Salinas

While much of Salinas has seen expansion in the form of newer housing and strip malls filled with big box stores, Downtown Salinas still has its small-town feel. “The best word to describe it would be quaint,” says Monica Wason of M2 Realty Group, who has nearly a decade of experience in the area. “You’re not going to find chains; it’s all mom-and-pop shops and locally owned restaurants.” South Main Street is the heartbeat of the neighborhood with dozens of antique shops, boutique stores and art galleries. Locals can stop into one of the many bars, steakhouses and bakeries along the road. Most homes, also quaint in appearance, are within walking distance of the shops, museums and restaurants on Main Street. Main Street features plenty of dining and shopping options. Diners hop on a leather barstool or sit at a booth at First Awakenings, a popular breakfast and lunch spot in the neighborhood for over 25 years. Locals pull up to The Bakery Station, a converted gas station turned into a sandwich shop. The restaurant has high-top tables and is decorated with 1950s diner décor, including white and black checkered tile floors. For fine dining, Pub’s Prime Rib offers white tablecloth dining, complete with candles and roses on the tables. The menu features extensive steak and wine options. Residents can grab groceries from Salinas Fresh Produce or El Rey Fresh Produce. Antique malls, bookstores and boutique outlets are found off South Main Street. The Salinas Farmers Market is open year-round on Saturday mornings. Homes in Downtown Salinas are typically older ranch-style and Craftsman builds, with a few Victorian homes mixed in. Houses have a median year of construction of 1920, which means homes will typically offer interior features like hardwood flooring and plentiful large windows to let in natural light. “Some homes have been renovated inside, but most still have the original exterior features,” says Wason. Prices range between $560,000 and $690,000, depending on the size of the home and interior renovations. Most houses have private driveways, but no attached garages. Sidewalks and small yards are shaded by mature trees. Apartments are plentiful as 81% of the population in Downtown Salinas rents. There are no parks in Downtown Salinas, so locals will have to travel for outdoor exercise. However, Central Park is less than a mile from the neighborhood. Residents can shoot hoops on the basketball court or have a picnic next to the community garden. Kids can explore the two different playground areas. Residents can visit the National Steinbeck Center on the north side of the neighborhood off Main Street. The museum is dedicated to celebrating the life and times of John Steinbeck and hosts events throughout the year, like the Steinbeck Spooktacular trick-or-treating event each Halloween. Bankers Casino offers slots, table games, casino-style card and table games and a full-service restaurant and bar. Residents can catch the latest movies at Maya Cinemas Salinas. Kids in the neighborhood attend the Salians City Elementary School District, beginning at Roosevelt Elementary, which has a C-minus Niche rating. Students move on to Washington Middle School, which has a B-minus ranking, before Salinas High School, which holds a B-plus grade. Niche named Salinas High as the fourth-best public high school in Monterey County. Students interested in a career in athletics can participate in the Fitness and Sports Training Academy (FAST), which has been an option since 2009. Residents can hop on Monterey-Salians Transit buses for transportation around the neighborhood. Highway 1 provides access to Monterey, 19 miles away, while San Jose is 60 miles north on Route 101. “There’s a large percentage of people who either work in San Jose or San Francisco full time or a few days a week, so access to highways is massive,” Wason says.

On the northwestern edge of Salinas, Boronda is a neighborhood in a convenient location for workers and shoppers. “You’ve got the Costco, and you’re really close to Northridge Mall, but you’re also close to the farms,” says Regina Shaw of Intero Real Estate, who has two decades of experience in the area. “Expansion west kind of stopped when they hit Boronda because they didn’t want to interfere with the farmland.” Many Boronda residents work on that farmland, as agriculture is the city of Salinas’ leading industry. However, Boronda residents also have quick and easy access to big box stores, malls and restaurants within the neighborhood. Houses in Boronda range from ranch-style homes to Craftsmans from the late 1990s to classic tri-levels from the 1980s. Prices vary from $580,000 to $750,000 and depend on the size and age of the home. Homes are tucked between Route 101 and the Laurel West Shopping Center on residential streets, but that does not affect lot sizes. “You get more yard space here than in other parts of the city, which makes it more peaceful because you’re not as close to your neighbors,” says Roberto Tovar of RE/MAX Property Experts and a Salinas local. Some properties in the area have enough room for private pools in the backyard. Houses have attached garages and multicar garages. Sidewalks are shaded by oak trees, making it an ideal place for walking a dog. Locals can easily head up N. Davis Road and grab groceries at the Costco and Walmart locations at Westridge Plaza. The shopping center is also home to Best Buy and PetSmart. Just a few blocks up the road, Northridge Mall has Target, Kohl’s and Home Depot. The mall also features a Cinemark Century 14-screen movie theatre with all the new Hollywood releases and a bowling alley. Residents can listen to Mariachi bands and sip on margaritas at Hacienda Mexican Grill, which has drink specials every Thursday. Fried seafood is on the menu at Bag O’ Crab, a fun restaurant with nautical ropes hanging from the ceiling and paintings of a variety of fish and turtles on the walls. Residents can stretch their legs on the Rossi Rico Parkway, which is a paved path through the neighborhood and features a bike path for cyclists. Laurel Wood Park is the largest in the neighborhood and has a pair of playgrounds for children to explore. The park also has courts for basketball players to shoot hoops. Locals cool off at the community pool at Sherwood Park. The park is also a favorite spot for picnics and sand volleyball. The park has outdoor art exhibits and a community garden. Kids attend the Salinas City Elementary School District, beginning at Laurel Wood Elementary, which has a C rating on Niche. Washington Middle School is part of the Salinas Union High School District and has a B-minus grade. North Salinas High holds a B ranking and has produced alumni such as Olympic medalist Alvin Harrison, NFL Pro Bowler Carl Nicks and Academy Award-winning writer Dustin Lance Black. Locals are 18 miles from the Monterey Regional Airport, which has access to a handful of domestic cities, and residents hop on Route 101 to drive 60 miles into San Jose. The Monterey-Salinas Transit system has plenty of bus stops in the area for local travel.

Creekbridge is a suburban neighborhood in Salinas, California, right in the middle of everything. “It’s right in the center of all Salinas, so you have easy access to newer schools, shopping and parks,” says Veronica Rubio of RE/MAX Property Experts, who has over a decade of experience in the area. “The south end of the neighborhood has Natividad Medical Center, which, after the agriculture industry, is probably the second largest employer in Salinas.” Natividad is a Level II Trauma Center with 172 beds that has been serving Salinas since 1886. Northeast of the hospital are golf courses, convenient shopping, and thousands of well-maintained homes built in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Homes in Creekbridge range from classic ranch-style builds to Mediterranean-inspired houses with stucco facades to two-story modern Craftsman homes. Prices vary between $600,000 and $900,000, depending on the age of the home and lot size. “Price and function are the keys for Creekbridge,” says Stephen Hernandez of Steinbeck Realty, who has just under a decade of experience in the area. “These are well-maintained homes for slightly less than what you would see in Harden Ranch or Boronda.” Homes are on quiet, gridded residential streets that often end in cul-de-sacs. Sidewalks and walking paths throughout the neighborhood make it an easy place to take the dog for a walk, and homes have private driveways and attached garages. “Lot sizes are smaller than some surrounding areas, but most houses have some sort of yard,” claims Rubio. There are a variety of places to play in Creekbridge, including the Creekbridge Neighborhood Park. Kids can play on the playground or large grassy area. The larger Natividad Creek Park covers 64 acres and features a dog park and skate park. Natividad Creek Park also features a motocross track, basketball courts and a pair of playgrounds. Golfers can practice their shots at the driving range at First Tee Monterey County. The Twin Creeks Golf Course is a nine-hole track with affordable rates. The Salinas Regional Soccer Complex has 10 full soccer fields and hosts a variety of local tournaments. “The soccer complex is new, and the fields are in such great condition,” says Rubio. Creekbridge also offers plenty of green space in the neighborhood for kids to toss a frisbee or football. Kids in Creekbridge attend the Alisal Union School District, beginning at the C-rated John E. Steinbeck Elementary School. Next is Harden Middle School, which has a C-plus grade on Niche. Teens attend Alisal High School, which holds a B ranking. Students at Alisal can enter the school’s Engineering Academy, which is a program dedicated to preparing students for careers in Engineering and STEM-related fields. A similar program exists for those pursuing careers in medicine. Diners can grab breakfast, lunch or dinner on the patio at The Village Restaurant. The Village features over two dozen wines on the menu and many of the bottles are displayed on shelves in the dining room. The Pizza Factory is a great place to watch the big game with wall-to-wall TVs. The pizza joint also has an extensive draft beer list and arcade games, including the classic claw-style game. There are plenty of restaurant options like Arigato Sushi and Chopstix Vietnamese along with retail outlets like Marshall’s and Target at Harden Ranch Plaza, less than a mile from Creekbridge. Safeway has a location along Constitution Boulevard, providing convenient grocery shopping, and a pair of major retail centers are less than 2 miles west. Creekbridge has plenty of Monterey-Salinas Transit bus stops for local travel. Residents can hop on Route 101 and drive 60 miles north to San Jose or 80 miles to the Bay Area.

In the agriculture community of Salinas, Northridge is best known as a retail destination. “People like that it’s close to shopping and dining, but is also just a 20-minute commute to the ocean,” says Beth Carbone, a RE/MAX Gold Realtor with nearly 20 years of experience in Monterey County. In Northridge, the mall isn’t just used for shopping. In 2023, it was a venue where residents celebrated their culture at The Hispanic Heritage Festival, which featured live music, folkloric dancing and face-painting. Because of the booming agricultural business, many farmers call Salinas home. Some farms, such as Borchard Farms, are open seasonally to the public for pumpkin-picking and corn mazes. Hot on-the-market homes: Houses in Northridge tend to sell quickly as there are usually few on the markets due to a lack of supply. Most houses here were built in the 1970s and ‘80s in the ranch style and sit on small lots in subdivisions. Sidewalks are shaded by trees throughout the neighborhood. Prices range from around $530,000 to $700,000, with updated homes on the higher end. Condos and townhouses are typically found in gated communities, with amenities like outdoor pools, and go from $250,000 to $560,000. Manufactured homes in 55-plus communities start at $100,000.

East Salinas – also known as Alisal – is best thought of as two distinct areas coupled together in a single neighborhood. “There’s East Salinas and New East Salinas,” explains Realtor Regina Shaw, who has represented transactions in the area for two decades. “East Salinas is more densely populated, and houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s. New East Salinas homes are newer construction built in the last 20 years, and the lot sizes are bigger.” There is a range of housing options in East Salinas, with price points that are attractive to both first-time homebuyers and those who have more experience with buying real estate. From cozy manufactured homes to spacious single-family homes, the neighborhood has a style to fit just about any taste. The median home price in East Salinas is $630,000, and buyers should expect to pay an average of $432 per square foot. A two-bedroom/two-bathroom manufactured home can sell for $150,000, a one-bedroom/one-bathroom condominium can sell for $277,000 and a two-bedroom/two-bathroom townhouse can sell for $388,000. Prices for detached single-family homes can range from $405,000 for a two-bedroom/one-bathroom Spanish revival home up to $925,000 for a four-bedroom/three-bathroom Mediterranean-style home. “As the city of Salinas has grown, it’s moved eastward,” says Shaw. “So newer and larger homes tend to be on the eastern side of the neighborhood.” Residents of East Salinas can get their groceries at the centrally located Foods Co, but shopping at either Walmart Supercenter or Target requires making the 3-mile trip to Harden Ranch Plaza on North Main Street. For more in-depth retail therapy, locals head to Westridge Plaza, slightly over 4 miles away, where they can browse at stores that include PetSmart, Ross and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Costco also has a warehouse location in Westridge Plaza for members’ shopping convenience. When it’s time to dine out, a local favorite is the authentic Mexican cuisine at Culturas Hidalgo y Oaxaca. For those who want some quick take-out, the California mainstay In-N-Out Burger has a location nearby on Kern Street, so residents aren’t too far away from their animal-style double-double. East Salinas is districted to the Alisal Union School District, which earns an overall rating of C-minus from Niche, and the Salinas Union High School District, which earns an overall rating of B. Students in the neighborhood can attend Bardin Elementary, Washington Middle and Salinas High School. Bardin earns a C-minus from Niche, Washington earns a B-minus and Salinas High School earns a B-plus. Students at Salinas High School can participate in 40 different school-sponsored clubs, and they have the opportunity to play any of over 30 varsity-level sports. Alternatively, parents can avail themselves of several local private schools in the area, including York School, which earns an A-plus rating from Niche. There are multiple facilities throughout the neighborhood for outdoor recreation. Closter Park at the corner of Dewey and Towt Streets offers neighborhood residents access to a playground, a softball field, four basketball courts and picnic tables, as well as plenty of open space for play. The adjacent Firehouse Recreation Center offers indoor recreational opportunities for kids and seniors, with board games, pool tables and video games. The Firehouse Recreation Center also offers homework assistance, senior nutrition and other drop-in programs. Alternatively, Natividad Creek Community Park in the neighborhood’s northwestern corner features a disc golf course, a skate park and tetherball courts, along with two playgrounds, two basketball courts and two tennis courts. In the southeastern section of the neighborhood, golfers can tee off at Salinas Fairways Golf Course, a public 18-hole course with a practice range, a putting green, a pro shop and a café. Residents appreciate the fact that Highway 101 runs along the neighborhood’s southern border, making the commute to work or play easier. “The majority of people I see buying in East Salinas are folks that work in Salinas who want to be close to the city, but not too close,” says Shaw. Sidewalks throughout the area make the neighborhood very walkable, and multiple Monterey-Salinas Transit bus stops make getting around town easy for those without their own transportation.

Located between downtown Salinas and sprawling farmland, South Salinas is one of the town’s most popular and priciest neighborhoods. “It’s so sought after because there’s something for everyone,” says Angela Savage of Steinbeck Realty, who has over 15 years of real estate experience in Salinas. “Prices are continuing to increase in South Salinas because there aren’t many houses on the market, so if a house does go on the market, it sells quickly.” In the heart of the neighborhood is the Salinas Valley Health Medical Center, a 263-bed acute care medical center that employs over 2,000 residents. “Besides agriculture, health care is the biggest industry in Salinas,” says Veronica Rubio of REMAX Property Experts, a Salians local with 11 years of real estate experience. The neighborhood also features diverse housing styles, easy access to schools and plenty of dining options along Main Street. Tudor, Hacienda, Craftsman and Greek Revival architecture can be found in the Maple Park subdivision. “It’s the most prestigious subdivision in the area, with the older homes and higher price tags,” says Rubio. Homes under 1,000 square feet with one bathroom range from $580,000 to $710,000. Larger Maple Park houses with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms cost between $800,000 and up to $1.5 million for homes with 3,500 square feet. Elsewhere in South Salinas, homes under 1,000 square feet cost between $430,000 and $600,000, with larger builds costing between $650,000 and $980,000 depending on size, age and condition, as many have been completely remodeled. Most homes have private driveways for parking and front and backyards. There are a few condos in the area that are priced between $375,000 and $675,000, depending on size and amenities. South Main Street cuts through the middle of the neighborhood, and many restaurants are located off the thoroughfare. Diners at Elli’s Great American are greeted by a seven-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at this eatery, with quotes from the United States Constitution painted on the walls. Stonies Taphouse and Bistro offers over 60 beers from local and national breweries, and customers can try them by the flight. The bistro is a great place to watch a game on one of the many TVs on the walls while enjoying a burger or tacos at the long wooden tables. Steinbeck House Restaurant gives diners the opportunity to sit in the author’s Queen Anne Victorian home for lunch five days a week. The walls are decorated with classic wallpaper and black-and-white photos from Steinbeck’s life. Shoppers can get groceries in the neighborhood at Nob Hill Foods or drive 2 miles up Route 101 to Northridge Mall in Boronda for retail needs. Kids in South Salinas attend Monterey Park Elementary, which holds a C rating on Niche. Washington Middle School has a B-minus ranking, while Salinas High has a B-plus grade. Salinas High School was established in 1905, and Salinas’ favorite son, Steinbeck, is a graduate. The school is ranked the fourth-best public high school in Monterey County by Niche. “Salinas High is one of the most desirable schools in the district and a lot of families want their kids to end up there,” says Rubio. Hartnell College is a two-year community college in the neighborhood with nearly 17,000 students. There are community parks and playgrounds scattered throughout South Salinas, making it easy for locals to get outside for some fresh air. Hartnell Park is one of the larger parks, with two separate playgrounds and basketball hoops. Locals can play pickleball or have a picnic on the extensive green space at Claremont Manor Park. The park also hosts youth baseball games. For an indoor workout, Anytime Fitness is open all hours of the day off Main Street. Bowlers can roll a strike at Valley Center Bowl, which also has a full bar, pool room and arcade. There are a plethora of Monterey-Salinas bus routes providing local transit in the neighborhood. Route 101 runs along the northeastern side of the neighborhood and takes locals 60 miles north to San Jose.