Monterey Bay may not be part of the manufacturing core but it has a big part of agriculture. Interesting that it use to be the only port of entry for taxable goods in California, yet didn't end up being a main manufacturing area. Before any goods could get into California, they had to go through the Custom House.  Until the 1950's, Monterey had been famous for fishery. Now people can go and see the old canning factories and there are still a few fishing companies left on Cannery Row.

The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) is responsible for transportation planning.  They did a study to see how efficient Monterey's transportation system is since their economy relies a lot on agriculture. The study showed that their transportation system could improve which would help the agricultural business improve and be more efficient. This study helped forecast what would be needed with regards to transportation through 2015.

Although Monterey Bay doesn't have as much manufacturing as a city in the manufacturing core has, but then again, you also don't have the water or air pollution either.  (And for even more fun, read Cannery Row, then visit Cannery Row!)



The Custom House




This is Cannery Row before it became a tourist spot



Monterey is the opposite of Megalopolis

Since Monterey Bay is surrounded by the ocean, the people who live there seem to be very aware of how cities can pollute the ocean. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has a Water Quality Protection Program that helps cities and counties come up with ways to reduce the amount of runoff from urban areas.

 Since the Monterey Bay area has really good soil and weather for agriculture, they provide a lot of crops to feed California. According to LandWatch, a publication in Monterey County, "the Monterey Bay area is experiencing increasing urban pressures and loss of prime agricultural land. Today there is essentially no farmland left in the Santa Clara Valley. The question is, should we or can we allow this same thing to happen in the Monterey Bay Area."                    

                        


The people who live in Monterey Bay seem to really care more about nature and less about being an urban city that is fast paced and very populated. Monterey Bay is the opposite of Megalopolis.

Who first settled in Monterey? The original religion?

The first people to settle in what is now known as Monterey were the Rumsen Ohlone tribe which were one of the distinct Ohlone groups in California. They were attracted to the Monterey area because it was rich in marine life. They lived comfortably by fishing, hunting, and gathering. In the 18th century they were taken over by the Spanish settlers.

The main religion in Monterey during the time the Spanish settled there was Roman Catholicism.  An interesting fact is that Monterey has the oldest cathedral in California.  It was established in 1794 by Father Junipero Serra.

The oldest stone building in California.

The climate is amazing!

Well...how much better can you get than the climate in a coastal town? I love coastal towns.  

Monterey Bay is on the Pacific Ocean so the temperatures there are not very drastic. The climate there is considered a Mediterranean climate which is the Koppen climate classification. It never gets very hot even in the summer.  The high average in the summer is 72 degrees Fahrenheit and the average high in the winter is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The annual rainfall is 19.5" and rain generally falls between November and April.  The summers are cool and foggy.  Snow in monterey bay is extremely rare...not a place to visit if you are only into snowboarding!

Beautiful region!

Monterey Bay, California is a beautiful place to visit.  (If you are lucky, you can even live there!) 

The total area in square miles is 11.7.  Of those, 3.3 is water and 8.4 is land. According to the latest 2000 census, the population density was 3,516.9 people per square mile. 

In California, Monterey was the original and only port of entry for taxable goods in the state. (Wow!)

  

The economy relies on tourism in the Coastal regions and Agriculture in the land regions.

Coastal Region

Agriculture Region (Strawberry field)