About Marina

The City of Marina is located on the world famous Monterey Bay, bordering the Pacific Ocean on Highway 1, eight miles north of the Monterey Peninsula Commercial Airport. Marina is an hour-and-a-half drive from San Francisco and 355 miles north of Los Angeles. This young City enjoys a Mediterranean climate with an average temperature between 50 and 70 degrees. While Marina does not have its own harbor, it is conveniently situated between the commercial harbors of Monterey and Moss Landing. The Marina Municipal Airport can accommodate private business or recreational aircraft. The City was incorporated in 1975 and became a Charter City in 1998.

The City limits encompass approximately 9,000 acres of land, much of it belonging to the former Army training facility "Fort Ord" until 1992. The lands are still in the process of being returned to the public for natural habitat, educational opportunities and development. Marina's 20,000 residents represent a large ethnically and culturally diverse population. The median household income is between $40,000 and $60,000 and the median home price is $500,000. The City is also home to at least 15 churches of varying denominations. Marina has four large shopping centers and five banks. It also has a small library, and voters recently approved a property tax measure to allow financing of a new, enlarged modern facility. A member of the Monterey Unified School District, Marina includes portions of the California State University Monterey Bay, as well as extensions of the Golden Gate University and the University of California.

Marina's potential for retail sales, tourism and job growth are all strong. In addition to professional services, the City has attracted a number of light industries which find it of benefit to be located on the prestigious Monterey Peninsula. Marina currently has notable opportunities for redevelopment, with anticipated new commercial and residential projects underway. At this time, seven major economic developments are in the planning stages in addition to numerous smaller ones.

The hospitality industry is also expected to play an important role in the economy. The beautiful waterfront Marina Dunes Resort and timeshare is just one of the recent lodging facilities that the City has attracted. The future will bring development of many more hotel rooms, a small conference center and a golf course. These projects will promote job creation and substantially increase the City's transient occupancy tax revenue.

Marina is also home to the University of California Monterey Bay Education, Science & Technology Center (MBEST). Located at the Marina Municipal Airport, it is chartered with promoting collaboration and alliances among private businesses, government agencies, education and research institutions, and policy makers. The 25,000 sq. ft. facility fosters applied research and technology transfer, as well as regional economic development and job creation. The City takes pride in the operation of the 11,500 sq. ft. Marina Technology Cluster at the MBEST Center. The business incubator's goals are job creation and economic diversification. It provides premium office space, as well as business support and shared resources for its tenants, and is currently leased out to its maximum capacity. In addition to the MBEST buildings, the University of California plans on developing a 437-acre research and development business park which will eventually employ 7,300 people. The first phase is a 67-acre development which will employ 1,300 people when fully built out.