Sacred Heart School Pk- 8 - 7/19/2014

Sacred Heart School is a fine Catholic school in the heart of Salinas, Ca. Victoria Torcolini was principal of this PK-8 school from 2006-2009. Under her leadership, SHS received a full 6- year accreditation,while upgrading both technology & curriculum. She was Head of Sacred Heart when it celebrated its Gala 100th Anniversary. Hundreds of alumni, faculty, students, parishioners, and community leaders attended the special event to pay tribute to the SHS legacy. In 2009, Principal Torcolini went on to become Principal and Head of St. Joseph PK-12 School on the Big Island of Hawaii. In 2012, SJS in the Diocese of Honolulu, earned a full (6 year) Triple Crown Accreditation under the Western Association of Schools & Colleges, the Catholic Education Association, & the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. Ms Torcolini retired from Catholic education on August 1, 2013 after over 30 years as both a public and private PS-12 educator and administrator. Ms. Torcolini currently resides in California.

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The best place to live - 1/9/2012

I Was born and raise in salinas. In 2006 my family moved to the central valley. I moved back to salinas in 2011. I moved back Because I got a better job in Carmel. I love living here the weather is nice year round. Salinas is not a bad place to live yes it has its problems just like any other town. come on the beach 15 minutes away you have monterey and santa cruz to visit. If this town was so bad I don't think we be getting more stores and restaurants here. If I thought salinas was that bad of a town I would of never moved back. I will never leave this town again.

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Outstanding air quality, beautiful surroundings. - 12/25/2009

Salinas, California has some of the best weather in Central California. I love looking out at the mountain ranges that line the Salinas River Valley. It's a shame that it is gradually becoming a Little Tijuana, complete with lots of gang violence and property crime.

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Reviews - 8/29/2008

Pretty interesting information when you need to decide on home ownership in an area.

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the weather of salinas - 8/20/2008

the weather here is very mild. year round average of about 65. we do get coastal fog but it usually is in the mornings and evenings and not everyday. very pleasant weather. great for growing lots of produce!

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Rentals - 9/19/2007

Homes for rent in Prunedale are getting ridiculously expensive. You'd think we live San Franscico or something. Just recently I had to look for a new place of residence and if your not hispanic or hispanic speaking good luck find a place.

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Quality of Life - 5/18/2007

Despite the crime rate and high cost of living, Salinas is a great city to live in. The housing situation is lacking, but I see growth everywhere, housing, shopping areas. I love the climate, compared to LA'S San Fernando Valley, which is hot and overcrowded. With job background and skilled jobs more so, there are jobs. Long-time residents who have lived here all their lives love it (except for its rapid growth), which is a good sign. Large numbers are needed to work in the hospitality industries and need low-cost housing. The health situation is no different here than in many other California cities. In Salinas it would be helpful to settle the political problems including how to utilize Natividad Medical Center, i.e.,the county hospital, which is very new, very large, and still sits under-used after 8+ years. Salinas is different, but in a good way. Infrastucture to improve the health and safety of all citizens is needed. The area favors the rich, abhors the poor and tolerates the middle class, as I see it, but Salinas still has a better track record than the rest of the County. And then there is Big Sur.

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Nice moderate climate; but too expensive. - 9/8/2006

Salinas has a cool, foggy summer and a nice warm "Indian summer" in the fall. Look at Sperling's Comfort Index (78) and you'll see that it's a very comfortable climate in which to live. However, the cost of living (esp. housing) is outrageous. We were fortunate enough to have purchased our house 16 years ago (for 204,000) and it's now worth around 800,000. But, that just means we have to stay in this house and can't move to another neighborhood unless we're willing to forego our current property taxes of $2200 per year and have it jump up to 8 or 9 grand per year! People complain about the gangs in Salinas; but I've lived here 16 years and have never had a problem with my house being robbed, or witnessing any other crimes. Look at Sperling's Crime Index for Salinas (6-7) and you'll see it's comparable to smaller, "quieter" communities in other states such as Brandon, FL.

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WORST Value - 8/5/2006

The problem with Salinas isn't that it's so incredibly bad. It reminds me of various cities along highway 99 ie Modesto, Fresno, Stockton. It's only maybe a little worse than these cities in terms of crime, lack of activities, air quality, etc. The problem is the price you pay to live here. Just look at Sperling's opening description for Salinas. It's cost of living is 70% higher than the national average!!! C'mon! How is this city possibly worth paying 70% more than average. It's got all the problems: violence, unemployment, terrible chain stores(it's my hypothesis that every store or restaurant decreases in quality about by half just by being in Salinas, how can a burger king or best buy be worse just because of the city it's in, I don't know but it is)The prospect for jobs is terrible as San Jose industry hasn't moved this far south yet leaving produce or maybe tourism as the only viable areas to start a career. I know I mentioned crime but it bears mentioning again. I live in a pretty average neighborhood near downtown, and in the past 9 months my house has been broken into and there have been multiple shootings just blocks away. I guess the main draw is its proximity to the coast, but that also makes no sense because towns like Castroville and Marina cost the same and are far closer. Case in point, when I lived in Marina (a growing little town that has it's problems but not nearly like Salinas and would be my suggestion for anyone wanting to move to this area) I walked, not drove, but walked to the beach almost everyday. Now that I live in Salinas I probably take the 15-45 minute drive to the beach maybe once a month. Two perks of living here, not to sound too negative, are the new movie theater in downtown and the weather - brilliant during the summer with coastal fog in the morning that burns off to a beautiful/breezy mid 70s/80s day. If only the city was beautiful to match. I really do feel bad ranting but I just don't get it. Take this last point to solidify the confusion. Salinas was the home of John Steinbeck for a lot of his life, and the inspiration for many of his books yet the public library is only open like one day a week and about one fourth the size of a local borders. Why am I here you ask? I moved to be closer to my job, but I'm leaving at the end of the month. Though I will be homeless for awhile, it makes way more sense than paying the astronomical cost of living in Salinas.

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Can't wait to leave!!! - 7/22/2006

Retiring next year and can hardly wait to leave. Salinas was once a nice place to live. The gangs and violence are terrible. The area stores look like a play ground free for all. The area culture let their children run wild in the stores and there are items on the floors everywhere. Try finding a clerk that can speak english and understand what you are saying in ENGLISH. Salinas is now the armpit of California. DON"T move here.

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Overall good place to live - 7/21/2006

I hear many people complaining about how Salinas is expensive and all of that, but i mean if you have the money then go for it. The weather is very nice, especially during the summer time, its more relaxed than many larger cities, and i dont mind having to pay a little more because it realy is a nice place to live, you just have to be willing to give it a chance. Yes i am aware that there is a gang problem, but if you look at other cities the same size of Salinas or larger, the problem is no where near as calmer than Salinas. Agriculture is the backbone of this region, which generates billions each year. The population is mostly hispanic and people are friendly, mostly, wherever you go. Also Salinas is starting to attract many well known artists to perform concerts and events here at the Sports Complex, which in my opinion tells me that more attention is being given towards this city for future performances and such. Overall i have lived in Salinas all my life and i have never been robbed or felt threatened by anyone so thats good. I do feel safe, and its nice not to have to drive to the bay area to go to a mall. The Northridge Mall is the only enclosed mall in Monterey County so thats pretty cool, along with scores of many retail stores like Target, Circuit City, Walmart, Costco, and the new Best Buy just to name a few. So if you are considering moving to Salinas, i believe you will like it, just give it a try, and dont let the high cost of housing push you away!! by a life long Salinas resident

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Moving East! - 6/21/2006

$600k for a 1500 sq ft tract home!! Time to leave!!

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Gangsta's Paradise - 5/1/2006

This city is primarily made up of immigrants from Mexico. It is not possible to go to any store in this city and not hear conversations in spanish taking place around you. There are many, many more hispanic people than any other race. It is also impossible to feel safe and peaceful, as most neighborhoods are filled with houses that have 1-3 families living in them and the gang problem is AWFUL. The houses are also very expensive. Some people enjoy the moderate climate in Salinas, I prefer sun in the summertime myself. (As opposed to sun from 12-2, fog the rest of the day and night). Most people that live here either grew up here or had to move here to due to family obligations. No one moves here from another place and stays intentionally.

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Salad, Gangs, and Language Barriers - 3/28/2006

Salinas is a growing city of almost 200,000 people. Most of these people are immigrants of Mexican descent. Because of the influx of immigrants from down south, you must be able to speak Spanish in order to live here. Most jobs in this area prefer you to speak a second language. There is also a gang problem that is prevalent in this area. The two rival gangs are the Surenos and the Nortenos. It's very sad that one cannot wear blue or red without having to look over one's shoulder for fear of a drive-by shooting. Salinas used to be nice. The weather is awesome. The location is prime. It's only 2 hours away from San Francisco. And about 6 hours from Los Angeles. The coast is only minutes away. It's a place to live if you have money and can afford to live in the more upscale neighborhoods...but even those are getting bad these days.

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Lettuce Capitol of the World - 1/11/2006

Salinas is the lettuce capitol of the world. Home of John Steinbeck and home to a higher percentage of homeless than the average California town and much higher than the national average. Basically, everyone who wants to make something of themselves leaves the town and or the state.

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