In the 1930’s, Salinas Valley was a hard place to live. Located on California’s Central Coast, Salinas is a very dry and desert-like area. In these 1930’s, the famous Dust Bowl occurred, making agriculture very challenging. This North Californian City is also where the famous novel, “Of Mice and Men” takes place. One reason that it was a hard place to live was the living conditions. First, the housing was not very good. Most people located in Salinas lived in a camper or trailer during this time period. The camps were primary for the immigrants, while migrant workers opposed staying in the camps, because they didn’t want their belongings stolen, which they were afraid of happening. Next, the climate in Salinas was mild. This allowed the agriculture to be diverse. The lack of diversity in the people was also limited. Salinas was mostly made of Americans and immigrants at this time. Lastly, the jobs were limited. The jobs were mostly agricultural. Migrant workers picked berries, crops, and more Next, the dust bowl and …show more content…
Located in the county of Monterey, it was the first city in the area to start using building styles in a new way. Salinas ' tallest office building is an excellent example of the “Zig Zag” modern. Along with this, residences and apartment complexes in the area kept this expression. According to www.mchsmuseum.com, “The Monterey County Building (1936) at the corner of West Alisal and Church Street may be one of the best Depression Moderne buildings in the state.” All of this was done with a very small town, about 10,000 people to be exact, and a poorly run city at that. Lastly, according to www.mchsmuseum.com, “The airport was enlarged as part of a preparedness program for the impending European conflict. In the winter of 1940, the airstrip became a U.S. Army Air Corps Training