Chapter 4: Megalopolis - Urbanization

Chapter 4 is about the Megalopolis region, which Monterey County is not a part of. The chapter does talk about the urbanization of that region, so I am going to talk a bit about the recent urbanization rate of Monterey County.

Urbanization has slowed in Monterey County compared to the late 1990s. Most farmland categories saw increases (mostly due to vineyards and row crops).

That said, agricultural land will face development pressure as the population increases. After all, the California Department of Finance predicts that the county’s population will increase from about 408,700 in 2000 to more than 590,000 by 2020. Plus, more than 1,000 acres have already been set aside for future non-agricultural use.

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