Soledad, California

The Los Coches Adobe was given to Maria Josefa Soberanes. She married William Richardson and they built the adobe in 1843. It was a working rancho until 1846 when the United States waged war with Mexico to gain control of California. Capt. John C. Fremont and his troops camped there after the Battle of Natividad. Poor guests, they Richardsons, out of house and home and never paid for it. In the mid-1850s, it was a stop on the San Juan Bautista-Soledad stage line and then became a popular inn on the Butterfield Overland Stage route running between San Francisco and Los Angeles. When the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks finally reached Soledad in 1872, the area became a popular stopover for travelers and a place to stay before getting on a Coast Line Stage Company coach for the trip south to Los Angeles.

The demise of the Rancho was caused by the drought that took hold of the valley in the early 1860s. Its severity was devastating to the ranchero lifestyle and it systematically brought that period of history to a close in the Valley. Land was sold at bargain prices to entrepreneurial Americans who changed the landscape from pastoral to agricultural. David Jacks, one of the Valley's early enterprising residents purchased Rancho Los Coches in 1865.

Margaret Jacks, daughter of David Jacks, donated the adobe and 10 acres of land to the State of California and the granddaughter of William B. Richardson, Adeline Richardson O’Brien, donated a marker identifying her ancestral home.

In 1898 Fort Romie was founded a few miles north of the mission and west of the city. It was one of three Salvation Army Colonies established in America. The name honors Charles Romie, a landowner who sold the land to the Salvation Army. They included Fort Amity in Colorado, Fort Herrick in Ohio and the Fort Romie Colony on Romie's Ranchita land. The Salvation Army goal was to take poor families from the cities and bring them back to nature so that their lives would be improved. The Salvation Army sought people who had some knowledge of farming. Each family had 10 acres. A family with two children had a two roome house, those with three or more children had a four-room house. Everything was furnished to the settlers without charge: seed, sheds, tools equipment were provided by the Salvation Army for all to use. In return they contracted to make yearly payments of $100 for 10 years, after which they would own the land.

Located just west of Soledad is the Paraiso Hot Springs. It was used by the Native Americans and the Mission Padres. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was a popular resort for people taking the railroad from San Francisco to Soledad and then by stage to Paraiso Springs. In 1905, the manager billed the resort as, "Hot soda and sulfur plunge and tub baths with first class masseurs in attendance. Charming climate, grand scenery and flower sin profusion. Stage meets afternoon train at Soledad and carries you over famous Salinas Valley good roads, a distance of only eight miles."[10]

Soledad is used as a backdrop in John Steinbeck's 1937 novel Of Mice and Men, a novella about the unusual friendship of two men who find work on a farm in the Salinas Valley. Soledad was chosen as the setting because soledad is Spanish for 'solitude', a recurring motif in the story.

Soledad has been rocked by the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

The Soledad Prison was three miles (5 km) north of the city until annexed in 1992. It was built in 1946.

In May 1996 the Salinas Valley State Prison was opened at a cost of $236 million.

Soledad's slogan was "It's happening in Soledad" was used until 2013 when "Gateway to the Pinnacles" was introduced.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 11,263 people, 2,472 households, and 2,242 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,680.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,035.4/km²). There were 2,534 housing units at an average density of 603.0/mi² (232.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 31.90% White, 1.15% African American, 1.73% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 58.56% from other races, and 4.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 86.82% of the population.

There were 2,472 households, out of which 60.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.3% were non-families. 7.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.54 and the average family size was 4.58.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 36.7% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,602, and the median income for a family was $41,188. Males had a median income of $31,566 versus $23,964 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,442. About 16.3% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

The 2010 United States Census[15] reported that Soledad had a population of 25,738. The population density was 5,637.5 people per square mile (2,176.7/km²). The racial makeup of Soledad was 12,625 (49.1%) White, 2,945 (11.4%) African American, 367 (1.4%) Native American, 757 (2.9%) Asian, 103 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 8,189 (31.8%) from other races, and 752 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18,308 persons (71.1%).

The Census reported that 15,635 people (60.7% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 10,103 (39.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,664 households, out of which 2,471 (67.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,387 (65.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 586 (16.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 291 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 224 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 30 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 301 households (8.2%) were made up of individuals, and 123 (3.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.27. There were 3,264 families (89.1% of all households); the average family size was 4.41.

The population was spread out, with 5,674 people (22.0%) under the age of 18, 2,455 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 10,126 people (39.3%) aged 25 to 44, 6,296 people (24.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,187 people (4.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 235.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 301.8 males.

There were 3,876 housing units at an average density of 849.0 per square mile (327.8/km²), of which 2,092 (57.1%) were owner-occupied, and 1,572 (42.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 8,642 people (33.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,993 people (27.2%) lived in rental housing units.

The mean household income within the Soledad city limits was $58,841, and the median household income was $44,343. Roughly 7.8% of households were below the poverty line.

Socioeconomically, 31.8% of Soledad's households were considered upper middle income to upper income while 45.8% were considered lower middle income to upper middle income. Roughly 22.4% of households were considered lower income.

Many agricultural fields surround the City, such as this organic farmland.

Land for agriculture is Soledad's most abundant natural resource. Soledad's farmland is considered "Prime Farmland", meaning that the soils around and near the city have some of the best physical and chemical characteristics for farming. Due to this fact great efforts in conserving farmland are a very high priority for the city. Prime farmland is the backbone of the Soledad economy. Future planning will consider the effect of urban sprawl amongst the farmlands. Class I, II, and III soils are the most valuable to farming. The climate also allows for year-round crops.

Although Soledad has great soil for salad green crops, it also has a large presence of vineyards and wineries in the valley and foothills. Some famous wineries include Chalone Vineyard, Paraiso Springs Vineyards, Hahn Estate Winery, Zabala Vineyards, Richard Boyer Wines, and Ventana Vineyards. It was once the home of the Paul Masson Winery which is now closed.

Dole Food Company maintains a plant in Soledad. Opened in 1994, it is touted as being the "world's largest pre-cut salad plant."[18]

As of 2007, Soledad features a weekly certified Farmers' Market on Soledad St.[19]

Soledad is home to the Soledad Energy Partnership, operators of a wood-waste burning electric power plant. This 13.5 megawatt facility was restarted in July 2001 after a six-year shut-down due to termination of a PG&E purchase agreement. The plant was recommissioned during the California electricity crisis.

As of mid-2006, the plant was again closed.

Several violations at the plant have been issued by the California Integrated Water Quality System Project. The plant was issued violations from 2002 to 2006 for various reporting and pollution allegations.

• 
  Soledad power plant.
• 
  Soledad power plant.