1. What kind of agriculture does Salinas Valley grow?
Boasting a $4 billion agriculture industry, Salinas is famous for being the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Eighty percent of the nation’s vegetables are grown in the Salinas Valley and are also shipped all over the world. Monterey County produces a large variety of vegetables such as broccoli, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, artichokes, spinach, asparagus and thirty three varieties of lettuce. From an aerial view, the valley looks like a beautiful patchwork quilt of different shades of green. The Salinas Valley is 120 miles long, running from Moss Landing (in the north) to Bradley (in the south). As you travel from the top of the Gabilan mountain range (east valley) down across the valley and up the other side to the top of the Santa Lucia mountain range (west valley), the distance is 10 miles. As you move south, the valley becomes narrower, creating many areas that have unique microclimates. Some of the rather distinct items grown in these areas include kiwi in Prunedale, avocados in Gonzales and elephant garlic in Greenfield. The 50,000 acres of grapes are grown in the foothills. Clean, green and healthy living is promoted in our highly productive area.
2. What is Salinas/ Monterey region famous for?
Nobel Prize winning author, John Steinbeck, was born and raised in Salinas, hence the area being dubbed Steinbeck Country. He is honored by a world famous museum in his name. The National Steinbeck Center Museum is located on Oldtown Main Street and the 1897 Victorian home he was born and raised in, the Steinbeck House, is a specialty restaurant located two blocks northwest of the museum. Steinbeck and his family are buried at the Garden of Memories Memorial Park in Salinas. The annual Steinbeck Festival takes place in May.
The Monterey Bay region boasts the Monterey Bay Aquarium (the #2 attraction in the world), Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf and many beautiful beaches. Whale watching and fishing trips on the bay, kayaking in the Elkhorn Slough, museums, organic farmers’ markets, shopping and art galleries are wildly popular. The Monterey Bay is the home of the “Blue Grand Canyon,” a 60 mile long and 2 mile deep underwater canyon formed 2 million years ago and is teaming with hundreds of distinctive species of ocean life. Events are abundant such as the Monterey Bay Jazz Festival, Monterey County Fair, Carmel Bach Festival, Marina Festival of the Winds, Monterey Bay Blues Festival, Monterey Rock n’ Rod Festival and many more.
3. Do you have wineries in your area?
The area is an up and coming wine region with over 50,000 acres of vineyards and tasting rooms abound. From the bay in the north to the southern county line Monterey Wine Country boasts nine different and unique American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). AVAs are one-of-a-kind wine growing districts that showcase their own special combination of geography, soil and climate. The federal government has granted the appellations the right to put their locale on the wine label – providing a sense of place - a reflection of that particular region’s character and quality. Take a tour of the River Road Wine Trail where many tasting rooms reside.
4. Are there any of the California Missions in your area?
Our area is home to five of the twenty missions in the California Mission chain; Mission San Juan Bautista, Carmel Mission, Soledad Mission, Mission San Antonio de Padua and Mission Santa Cruz. There is also an abundance of historic adobes to tour and grand Victorians to photograph, a richness in history.
5. What kind of events do you have in your region?
Salinas is home to the world renowned California Rodeo Salinas, which attracts international competitors and visitors alike in July, and the California International Airshow spotlighting the Blue Angels, Canadian Snowbirds and Thunderbird flight teams comes in September each year.
The Concours d’Elegance is presented each year at Pebble Beach with historic auto races and car sales surrounding the event. Also on the map is the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca that draws international race fans for the MotoGP World Championship, American Le Mans Series, Historic Auto Races and the non–motorized Sea Otter Classic bike race.
The Big Sur Marathon that takes place on the dramatic coastline of the Pacific Coast Highway. Other famous events are the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Castroville Artichoke Festival, Salinas Valley Fair Salinas Valley Food and Wine Festival and the Watsonville Strawberry Festival, all celebrating our agricultural heritage. Many other festivals occur throughout the year, celebrate the arts, food, wine, and cultural heritage.
With 19 championship golf courses, there are challenges to golfers of every skill level. Each February the AT&T Pro-Am Tournament comes to Pebble Beach, and the US open has been held there twice in the last fifteen years.
