Monterey

Formed February 18, 1850 (10^th county)

Monterey County (439,036), Salinas (163,542)

The Art Deco style governmental structure of the Monterey County courthouse was erected in 1937.  It is located on Church Street at Howard Street.  California State Highway 183 is four blocks north of the site.  Robert Stanton and Charles Butner were the designers of the courthouse.  An 1878 courthouse was also in Salinas, as the only county seat.  An Administration Center was added in 2003.  There are also augmenting courthouses in King City, Marina, and Monterey.  Monterey County was an original county having been formed on February 18, 1850 as the 10^th county.  The Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, named the bay for the Viceroy of Mexico, Count of Monte-Ray.  The bay shared its named with the county.  Salinas is Spanish for “salt works.”

Monterey County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Nineteen Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Monterey County (judicial.)  The county is situated in the west part of California on the Pacific Ocean.  San Jose, California is north.  The county center is 23.2 miles Southeast of Salinas nearer Soledad.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Santa Cruz, San Benito, Fresno, Kings, and San Luis Obispo counties and the Pacific Ocean.  The county is shaped like a candle with its base bending toward the southeast.  Salinas is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Salinas is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 37.3% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced SA-LEEN-AS.  The county is pronounced MON-TE-RAE.  

The area of the county is 3322 square miles.  It is 17 out of 58 in the state.  It ranks 21 out of 58 in population in the state.  It has a density of 132.2 persons per square mile making it 25 out of 58 in the state.  Monterey County has 76.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 101 enters from San Benito County on the northeast and exits southeast into San Luis Obispo County.  This county is in the Salinas Metropolitan Statistical Area.