* [[John Steinbeck]] (1902–1968), author and Nobel laureate, author of ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' and ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'', among others
* [[Rita Taggart]], actress
* [[Anthony Toney]] (born 1962), NFL running back
* [[Sean D. Tucker]] (born 1952), aerobatic stunt pilot
* [[Elliot Vallejo]] (born 1984), NFL offensive lineman, Palma High School
* [[Cain Velasquez]], [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] heavyweight champion, [[mixed martial arts]] fighter and former collegiate wrestler
* [[Ruben Villa|Ruben Villa IV]], boxer, Everett Alvarez High School graduate, class of 2016

==In popular culture==
* [[Marilyn Monroe]], actress and [[Twentieth Century Fox]] starlet, was honored as the Diamond Queen of Salinas on February 20, 1948.<ref name="The Salinas Californian">{{cite news|last=Monroe|first=Marilyn|title=Diamond Queen of Salinas|newspaper=The Salinas Californian|date=February 20, 1948}}</ref>
* Salinas is mentioned in various [[John Steinbeck]] novels, and is the setting of his monumental novel ''[[East of Eden (novel)|East of Eden]]''.<ref>Michael J. Meyer, Henry Veggian. East of Eden.: New and Recent Essays.Rodopi, 2013</ref>

==Sister cities==
Salinas' [[sister city|sister cities]] are:<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Cities|url=https://www.cityofsalinas.org/visitors/sister-cities|website=cityofsalinas.org|date=July 15, 2016|publisher=City of Salinas|access-date=January 1, 2021|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221000033/https://www.cityofsalinas.org/visitors/sister-cities|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Cebu City]], Philippines (1964)
*[[Ichikikushikino]], Japan (1979)
*[[Jerécuaro]], Mexico (1996)
*[[Guanajuato City|Guanajuato]], Mexico (2007)
*[[Drogheda]], Ireland (2012)
*[[Söke]], Turkey (2015)
*[[Seogwipo]], South Korea (2018)

==See also==
* [[Salinas Valley]]
* [[Salinas Lettuce strike of 1934|Salinas lettuce strike of 1934]]
* [[United Farm Workers]]
* [[John Steinbeck]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* Gálvez-Arango, Hannah, et al. "A Multifaceted Examination of Salinas, California." (2018) [https://salinaspubliclibrary.org/sites/default/files/media_browser/external_documents/a_multifaceted_examination_of_salinas.pdf online].
* McKibben, Carol Lynn. ''Salinas: A History of Race and Resilience in an Agricultural City'' (Stanford University Press, 2022). [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=58119 online review]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Salinas}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.salinaschamber.com/ Salinas Chamber of Commerce]

{{Geographic Location
|title = '''Surrounding communities'''
|Centre    = Salinas
|North     = Bolsa Knolls, [[Prunedale, California|Prunedale]]
|Northeast = [[Natividad, California|Natividad]]
|East      = ''[[Gabilan Range]]''
|Southeast = 
|South     = [[Spreckels, California|Spreckels]]
|Southwest = 
|West      = [[Boronda, California|Boronda]]
|Northwest = 
}}
{{Monterey County, California}}
{{California Central Coast}}
{{California county seats}}
{{California}}
{{Salinas River}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Salinas, California| ]]
[[Category:1874 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California]]
[[Category:Cities in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:County seats in California]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1874]]
[[Category:Salinas Valley]]