About Us:

The first settlements at Soledad took place when small tribes of Native Americans settled in the Salinas Valley. These people roamed the land leaving little physical traces of their existence and were most likely members of the Costanoan tribe. This tribe extended from Monterey county and inland covering portions of San Benito and Santa Clara Counties as well. Many centuries passed before the first European explorers came to California to build a presidio in Monterey and missions in Carmel, Soledad, San Juan Bautista and the San Antonio Valley. 

Life for the Natives around the Soledad area changed dramatically in 1791 when Father Fermin Lasuen founded the thirteenth California Mission, the Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad at the site of an Indian village recorded by Pedro Font as Chuttusgelis. In spite of many difficulties, the mission did prosper for a brief period. Eventually the padres performed more than 2,000 baptisms and 700 marriages. The crops were bountiful and large herds of horses, cattle and sheep grazed the plains. The friars even managed to plant and cultivate the first crops of wine grapes the Salinas Valley ever seen near the Soledad Mission. 

In the late 1990's the City expanded rapidly building a new high school, hundreds of new homes and expanding the City's park system.  In the early 2000's Soledad opened its first retail shopping center with a grocery store, drug store, restaurants, office space and retail space.