Maps, Weather, and General Information
The Salinas Valley

The Salinas Valley is an 80-mile long food producing region, where rows of vegetable crops stretch to the horizon. Nicknamed the "Salad Bowl of the World," the main exports are head lettuce, broccoli and celery. It is a combination of rural landscapes, small towns and bustling commercial activity.

Salinas, with a population of more than 148,000, is the county seat and a bi-cultural city. It is located eight miles inland from Monterey Bay at the head of the Salinas Valley. The city is a mix of large urban areas, industrial and retail centers, charming residential streets, and a historic downtown with classic architecture and Victorian homes. Salinas retains its agricultural roots and annually hosts the highly ranked California Rodeo. Ranches and farm houses are abundant.

In the north of Monterey County's Salinas Valley is Castroville, the Artichoke Capitol of the World, where in 1947 Marilyn Monroe was crowned the first Artichoke Queen. Beyond lies the port town of Moss Landing, with its boat marina and antique shops. Nature lovers enjoy the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Sanctuary and miles of state beaches.

Traveling south of Salinas along Hwy. 101 there's more evidence of agricultural importance in the rural towns of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City. Here you'll find the essence of small towns with plazas, main street shops, and local color. King City is the largest town in the south Salinas Valley and is the home of the San Lorenzo Regional Park, an agricultural and rural life museum with restored farm buildings, 1800's one-room schoolhouse, and other exhibits tracing Monterey County's agricultural past.

East of Soledad (location of Soledad Correctional Training Facility) via Hwy. 146 is the Pinnacles National Monument, with its unusual volcanic rock formations and caves.

Other southern county attractions include historic missions-- Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad and Mission San Antonio de Padua. There are vineyards and wineries, rivers and bridges, and Lakes San Antonio and Nacimiento. Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts military bases are also here. Farthest south is the tiny town of Parkfield, which straddles the San Andreas faultline and is the self-proclaimed Earthquake Capitol of the World.