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King City, California

City of King City
City
The Robert Stanton Theater at King City High School (1939)
Location in California
Location in California
City of King City is located in the US
City of King City
City of King City
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 36°12′46″N 121°07′34″W / 36.21278°N 121.12611°W / 36.21278; -121.12611Coordinates: 36°12′46″N 121°07′34″W / 36.21278°N 121.12611°W / 36.21278; -121.12611
Country United States
State California
County Monterey
Railway stop 1886
Incorporated February 9, 1911
Government
 • Mayor Robert Cullen
 • State senator Anthony Cannella (R)
 • Assemblymember Anna Caballero (D)
 • U. S. rep. Jimmy Panetta (D)
Area
 • Total 3.984 sq mi (10.317 km2)
 • Land 3.845 sq mi (9.958 km2)
 • Water 0.139 sq mi (0.360 km2)  3.49%
Elevation 335 ft (102 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
 • Total 12,874
 • Estimate (2013) 13,248
 • Density 3,200/sq mi (1,200/km2)
Time zone Pacific (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 93930
Area code 831
FIPS code 06-38520
GNIS feature IDs 1652734, 2411544
Website www.kingcity.com

King City (variant: Kings City) is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. King City is located on the Salinas River 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m). It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of the Central Coast. King City is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. The population was 12,874 at the 2010 census. It is a small town which has experienced slow economic growth over the past 50 years.

The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, camped on the Salinas River just south of today's King City on September 26, 1769, having followed the route of today's Jolon Road from the south.

King City was originally known as King's City for the founder, Charles King. In 1884 Charles King acquired 13,000 acres (53 km2) of the Mexican land grant Rancho San Lorenzo, and began growing 6,000 acres (24 km2) of wheat. The town began as a train stop in 1886 for the Southern Pacific Railroad to service the farms and ranches in the south Salinas Valley and to transport the goods to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was originally called "Hog Town" since swine were one of the major agricultural products of the area in the 1880s. The King City post office first opened in 1887. King City incorporated under the name "City of King" in 1911.

J. Ernst Steinbeck, father of the novelist John Steinbeck, claimed to have been the first permanent resident of King City. Steinbeck was certainly among the first settlers. He was the first agent for the S.P. Milling Company, which built an early warehouse and flour mill alongside the railroad tracks running through town. The mill was built by R. M. Shackelford, an early California settler and businessman who owned sheep pasturage next to that of Charles King.


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