Monterey County, California

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Monterey County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Monterey County comprises the Salinas, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders on the southern part of Monterey Bay, after which it is named (northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County). Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency: the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Scenic features along the coastline - including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula - have made the county famous around the world. Back when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule, the city of Monterey was its capital. Today, the economy of the county is mostly based on tourism in its coastal regions, and on agriculture in the region of the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's inhabitants live near the northern coast or in Salinas Valley; the southern coast and inland mountainous regions are sparsely populated.

History

File:GaspardeZugnigayAcevedo (cropped).jpg
Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey, namesake of Monterey Bay and thus the city and the county.

Monterey County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to San Benito County in 1874. The area was originally populated by Ohlone, Salinan and the Esselen tribes.

The county derives its name from Monterey Bay. The bay was named by Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602 in honor of the Conde de Monterrey (or Count of Monterrey), then the Viceroy of New Spain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Monterrey is a variation of Monterrei, a municipality in the Galicia region of Spain where the Conde de Monterrey and his father (the Fourth Count of Monterrei) were from.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (13%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is roughly 1.5 times larger than the state of Delaware, and roughly similar in population and the size to Santa Barbara County.

Adjacent counties

Template:Annotated image Santa Cruz County to the north, San Benito County, Fresno County, and Kings County to the east as well as San Luis Obispo County to the south.

National protected areas

In October 2019, the Bureau of Land Management ended a five-year moratorium on leasing federal land in California to fossil fuel companies, opening 725,000 acres (1100 sq. miles; 29,000 ha) to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Marine protected areas

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Flora and fauna

Monterey County has habitat to support the following endangered species:

Demographics

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2020 census

Monterey County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 173,456 186,166 162,045 136,435 120,077 59.72% 52.34% 40.33% 32.87% 27.35%
Black or African American alone (NH) 18,425 21,506 14,085 11,300 9,051 6.34% 6.05% 3.51% 2.72% 2.06%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2,927 2,124 1,782 1,361 1,314 1.01% 0.60% 0.44% 0.33% 0.30%
Asian alone (NH) 19,696 25,365 23,203 23,777 25,123 6.78% 7.13% 5.78% 5.73% 5.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 1,543 1,868 1,859 0.38% 0.45% 0.38% 0.45% 0.42%
Other race alone (NH) 811 929 1,190 741 2,170 0.28% 0.26% 0.30% 0.18% 0.49%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 9,945 9,572 14,120 x x 2.48% 2.31% 3.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 75,129 119,570 187,969 230,003 265,321 25.87% 33.62% 46.79% 55.41% 60.43%
Total 290,444 355,660 401,762 415,057 439,035 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Income, education and poverty 2013

File:American FactFinder - Results - Google Chrome 2016-03-15 17.52.05.png
Median Household Income across the populated northern half of Monterey County, as of 2014.
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Percent of affluent households (i.e. $150k annual income or higher) across census tracts in most populated area of the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Generally, the western/southern parts of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Creekbridge (Salinas), and eastern parts of Prunedale were the county's most affluent and educated (see dark blue on map). These areas had a median household income significantly above that of the California or the U.S. overall (typically above $95,000 vs. $60,000 for California and $52,000 for the U.S.)<ref name="Income Comparison">Template:Cite web</ref> and comprised roughly 8%-10% of neighborhoods (as defined by Census Block Groups).<ref name="Median Household Income">Template:Cite web</ref> Educational attainment was at least on part with, or above, state and national levels,<ref name="Educational Attainment">Template:Cite web</ref> in these areas while the percentage of people living in poverty was typically a third or less than national and statewide average (with the exception of South Salinas).<ref name=Poverty>Template:Cite web</ref>

Social deprivation (poverty and low levels of educational attainment) was concentrated in the central and eastern parts of Salinas, and central areas of Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Soledad and King City. In central and eastern Salinas up to 46% of individuals lived below the poverty line and those without a secondary educations formed a plurality or majority of residents.<ref name="Educational Attainment" /><ref name="Poverty" /> Overall, the Salinas metropolitan area, defined as coterminous with Monterey County, was among the least educated urban areas in the nation.

Most affluent neighborhoods

Roughly 8% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income above $100,000 per year, about 60% above the national median. This coincided with the top 20 census block groups in the county listed below.<ref name="Income Comparison" /><ref name="Median Household Income" />

Most affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income above $100k/yr.)<ref name="Median Household Income" /><ref name="Monterey County Census Maps">Template:Cite web</ref>

Rank neighborhood Census Reference/Geo-Unit Median Household Income
1 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.02 $152,411
2 Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley Block Group 3, Census Tract 107.01 $143,508
3 Jacks Peak, Monterey Block Group 1, Census Tract 132 $142,143
4 Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley Block Group 2, Census Tract 107.02 $141,364
5 Skyline Forest, Monterey Block Group 3, Census Tract 128 $130,221
6 Yankee Point, Carmel Block Group 3, Census Tract 117 $126,389
7 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 3, Census Tract 116.02 $122,056
8 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 4, Census Tract 116.02 $118,159
9 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 2, Census Tract 110 $118,125
10 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 4, Census Tract 110 $115,667
11 Carmel (East, outside of city limits) Block Group 2, Census Tract 117 $115,357
12 Jacks Peak, Monterey Block Group 2, Census Tract 132 $113,750
13 Skyline Forest, Monterey Block Group 5, Census Tract 128 $111,500
14 City of Carmel (Southern half) Block Group 1, Census Tract 118.02 $110,962
15 Las Palmas, Salinas Valley Block Group 2, Census Tract 107.01 $110,918
16 Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Country Club Block Group 4, Census Tract 119 $107,500
17 Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas Valley Block Group 1, Census Tract 107.02 $105,511
18 Carmel Valley (North-West) Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.04 $104,902
19 City of Carmel (Northern half) Block Group 2, Census Tract 118.01 $101,984
20 Creekbridge (incl. Falcon Meadows), Salinas Block Group 2, Census Tract 106.03 $100,673
141* United States N/A $53,046
104* California N/A $61,094
154* City of Salinas N/A $49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups (e.g. if the U.S. overall was a Census Block Group in Monterey County, it would be the 141st most affluent of 226).

Least affluent neighborhoods

About 4.5% of neighborhoods, as defined by Census Block Groups, had a median household income below $30,000 per year, about 60% below the national median. This coincided with the 10 poorest of the 20 lowest income neighborhoods listed in the table below.<ref name="Income Comparison" /><ref name="Median Household Income" />

Least affluent neighborhoods (Median Household Income of $34.1k or less)<ref name="Median Household Income" /><ref name="Monterey County Census Maps"/>

Rank neighborhood Census Reference/Geo-Unit Median Household Income
1 Downtown Salinas Block Group 1, Census Tract 13 $21,411
2 Central Seaside Block Group 3, Census Tract 137 $22,994
3 East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.) Block Group 1, Census Tract 7.01 $23,250
4 Downtown Monterey Block Group 1, Census Tract 127 $24,911
5 Central Marina (Del Monte Blvd.) Block Group 3, Census Tract 142.01 $25,464
6 Hebbron Heights, East Salinas Block Group 2, Census Tract 5.01 $26,211
7 East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.) Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.01 $26,771
8 East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.) Block Group 2, Census Tract 7.02 $26,875
9 Hebbron Heights, East Salinas Block Group 1, Census Tract 5.01 $28,750
10 Downtown Monterey Block Group 2, Census Tract 127 $29,070
11 West Santa Rita, Salinas Block Group 1, Census Tract 105.06 $30,250
12 North-Central Salinas/Chinatown Block Group 2, Census Tract 18.02 $30,625
13 Central King City Block Group 2, Census Tract 113.02 $31,579
14 Central King City Block Group 1, Census Tract 113.02 $33,043
15 Central Soledad Block Group 3, Census Tract 111.01 $33,110
16 East Seaside Block Group 1, Census Tract 135 $33,242
17 East Salinas (Del Monte Ave.) Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.02 $33,244
18 East Soledad Block Group 1, Census Tract 111.02 $33,616
19 East Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 8 $33,938
20 North Salinas (E. Bernal Drive./Natividad Rd.) Block Group 3, Census Tract 4 $34,057
86* United States N/A $53,046
118* California N/A $61,094
73* City of Salinas N/A $49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups (e.g. if the U.S. overall was a Census Block Group in Monterey County, it would be the 86th poorest of 226).

2011

File:Thematic map showing percentage of households speaking only English at home.png
Thematic map showing percentage of households speaking only English at home.

Places by population, race, and income

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Monterey County had a population of 415,057. The racial makeup of Monterey County was 230,717 (55.6%) White, 12,785 (3.1%) African American, 5,464 (1.3%) Native American, 25,258 (6.1%) Asian (2.8% Filipino, 0.7% Korean, 0.6% Chinese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.4% Indian), 2,071 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 117,405 (28.3%) from other races, and 21,357 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 230,003 persons (55.4%); 50.2% of Monterey County is Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, and 0.5% Puerto Rican.<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>

2000

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 401,762 people, 121,236 households, and 87,896 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 131,708 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 55.9% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 27.8% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 46.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.3% were of German and 5.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 52.9% spoke English, 39.6% Spanish and 1.6% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 121,236 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.65.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 female residents there were 107.3 male residents. For every 100 female residents age 18 and over, there were 107.7 male residents.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,305, and the median income for a family was $51,169. Men had a median income of $38,444 versus $30,036 for the women. The per capita income for the county was $20,165. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

At the local level, Monterey County is governed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Like all governing bodies in California, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is empowered with both legislative and executive authority over the entirety of Monterey County and is the primary governing body for all unincorporated areas within the County boundaries. The Board has five elected members, each of whom represents one of five districts. Taken together, the five districts comprise the entirety of the county.<ref name="MontereyCounty">Template:Cite web</ref>

Current board members:

  • Luis Alejo - 1st District
  • Glenn Church - 2nd District
  • Chris Lopez - 3rd District
  • Wendy Root Askew - 4th District
  • Mary Adams - 5th District

The Board conducts its meetings in the county seat, Salinas, and is a member of the regional governmental agency, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Supervisorial districts

Supervisorial district boundaries are divided roughly equally according to population, using data from the most recent census.<ref name="montereycountyelections" /> In addition, any redistricting changes should approximately comply with both California law as well as the federal Voting Rights Act.<ref name="montereycountyelections">Template:Cite web</ref> Boundaries are adjusted decennially based on data reported by the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census.<ref name="montereycountyelections" /> The next supervisorial election will be held on March 8, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

District 1

The 1st District is geographically the smallest supervisorial district in Monterey County and is entirely within the city limits of the city of Salinas.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Luis Alejo represents the 1st District on the Board of Supervisors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His current term expires in December 2024.<ref name="Board of Supervisors">Template:Cite web</ref>

District 2

As the northernmost supervisorial district in Monterey County, the 2nd District includes the communities of Boronda, Castroville, Las Lomas, Moss Landing, Pajaro, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, the northern neighborhoods of the city of Salinas, and those portions of the community of Aromas that are located within Monterey County.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

John Phillips is currently the Supervisor for the 2nd District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His current term expires in December 2026.<ref name="Board of Supervisors"/>

District 3

The 3rd District covers the majority of the Salinas Valley and southern Monterey County, extending to its border with San Luis Obispo County. The district includes the unincorporated communities of Spreckels, Chualar, and Jolon; the eastern portion of the city of Salinas; the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, and King City; the military installations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts; and portions of the Los Padres National Forest.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 3rd District is represented by Chris Lopez.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His current term expires in December 2026.<ref name="Board of Supervisors"/>

District 4

The 4th District includes the southwest portion of the city of Salinas, the cities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and the former military installation at Fort Ord.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wendy Root Askew currently holds the seat for 4th District Supervisor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her current term expires in December 2024.<ref name="Board of Supervisors"/>

District 5

The 5th District is geographically the largest of the five supervisorial districts, and covers most of the Monterey Peninsula and southern coastline of Monterey County down to the southern county border with San Luis Obispo County. The 5th District includes the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, and Pacific Grove; the unincorporated communities of Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, San Benancio, Corral de Tierra, and Jamesburg; military installations at the Presidio of Monterey, the Defense Language Institute, and the Naval Postgraduate School; and the Ventana Wilderness area of the Los Padres National Forest.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Mary L. Adams is currently the 5th District Supervisor.<ref name="MontereyCounty" /> Her current term expires in December 2024.<ref name="Board of Supervisors"/>

State and federal representatives

In the United States House of Representatives, Monterey County is split between two districts:

In the California State Assembly, Monterey County is split between Template:Representative, and Template:Representative.<ref name=ccrc>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the California State Senate, Monterey County in Template:Representative.<ref name=ccrc/>

Policing

The Monterey County Sheriff provides court protection, jail management, and coroner service for the entire county, in addition to patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated municipalities within the county that have their own municipal police departments are: Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, King City, Marina, Seaside, Sand City, and Gonzales.

Politics

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

For most of the 20th century, Monterey County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1900 until 1992, the only Democrats to carry the county were Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Since 1992, the county has become a Democratic stronghold in Presidential and congressional elections, with George H. W. Bush in 1988 being the last Republican to win Monterey County.

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According to the California Secretary of State, as of April 2008, Monterey County has 147,066 registered voters.Template:Citation needed Of those voters, 72,550 (49.3%) are registered Democratic, 42,744 (29.1%) are registered Republican, 5,488 (3.7%) are registered with other political parties, and 26,284 (17.9%) declined to state a political party. Except for Sand City, all of the other cities, towns, and the unincorporated area of Monterey County have more individuals registered with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. In Sand City, the Republicans have the advantage by 1 voter.

In August 2018, it adopted a flag designed by a Watsonville resident.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Media

Template:See also

Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area (DMA). Radio stations Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz area of dominant influence (ADI) or continuous measurement market (CMM). Local newspapers include the Monterey County Herald, Monterey County Weekly, Salinas Californian and the Carmel Pine Cone.

Home prices

As of December 2005, Monterey County ranked among America's ten most expensive counties, with Santa Barbara County topping the list with a median home price of $753,790. In Monterey County, the median home price was $699,900. In the northern, more densely populated part in the county, the median home price was even higher, at $712,500, making it the fourth most expensive housing market in California. The disparity between the median household income of roughly $48,305 and the median home price of $700k has been cause for recent concern over excluding potential home buyers from the market. The end of the United States housing bubble has caused prices to drop substantially, with median home prices having fallen to $280,000 as at September 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

Major highways

Public transportation

Monterey County is served by Amtrak trains and Greyhound Lines buses. Monterey-Salinas Transit provides transit service throughout most of Monterey County, with buses to Big Sur and King City as well as in Monterey, Salinas and Carmel. MST also runs service to San Jose, California in Santa Clara County.

Airports

Communities

Cities

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Other places

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Monterey County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Salinas City 163,542
2 Seaside City 32,366
3 Monterey City 30,218
4 Soledad City 24,925
5 Marina City 22,359
6 Greenfield City 18,937
7 Prunedale CDP 18,885
8 Pacific Grove City 15,090
9 King City City 13,332
10 Gonzales City 8,647
11 Castroville CDP 7,515
12 Carmel Valley CDP 6,189
13 Del Monte Forest CDP 4,204
14 Carmel-by-the-Sea City 3,220
15 Las Lomas CDP 3,046
16 Pajaro CDP 2,882
17 Aromas (partially in San Benito County) CDP 2,708
18 Pine Canyon CDP 1,871
19 Boronda CDP 1,760
20 Del Rey Oaks City 1,592
21 Elkhorn CDP 1,588
22 Chualar CDP 1,185
23 Spreckels CDP 692
24 San Ardo CDP 392
25 Lockwood CDP 368
26 Sand City City 325
27 San Lucas CDP 324
28 Moss Landing CDP 237
29 Bradley CDP 69

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Unified: Template:Div col

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Secondary:

Elementary: Template:Div col

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See also

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Notes

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References

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