Salinas has another claim to fame: the mural capital of Monterey County.

Agata Popęda here, asking: What if you want to see art but you don’t really want to get out of your car? It’s possible—with murals.

This week, our cover story is devoted to murals in Salinas. While Sand City can be proud of having the largest concentration of murals in Monterey County, Salinas has more of them—we know of at least 100 murals, and we are pretty sure there’s more. 

“I've seen a resurgence of murals over the past few years...mostly on social media, as I'm in my shop working so much,” says John Cerney, whose work can be seen all over Salinas and around the area. He is one of several local muralists who work—often as teams—on making Salinas more interesting, beautiful and safer.

Murals in Salinas are more than art. They serve purposes, from advertising (commercial murals) to improving particular sites in the community—like the ones in murky alleys. They attest to people taking care of their community, serve as conversation starters and cover otherwise unattractive walls. Organizations such as Salinas City Center Improvement Association work with local building owners and businesses, giving them an opportunity to paint their buildings fresh, with beautiful mural designs and attractive colors.

Check out the Salinas murals—either as a road trip around the city or a walk downtown (remember, most murals are at the back of the buildings and in the alleys). If you don’t want to get your rear in gear and prefer to stay on your couch, follow mural enthusiast Kat Morgan, whose Instagram account, Murals of Monterey County, documents each new mural in the county and keeps a map of them all.