Monterey County is located on the Central Coast of California is about 100 miles south of San Francisco; 60 miles south of San Jose; and about 350 miles north of Los Angeles.

Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. The most current estimate from the California Department of Finance sets the 2006 population at about 148,350.

Salinas is located 10 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet  above sea level and roughly 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean and enjoys a mild climate. The climate is also ideal for the floral industry and grape vineyards planted by world-famous vintners. Salinas is  an agricultural center and known as the Salad Bowl of the World because over 80% of the lettuce grown in the United States is grown in the Salinas Valley. Also known for being the hometown of the noted writer and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate John Steinbeck.

The city's labor force is 54.6% blue collar and 45.4% white collar. According to the 2000 US Census, 24% of the population worked in sales and office occupations, 21.4% worked in management, professional, and related occupations, 16.2% worked in service occupations, 14.9% worked in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, 14.4% worked in production, transportation, and material moving occupations, and 9.1% worked in construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations.