Ch. 15 California

The climate in Monterey, California is very unique. Monterey has a Mediterranean climate with precipitation primarily common during the winter months, and one that has mild winters and hot summers. Mediterranean climates are found on the west coasts of many continents. In California, the entire coast from San Diego all the way up past San Francisco represent the only zone of Mediterranean climate in North America.

From my experience, Monterey a lot of times is cloudy and overcast, especially during the Fall and Winter. It usually clears up later on in the day, if at all. Living there for most of my life, I felt like you could have the weather of all four seasons in one day! It will be raining in the morning, overcast in the afternoon, sunny in the late afternoon, and frigid at night.

Because of Monterey's unique climate, a lot of agriculture is grown there or near there. Monterey's climate is perfect for growing grapes, as a result there are plenty of wineries around the area. Lettuce and many other fruits and vegetables are grown in nearby Salinas, as well as artichokes grown in Castroville, and garlic in Gilroy.

I might be a little biased since I'm from there, but I think Monterey's climate is perfect. It's not too cold and it's not too hot.

Areas with Mediterranean climate

Wine vineyards around Monterey

References:

1. Birdsall, Stephen S., Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada (7th Edition)

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Medclim.png (pic)

3. http://wine.appellationamerica.com/maps/Monterey.jpg (pic) 

Ch. 14 The Southwest Border Area: Tricultural Development

Monterey is just on the outskirts of the Southwest Border Area. According to the map in Chapter 14, it is in the transitional area.

Like the Southwest Border Area, Monterey has a high Hispanic population. In 2010, the Monterey County had a population of 415,057. A little more than half of that population was Hispanic or Latino at 230,003. The majority of the Hispanic population resided in Salinas with a population of 112,799. Just in the city of Monterey alone, there was only 3,817 Hispanics or Latinos.

Monterey in the red:

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_County,_California#2010

2. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Map_of_California_highlighting_Monterey_County.svg/250px-Map_of_California_highlighting_Monterey_County.svg.png (pic)

Ch. 13 The Empty Interior

A small section of the chapter mentions tourism in the Empty Interior. One of the places they mention is Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas was once just a desert town and now is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. According to the book, between 1990 and 2000, Las Vegas grew 83.3 percent. 

Similar to Las Vegas, tourism is very significant to Monterey's economy. Tourism brings in a lot of revenue to Monterey. Places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, and the various golf courses in Pebble Beach attract a lot of tourists to the area. Although Monterey does not bring in as much money as Las Vegas when it comes to tourism, it still plays a vital role in Monterey's economy.

Pebble Beach

Monterey Bay Aquarium

References:
1.  Birdsall, Stephen S., Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada (7th Edition)
2. http://thbexclusive.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/pebble-beach-golf.jpg (picture)
3. http://www.zinkwazi.com/blog/images/20090414003448__dsc4464-editblog.jpg (picture) 

Ch. 12 The Great Plains and Prairies

A small section of Chapter 12 deals with the "Grasslands Literature." A lot of the novels mentioned in the chapter described the region and environment of the Great Plains. Some of the novels that had excerpts in the chapter were Main-Traveled Roads, Giants in the Earth, Old Jules, My Antonia, and The Grapes of Wrath.

I thought The Grapes of Wrath was significant because the author of that novel is John Steinbeck who was born and raised in the Monterey County, in the city of Salinas. The Grapes of Wrath was set in Oklahoma (part of The Great Plains and Prairies) during the Great Depression. The novel follows the Joads, a family of poor sharecroppers driven from their farm in Oklahoma, to California due to the drought. Steinbeck wrote many other great pieces of literature including Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row, both of which were set in the Monterey County.

References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath
2. http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/files/images/26465.JPG (picture)