Monterey County, California


Monterey County, officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas.
Monterey County comprises the Salinas, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders the Monterey Bay, from which it derives its name. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.
The coastline, including Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, has made the county world-famous. The city of Monterey was the capital of California under Spanish and Mexican rule. The economy is primarily based upon tourism in the coastal regions and agriculture in the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's people live near the northern coast and Salinas Valley, while the southern coast and inland mountain regions are sparsely populated.

History

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 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, then the Viceroy of New Spain. Monterrey is a variation of Monterrei, a municipality in the Galicia region of Spain where the Conde de Monterrey and his father were from.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is roughly 1.5 times larger than the state of Delaware, and roughly similar in population and size to Santa Barbara County.

Adjacent counties

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 to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.

Marine protected areas

Monterey County has habitat to support the following endangered species:

Income, education and poverty 2013

Generally, the western/southern parts of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, Creekbridge, and eastern parts of Prundale were the county's most affluent and educated. These areas had a median household income significantly above that of the California or the U.S. overall and comprised roughly 8%-10% of neighborhoods. Educational attainment was at least on part with, or above, state and national levels, in these areas while the percentage of people living in poverty was typically a third or less than national and statewide average.
Social deprivation 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. 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.
Most affluent neighborhoods
RankneighborhoodCensus Reference/Geo-UnitMedian Household Income
1Carmel Valley Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.02$152,411
2Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 3, Census Tract 107.01$143,508
3Jacks Peak, MontereyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 132$142,143
4Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 107.02$141,364
5Skyline Forest, MontereyBlock Group 3, Census Tract 128$130,221
6Yankee Point, CarmelBlock Group 3, Census Tract 117$126,389
7Carmel Valley Block Group 3, Census Tract 116.02$122,056
8Carmel Valley Block Group 4, Census Tract 116.02$118,159
9Carmel Valley Block Group 2, Census Tract 110$118,125
10Carmel Valley Block Group 4, Census Tract 110$115,667
11Carmel Block Group 2, Census Tract 117$115,357
12Jacks Peak, MontereyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 132$113,750
13Skyline Forest, MontereyBlock Group 5, Census Tract 128$111,500
14City of Carmel Block Group 1, Census Tract 118.02$110,962
15Las Palmas, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 107.01$110,918
16Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Country ClubBlock Group 4, Census Tract 119$107,500
17Mount Toro Foothills, Salinas ValleyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 107.02$105,511
18Carmel Valley Block Group 1, Census Tract 116.04$104,902
19City of Carmel Block Group 2, Census Tract 118.01$101,984
20Creekbridge, SalinasBlock Group 2, Census Tract 106.03$100,673
141*United StatesN/A$53,046
104*CaliforniaN/A$61,094
154*City of SalinasN/A$49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups.

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.
Least affluent neighborhoods
RankneighborhoodCensus Reference/Geo-UnitMedian Household Income
1Downtown SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 13$21,411
2Central SeasideBlock Group 3, Census Tract 137$22,994
3East Salinas Block Group 1, Census Tract 7.01$23,250
4Downtown MontereyBlock Group 1, Census Tract 127$24,911
5Central Marina Block Group 3, Census Tract 142.01$25,464
6Hebbron Heights, East SalinasBlock Group 2, Census Tract 5.01$26,211
7East Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.01$26,771
8East Salinas Block Group 2, Census Tract 7.02$26,875
9Hebbron Heights, East SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 5.01$28,750
10Downtown MontereyBlock Group 2, Census Tract 127$29,070
11West Santa Rita, SalinasBlock Group 1, Census Tract 105.06$30,250
12North-Central Salinas/ChinatownBlock Group 2, Census Tract 18.02$30,625
13Central King CityBlock Group 2, Census Tract 113.02$31,579
14Central King CityBlock Group 1, Census Tract 113.02$33,043
15Central SoledadBlock Group 3, Census Tract 111.01$33,110
16East SeasideBlock Group 1, Census Tract 135$33,242
17East Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 7.02$33,244
18East SoledadBlock Group 1, Census Tract 111.02$33,616
19East SalinasBlock Group 3, Census Tract 8$33,938
20North Salinas Block Group 3, Census Tract 4$34,057
86*United StatesN/A$53,046
118*CaliforniaN/A$61,094
73*City of SalinasN/A$49,264

* Asterisk denotes a hypothetical rank among Monterey County's 226 Census Block Groups.

2011

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 White, 12,785 African American, 5,464 Native American, 25,258 Asian, 2,071 Pacific Islander, 117,405 from other races, and 21,357 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 230,003 persons ; 50.2% of Monterey County is Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, and 0.5% Puerto Rican.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 401,762 people, 121,236 households, and 87,896 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile. There were 131,708 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile. 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 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.
Current board members:
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.

Supervisorial Districts

Supervisorial district boundaries are divided roughly equally according to population, using data from the most recent census. In addition, any redistricting changes must comply with both California law as well as the federal Voting Rights Act. Boundaries are adjusted decennially based on data reported by the United States Census Bureau for the most recent census. The next supervisorial election will be held on March 8, 2022.

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.
Luis Alejo represents the 1st District on the Board of Supervisors. His current term expires in December 2020.

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.
John Phillips is currently the Supervisor for the 2nd District. His current term expires in December 2022.

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.
The 3rd District is represented by Chris Lopez. His current term expires in December 2022.

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.
Jane Parker currently holds the seat for 4th District Supervisor. Her current term expires in December 2020.

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.
Mary L. Adams is currently the 5th District Supervisor. Her current term expires in December 2020.

State and federal Representatives

In the United States House of Representatives, Monterey County is part of.
In the California State Assembly, Monterey County is split between, and.
In the California State Senate, Monterey County is split between, and.

Policing

The Monterey County Sheriff provides court protection, jail management, and coroner service for the entire county. It provides 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, Castroville, 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.
YearGOPDEMOthers
201626.16% 34,89566.78% 89,0887.07% 9,425
201230.27% 37,39067.13% 82,9202.60% 3,208
200829.89% 38,79768.15% 88,4531.95% 2,533
200438.38% 47,83860.36% 75,2411.26% 1,574
200037.23% 43,76157.53% 67,6185.23% 6,155
199636.66% 39,79453.15% 57,70010.19% 11,064
199231.25% 36,46147.01% 54,86121.74% 25,367
198849.83% 50,02248.81% 48,9981.36% 1,361
198457.16% 55,71041.79% 40,7331.05% 1,027
198054.67% 47,45233.51% 29,08611.82% 10,256
197651.02% 40,89645.97% 36,8493.00% 2,408
197257.04% 47,00439.49% 32,5453.47% 2,859
196850.16% 33,67042.10% 28,2617.74% 5,193
196437.90% 24,57961.83% 40,0930.27% 172
196056.26% 33,42843.43% 25,8050.30% 180
195659.54% 29,51440.21% 19,9320.26% 127
195262.51% 30,57836.90% 18,0510.58% 286
194850.59% 17,23346.10% 15,7043.31% 1,126
194445.82% 12,24653.66% 14,3420.52% 140
194044.01% 11,81055.00% 14,7580.99% 265
193637.70% 7,56561.13% 12,2671.17% 235
193239.37% 6,20056.77% 8,9423.86% 608
192863.12% 7,22836.13% 4,1380.75% 86
192461.07% 4,74411.41% 88627.53% 2,138
192067.76% 4,81724.91% 1,7717.33% 521
191644.81% 3,59948.28% 3,8786.91% 555
19120.01% 146.26% 3,39253.72% 3,939
190853.64% 2,48634.87% 1,61611.50% 533
190459.17% 2,45334.13% 1,4156.71% 278
190050.10% 1,96446.56% 1,8253.34% 131
189645.82% 1,87852.43% 2,1491.76% 72
189241.65% 1,70939.14% 1,60619.21% 788

According to the California Secretary of State, as of April 2008, Monterey County has 147,066 registered voters. Of those voters, 72,550 are registered Democratic, 42,744 are registered Republican, 5,488 are registered with other political parties, and 26,284 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 Nob Hill resident.

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

Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area. Radio stations Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz area of dominant influence or continuous measurement market. 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.

Transportation

Major highways

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

Cities

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Monterey County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† SalinasCity150,441
2SeasideCity33,025
3MontereyCity27,810
4SoledadCity25,738
5MarinaCity19,718
6PrunedaleCDP17,560
7GreenfieldCity16,330
8Pacific GroveCity15,041
9King CityCity12,874
10GonzalesCity8,187
11CastrovilleCDP6,481
12Del Monte ForestCDP4,514
13Carmel Valley VillageCDP4,407
14Carmel-by-the-SeaCity3,722
15PajaroCDP3,070
16Las LomasCDP3,024
17Aromas CDP2,650
18Pine CanyonCDP1,822
19BorondaCDP1,710
20Del Rey OaksCity1,624
21ElkhornCDP1,565
22ChualarCDP1,190
23SpreckelsCDP673
24San ArdoCDP517
25LockwoodCDP379
26Sand CityCity334
27San LucasCDP269
28Moss LandingCDP204
29BradleyCDP93

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