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)

Ch. 11 The Agricultural Core

"Clarksville, Iowa", the small case study at the end of Chapter 11 is very similar to a small town near Monterey called Spreckels. Spreckels is located in the Monterey County and is 3 miles south of Salinas. This town reminds me of Clarksville, Iowa because when I pass it on my way home to Monterey, it always seems so empty and deserted. Like Clarksville, Spreckels' downtown is only a few blocks long and anywhere in town is less than a 10-15 minute walk. Spreckels has a total area of 0.122 square miles and a population of 673 in 2010. Spreckels is surrounded on all sides by agricultural fields that begin immediately where the streets start and end.

Here is a picture of downtown Spreckels, which is similar to the one of Clarksville in Chapter 11:

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreckels,_California

2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudebigdog/6027862444/?map=1 (picture)

Ch. 10 The Southern Coastlands

One of the major states in the Southern Coastlands is Florida. Florida is #1 in production of citrus fruits, and second behind them is California. California and Arizona are the only other states outside of the Southern Coastland region that grow large quantites of citrus fruits. California is the only state that exceeds Florida in the production of lemons and navel oranges.

Part of the reason why Florida is the leader of citrus fruit production is because of the length of the grow season in the Southern Coastlands. The growing season lasts around 9-10 months. In addition to the long growing season, there is enough precipitation for the citrus fruit crops to flourish. Only Hawaii, southwestern Arizona, and SoCal benefit from a long growing season like the Southern Coastlands.

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

Ch. 9 The Changing South

Like the South, religion is important in Monterey. Although there aren't many Pentocostal, Methodist, Episcopal, or Baptist churches like in the South. The predominant religion in Monterey is Catholic. Growing up, religion was very important to my family and I attended church regularly every Sunday. Like the book states, people were religious and went to church because of hardship, isolation, and so on. Unlike in the South, people aren't very expressive with their emotions in Monterey, that is mostly due to the different religions. Although religions and churches are different in Monterey and the South, we all go for the same reason, which is faith and something to believe in.

A picture of the church I used to attend:

References:

1. http://missionbandits.blogspot.com/2011/03/monterey-presidio.html (picture)

Ch. 8 Appalachia and the Ozarks

The topography of Appalachia and the Ozarks is hilly and irregular with many mountains and valleys. That type of topography reminds me of an area in Monterey known as Big Sur in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The Santa Lucia Mountains run from Monterey southeast for a little over 100 miles to San Luis Obispo. The Santa Lucia Mountains are a part of the Pacific Coast Ranges.

Big Sur is a very popular tourist destination along the scenic route of Highway 1. The Cone Peak in Big Sur is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states at almost 5,200 feet (nearly a mile) above sea level. Here are some pictures:

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Lucia_Range

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sur

3. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Big_Sur_June_2008.jpg (picture)

4. http://www.mccullagh.org/db9/d30-26/big-sur-ocean-sunset-9.jpg (picture)

Ch. 7 The Bypassed East

Like the Bypassed East, the fishing industry played an important role in Monterey. In the late 19th century, the fishing industry was very beneficial to Monterey's economy as well as one of the most profitable. Italian and Chinese immigrants were the pioneers of the industry which started in Pacfic Grove, a small town right next to Monterey. The industry was very successful and did very well, until the early 1940s when the area became overfished, leading to scarce amounts of fish. Similar to the Bypassed East, it raised many concerns, and it prompted Monterey to create the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Peninsula#Fishing_Industry
2. http://www.carmel.com/cannery-row-monterey/gifs/cannery-row-pic1.jpg (picture)