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Located 9 miles inland from Monterey
Bay's beaches and golf courses, Salinas (pronounced sah-lee-nahs) Valley
sits between the Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountain ranges and received it's
title as "Valley of the World" from famed author and native, John Steinbeck.
The city paid tribute to this literary legend in 1998 with a grand opening
of the National Steinbeck Center located on Main Street. Home to a $2 billion agriculture
industry supplying 80% of the nation's lettuce and artichokes, other crops
such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, flowers and wine grapes
are also produced in abundance here.
Gourmet dining and docent-guided
tours are just a few steps from the Center at the Steinbeck House, John
Steinbeck's boyhood home. The city offers many
other choices for fine dining as well, such as the Salinas Valley
Fish House pictured.
The secret to the fabulous tasting
gourmet meals served in restaurants locally and on the nearby Carmel and
Monterey coast, comes from the freshness of the food supply. If you
live in the large cities of the United States and have grown accustomed
to grocery store produce, it's easy to forget that vegetables can taste
so appealing.
The residents of Salinas are
determined to preserve the local farm economy, despite enormous pressure
from developers. Monterey County has some of the highest housing costs
in the country. Long popular with tourists and wealthy retirees, the area
has also begun to attract commuters from Silicon Valley. Agricultural land
that currently sells for $20,000 an acre could be sold for many times that
amount if it were rezoned: there are fields full of lettuce, grapes and
strawberries overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The Spanish influence is predominant
in a city with migrant and full time farm laborers who work these fields
year round. In striking contrast to the lifestyle "over the hill" on the
wealthy coast, life in the valley is modest, generally speaking.
It's not unusual to see some locals sleeping under a tree near the downtown
Salinas region or filling the parking lot of the nearby bus station for
journeys to other places. You might also enjoy
a strolling troubadour who sings Spanish love songs for passers by
on Main Street.
More "down to earth" than some neighboring
communities, Salinas is every bit as charming with stately and ornate buildings
which are home to antique stores, restaurants, shops and banks. While
visiting the Steinbeck Center, take a stroll down the street to enjoy century-old
architecture in Oldtown district.
Other items of interest in Salinas
include: California Rodeo, California International Air Show, Cherry's
Jubilee Classic Car Show, Salinas Valley Salad Days, Salsa Festival, El
Grito Festival and Steinbeck Festival.
Steinbeck Center
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