The City of Monterey is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in central California. As of 2005, the city population was 30,641. The city is noted for its rich history of resident artists beginning in the late 1800s and its historically famed fishery. Monterey is home to the Naval Postgraduate School the Defense Language Institute, former Fort Ord, which is now the site of California State University Monterey Bay; Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey American Viticultural Area; Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf and a Marine Mammal Center field station located in the area. It is from Monterey that the semi-hard cheese known as Monterey Jack originated.
AttractionsThe city is famed for its abundant sea habitat, including kelp seaweed forests, sea otters and sea lions. The large diversity of sealife draws thousands of scuba divers each year to Monterey, which is considered one of the best regions for the sport in California.
Monterey is also the location of one of the largest aquariums in North America, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and hosts several important marine science laboratories. Monterey's geographic location gives scientists access to the deep sea within hours. Just miles off the shores of Monterey is Monterey Canyon, an underwater canyon two miles (3.2 km) deep.
The Larkin House, a part of the Monterey State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark, was built in the Mexican period by Thomas Oliver Larkin and is an early example of Monterey Colonial architecture. The old Custom House, the town historic district and the Royal Presidio Chapel are also National Historic Landmarks. The Cooper-Molera Adobe is a National Trust Historic Site.
Colton Hall, built in 1849 by Walter Colton, was originally a public school and government meeting place. It also hosted California's first constitutional convention. Today it houses a museum, while adjacent buildings serve as the seat of local government.
Other well known attractions close to the city of Monterey are:
Monterey is the location of the Naval Postgraduate School, Presidio of Monterey, Monterey Institute of International Studies, the prestigious home of cake connoisseur Natangela, and Monterey Peninsula College. Monterey is served by Monterey Peninsula Airport and local bus Service is provided by Monterey Salinas Transit.
Environmental features and geographyThe city is situated on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a Federally protected ocean area extending 276 miles (444 km) along the coast. Sometimes this sanctuary is confused with the local bay which is also termed Monterey Bay. In the local Monterey Bay marine environment can be found the California sea otter, a protected species. A field station of the Marine Mammal Center is located in Monterey to support sea rescue operations in this section of the California coast. Endangered bird species in Monterey are: California clapper rail, found in salt marshes; California brown pelican and Yuma clapper rail, both found at dunes and rocky headlands. One rare mammal, the San Joaquin kit fox, is found here in oak forest and chapparal habitats. The chapparal habitat is general located on the drier slopes at the eastern part of the city and hosts such plants as manzanita, chemise and ceanothus. Additional species of interest (that is, possible candidates for endangered species) are the Salinas kangaroo rat and the Silver sided legless lizard.
A variety of natural habitats are manifested within the city: littoral zone and sand dunes; closed cone pine forest; and Monterey Cypress habitat. During the early 1900s, Willis L. Jepson characterized the forests on the Monterey Peninsula as the 'most important silva ever', and encouraged Samuel F. B. Morse of the Del Monte Properties Company to explore the possibilities of preserving the unique forest communities[1]. The dune area is also important, as it hosts the endangered species such as the vascular plants Seaside birds beak, Hickman's potentilla and Eastwoods Ericameria. The closed cone pine forest habitat is dominated by Monterey pine, Knobcone pine and Bishop pine, contains the rare Monterey manzanita; rare plants inhabiting chapparal habitat in Monterey are: Hickman's onion, Yadon's piperia (Piperia yadonii) and Sandmat manzanita. Other rare plants within Monterey are: Hutchinson's delphinium, Tidestrom lupine; Gardner's yampah and Monterey Knotweed, the latter of which may be extinct.
The city of Monterey sits over Quaternary Alluvium soil and is in a moderate to high seismic risk zone, the principal threat being the active San Andreas Fault, which is approximately 26 miles (42 km) east. The active Monterey Bay fault which traces three miles (4.8 km) to the north and the active Palo Colorado fault resides seven miles (11.3 km) to the south. More minor potentially active faults nearby are the Berwick Canyon, Seaside, Tularcitos and Chupines faults. There is a considerable undeveloped area subject to high landslide and erosion potential in the northwestern part of the city. A maximum credible tsunami for a 100 year interval has been calculated for Monterey Bay as a nine foot (2.7 m) high wave. Sand deposits in the northern coastal area comprise the sole known mineral resources. Annual rainfall in Monterey is only 15 inches (38 cm).
Environmental Noise has been mapped in the city of Monterey to define principal sources and extent of population exposed to significant levels. The principal sources of noise are the Monterey Airport, State Route 1 and major arterial streets such as Munras Avenue and Camino Aguajito. While most of Monterey is a quiet residential city, there are a moderate number of people exposed to aircraft noise at sound levels in excess of 60 CNEL in the northern part of the city. The most intense source is California State Highway 1 , such that the total number of residents exposed to sound levels greater than 65 CNEL live near California State Highway 1 or one of the principal arterial streets; that exposed population above 65 CNEL is approximately 1600 people.
Monterey is located at (36.600010, -121.890605)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.4 km² (11.7 mi²). 21.9 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 8.5 km² (3.3 mi²) of it (28.05%) is water.
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 29,674 people, 12,600 households, and 6,476 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,357.5/km² (3,516.9/mi²). There were 13,382 housing units at an average density of 612.2/km² (1,586.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.83% White, 2.52% African American, 0.57% Native American, 7.43% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 4.45% from two or more races. 10.86% of the population were Hispanic.
There were 12,600 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 37.0% of all households consist of individuals and 11.0% have a lone dweller who is over 64. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.82. The age distribution is as follows: 16.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,109, and the median income for a family was $58,757. Males had a median income of $40,410 versus $31,258 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,133. About 4.4% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
MediaThe Monterey/Salinas metro area is served by a variety of local television stations, and is the 125th largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 218,080 homes:
The Monterey/Salinas area lost its American Broadcasting Company broadcast affiliate in 2000, when KNTV was purchased, and then became the NBC station for the San Francisco Oakland San Jose metropolitan area. KNTV, now known as NBC11, later moved its tower from Loma Prieta Peak to San Bruno Mountain, ceasing its coverage in Monterey. At that time, ABC reached an agreement with Comcast Cable to provide a slightly-customized feed of San Francisco ABC O&O KGO-TV for the Monterey area, branded simply as ABC 7 and occasionally referred to by the mock call letters AABC.
Notable ResidentsMike Aldrete, a former American baseball player and current hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Pete Incaviglia, a former American baseball player who holds the single-season NCAA home run record at 48 and RBI record at 143
Leon Panetta, a former American politician
Kirsten Carlson, illustrator of 'The Giraffe that was Afraid of Heights'
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