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San Benancio | |
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  San Benancio Location in California | |
| Coordinates: 36°34′10″N121°42′31″W / 36.569439°N 121.708529°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Monterey County |
| Elevation | 226 ft (69 m) |
San Benancio is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located in the San Benancio Canyon.
The region was named for San Benancio Gulch which is the small canyon that forms the majority of the region. A map dated 1834 lists the region as "Canada de San Benancio". The Spanish name most likely refers to one of four saints venerated with the name Venantius.
San Benancio was the inspiration for "Las Pasturas del Cielo," the fictional setting in John Steinbeck’s Pastures of Heaven . A Salinas native, Steinbeck spent time in his youth within San Benancio, specifically Castle Rock near the base of the Canyon, and accurately described the region in Pastures of Heaven:
... he saw a long valley floored with green pasturage on which a herd of deer browsed. Perfect live oaks in the meadow of the lovely place, and the hills hugged it jealously against the fog and wind.
While it has no official boundaries the colloquial place-name “San Benancio” refers to homes and businesses residing on or directly reached by San Benancio Road. This includes the Ambler Park and Harper Canyon regions found along the road.
The road itself is located along the Monterey-Salinas highway (California State Route 68) roughly equidistant from Salinas and Monterey.
The walls of San Benancio Canyon have an elevation of 400 ft and run adjacent to Toro Creek, a small tributary to the Salinas River which is located 4 miles south. The canyon is home to a number of California Live Oak Trees and various types of wild sage brush and grass.
The canyon is home to a wide array of wildlife as well including deer, hawks, condors, wild pigs, California quail and a large population of wild turkeys.
At the county level, San Benancio is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Dave Potter. [1]
In the California State Senate, San Benancio is in the 17th Senate District , represented by Democrat John Laird. In the California State Assembly, it is split between the 29th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Robert Rivas, and the 30th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Dawn Addis. [2]
In the United States House of Representatives, San Benancio is in California's 19th congressional district , represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta [3]
San Benancio is served by the Washington Union School District. San Benancio Middle School which serves a little over 300 students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, is located in San Benancio. The school was rated 9 out of 10 by the “Great Schools” website in 2007.
The region is also served by Titus Park, a private Swim and Tennis club located along San Benancio Road. The pool remains open daily from June to September and hours are dictated by weather.
Monterey is a city in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, Monterey was the second permanent settlement established by Spanish explorers in what is now California. It functioned as the capital of Alta California under both Spain (1804–1821) and Mexico (1822–1846). During this period, Monterey hosted California's first theater, public building, public library, publicly funded school, printing press, and newspaper. It was originally the only port of entry for all taxable goods in California. In 1846, during the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848, the United States Flag was raised over the Customs House. After Mexico ceded California to the U.S. at the end of the war, Monterey hosted California's first constitutional convention in 1849.
Monterey County, officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, in the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,090. Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey.
Salinas is a city in the U.S. state of California and the seat of government of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area located along the eastern limits of the Monterey Bay Area, lying just south of the San Francisco Bay Area and 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River. The city is located at the mouth of the Salinas Valley, about eight miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean, and it has a climate more influenced by the ocean than the interior.
Carmel Valley Village is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2020 census the CDP population was 4,524, up from 4,407 at the 2010 census. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.
Carmel Valley is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. The term "Carmel Valley" generally refers to the Carmel River watershed east of California State Route 1, and not specifically to the smaller Carmel Valley Village. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Carmel Valley as a census county division (CCD), with an area covering approximately 189 square miles (490 km2). At the time of the 2020 census the CCD population was 6,189. In November 2009, a majority of residents voted against incorporation.
California's 18th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by Democrat Zoe Lofgren. Since the 2022 election, the district is landlocked and includes all of San Benito County and parts of Santa Clara and Monterey counties, including Salinas, Hollister, Watsonville, Gilroy, Soledad, and downtown and eastern San Jose.
California's 19th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, currently represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta.
Simon Salinas is a California politician. He was a member of the California State Assembly district 28 from 2000 to 2006. His district included all of Salinas and Watsonville. Before going to the Assembly, Salinas was a County Supervisor, a City Council Member, a community college instructor, and an elementary school teacher. Salinas is a Democrat. He left the assembly in 2006 because he was termed out. He surprised the political establishment by not challenging Republican incumbent Jeff Denham for the California State Senate district 12. Salinas returned to local politics and was elected to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 2006, representing District 3. Salinas has lived most of his life in the Salinas area, growing up around agribusiness. He has one son.
Springtown is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States.
Corral de Tierra is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located in the Corral de Tierra Valley, on the former land grant of Rancho Corral de Tierra, at an elevation of 404 feet.
Gabilan Acres is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on San Juan Grade Road northeast of Salinas and Bolsa Knolls and 6.5 miles (10 km) west of Fremont Peak, at an elevation of 203 feet. The Gabilan Acres subdivision was laid out in 1940 and planned as a race-restricted community. By 1948 the neighborhood had 48 homeowners and children attended school in nearby Santa Rita. In 1964, The Californian newspaper recognized Gabilan as one of nine unincorporated subdivisions outside Salinas, along with Santa Rita, Oak Park, San Juan Acres, Bolsa Knolls, Spreckels, Pedrazzi, Pine Canyon, and San Benancio. In 1998 an 11-year-old girl was killed in her home in Gabilan Acres.
Old Hilltown, formerly Hill Town, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located on the north side of the Salinas River 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southwest of Salinas on California State Route 68, at an elevation of 46 feet, approximately two miles from Spreckels, California The name is from James Bryant Hill, one of the first settler in the area. The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolá expedition, camped on the Salinas River in this vicinity on September 30, 1769, having followed the river from the south for several days. From this camp, the scouts went out to survey the route ahead and saw Monterey Bay for the first time. Unsure whether the point they could see at the southern end of the bay was the "Point of Pines" described by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602, Portola decided that the party should investigate.
Posts is an unincorporated community in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It is located on the Big Sur Coast Highway, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) south of the Big Sur Village at an elevation of 945 feet (288 m).
Robles del Rio, sometimes spelled as Robles Del Rio, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It is located west of the Carmel River in Carmel Valley, at an elevation of 597 ft (182 m). For statistical purposes, the community is part of the Carmel Valley Village census-designated place.
The Washington Union School District is a school district outside Salinas, California. It was established in 1869. Its middle school, San Benancio Middle School, is one of the few public schools in California to receive a GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10.
Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County form the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the larger San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland combined statistical area. Santa Clara is the most populous county in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Northern California.
Big Sur Village is an unincorporated community in the Big Sur region, in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located along a 1-mile-long (1.6 km) stretch of Big Sur Coast Highway in the Big Sur Valley 24 miles (39 km) south of Carmel, California. The village contains the largest collection of shops and visitor services along the entire 71-mile (114 km) segment of California State Route 1 between Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands in the north and San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon in the south. The population of the entire coastal region is about 1,463. The collection of small roadside businesses and homes is often confused with the larger region, also known as Big Sur. On March 6, 1915, United States Post Office granted the English-speaking residents' request to change the name of their post office from Arbolado to Big Sur. Caltrans also refers to the village as Big Sur.
Mount Toro is a mountain peak in the Santa Lucia range in Monterey County, California. It is located within the boundaries of Los Padres National Forest. The name comes from the word "Toro," which in Spanish means "Bull".
Municipalities and communities of Monterey County, California, United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county | |
