Salinas (/səˈliːnəs/; Spanish for "Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the seat of government of Monterey County.

[13] It was the hometown of writer and Nobel laureate John Steinbeck (1902–68), who set many of his stories in the Salinas Valley and Monterey.

In the 1850s a junction of two main stage coach routes was located 18 miles (29 km) east of Monterey and along the big bend of what is locally referred to as the Alisal Slough.

[11] 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.

[20] Irrigation changed farming in Salinas to mainly row crops of root vegetables, grapes and sugar beets.

[13] Driven by the profitable agricultural industry, Salinas had the highest per capita income of any city in the United States in 1924.

During World War II, the Salinas Rodeo Grounds was one of the locations used as a temporary 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 Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal and confinement of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast.

Prior to mass agricultural and urban development, much of the city consisted of rolling hills bisected by wooded creeks and interspersed with marsh land.

[29] 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.

[30] The natural ecosystems accompanying the area's topography and environment have been recreated in Natividad Creek Park and adjacent Upper Carr Lake.

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 Csb) with typical daily highs ranging from 62.4 °F (16.9 °C) in December to 74.7 °F (23.7 °C) in September.

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.

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.

[43] Salinas has a significant, but declining problem with organized street gangs, such as Nortenos, Surenos, and Crips and the associated violent crime.

[46][47][48] Gang activity and violent crime are focused in Central and East Salinas[49] and exacerbated by the city's comparatively low tax base and consequently limited policing resources.

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.

[55] The event draws agricultural technology entrepreneurs from around the world and includes speakers, group discussions, tours, on site demonstrations.

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.

The event includes food, demonstrations of tai chi, Filipino folk dancing, kendo, and a bonsai display.

[66] 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.

Other historic buildings are located here, including the Lagunita School house John Steinbeck wrote about in the Red Pony.

Hartnell College, as well as a satellite campus of California State University, Monterey Bay, are located in Salinas.

Local radio stations include: Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area (DMA).

U.S. Route 101 is the major north–south highway in Salinas, linking the city to the rest of the Central Coast region, San Francisco to the north, and Los Angeles to the south.

Its Coast Starlight train runs daily in each direction between Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, stopping in Salinas.

It is a general aviation facility occupying 763 acres (3.1 km2), 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 is the site of the California International Airshow, set annually in the late summer or early autumn.