San Benancio is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Montere ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is located in the San Benancio Canyon.

History and etymology

The region was named for San Benancio Gulch which is the small canyon that forms the majority of the region. A map dated 1834 lists the region as "Canada de San Benancio". The

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

name most likely refers to one of four saints venerated with the name Venantius. San Benancio was the inspiration for "Las Pasturas del Cielo," the fictional setting in John Steinbeck’s '' Pastures of Heaven''. A Salinas native, Steinbeck spent time in his youth within San Benancio, specifically Castle Rock near the base of the Canyon, and accurately described the region in ''Pastures of Heaven'':

Geography and climate

While it has no official boundaries the colloquial place-name “San Benancio” refers to homes and businesses residing on or directly reached by San Benancio Road. This includes the Ambler Park and Harper Canyon regions found along the road. The road itself is located along the Monterey-Salinas highway (

California State Route 68 State Route 68 (SR 68) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, located entirely in Monterey County. It runs from Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove to U.S. Route 101 in Salinas. The approximately long highway serves as a majo ...

) roughly equidistant from Salinas and Monterey. The walls of San Benancio Canyon have an elevation of 400 ft and run adjacent to Toro Creek, a small tributary to the Salinas River which is located 4 miles south. The canyon is home to a number of California Live Oak Trees and various types of wild sage brush and grass. The canyon is home to a wide array of wildlife as well including

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

hawks Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily ...

, condors, wild pigs, California quail and a large population of

wild turkeys The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally de ...

, which, at their own peril, traverse San Benancio Road in the early mornings.

Government

At the county level, San Benancio is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Dave Potter. In the California State Senate, San Benancio is in . In the California State Assembly, it is split between , and . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, San Benancio is in

Education and recreation

San Benancio is served by the

Washington Union School District The Washington Union School District is a school district outside Holywood county shwentsil park, California, Salinas, California. It was established in 1869. Its middle school, San Benancio, Monterey County, California, San Benancio Middle Sch ...

. San Benancio Middle School which serves a little over 300 students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, is located in San Benancio. The school was rated 9 out of 10 by the “Great Schools” website in 2007. The region is also served by Titus Park, a private Swim and Tennis club located along San Benancio Road. The pool remains open daily from June to September and hours are dictated by weather.

References

* http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=116:3:1083081856516542::NO::P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1954402%2CSan%20Benancio%20Canyon * https://web.archive.org/web/20020206195628/http://www.monterey.k12.ca.us/~sbenanci/sbms/sbms.html {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Monterey County, California Salinas Valley Unincorporated communities in California