Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California
County
Images, from top down, left to right: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Main Street in Salinas, the seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Mission Soledad, Big Sur Coastline
Seal
Location in the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
Region	California Central Coast
Incorporated	February 18, 1850
Named for	Monterey Bay
County seat	Salinas
Largest city	Salinas
Area
• Total	3,771 sq mi (9,770 km2)
• Land	3,281 sq mi (8,500 km2)
• Water	491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
Highest elevation	5,865 ft (1,788 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	415,057
• Estimate (2015)	433,898
• Density	110/sq mi (42/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Area codes	805, 831
Website	www.co.monterey.ca.us

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas.

Monterey County comprises the Salinas, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It borders the Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. Monterey County is a member of the regional governmental agency, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

The coastline, including Big Sur, State Route 1, and the 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, has made the county world-famous. The city of Monterey was the capital of California under Spanish and Mexican rule. The economy is primarily based upon tourism in the coastal regions and agriculture in the Salinas River valley. Most of the county's people live near the northern coast and Salinas Valley, while the southern coast and inland mountain regions are sparsely populated.

Monterey County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county were given to San Benito County in 1874. The area was originally populated by Ohlone, Salinan & Esselen tribes.