Salinas

Salinas, city, United States

Salinas (səlē`nəs), city (1990 pop. 108,777), seat of Monterey co., W Calif.; inc. 1874. It is the shipping and processing center of a fertile valley famous for its grain and lettuce. Fruits, vegetables, cattle, and nursery and dairy products are also produced. Spices, candy, wines, jams, jellies, and soft drinks are made, and fruits and vegetables are canned. Wire and paper products, fertiizers, power transformers, industrial trucks, and printed circuit boards are manufactured in Salinas. The population of the city grew tremendously in late 20th cent. as the area became an outlying suburb of Silicon Valley. The Alisal area (formerly called East Salinas), which was annexed by Salinas in 1964, was settled (1933) principally by migratory farm workers. The city is the scene of an annual rodeo. John Steinbeck was born and buried in Salinas. His home and the Steinbeck Center are tourist attractions.

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Salinas, river, United States

Salinas, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in the Santa Lucia Mts., S Calif., and flowing (partly underground) past King City, Paso Robles, and Salinas, NW to Monterey Bay. The irrigated valley is highly productive and is one of the chief lettuce-producing regions in the United States.

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Salinas

City (pop., 2000: 151,060), western California, U.S. Located in the Salinas valley east of Monterey, it was a crossroads on El Camino Real, the old Spanish trail between San Diego and San Francisco. It was settled in 1856 and became a cattle centre. The arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1868 stimulated agricultural development. Salinas was the birthplace of John Steinbeck, who often referred to it in his books, especially in East of Eden.