Modesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 188,856. Current census estimates place the population at 206,300. According to the California State Department of Finance 1/6/06 estimate, 514,370 people live in the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. Roughly 110 miles from Yosemite National Park, 80 miles from Sacramento, California's capital city, and about 90 miles from both San Jose and San Francisco, Modesto is less than 2 hours from many prime locations in California. This proximity to major business centers has turned the agriculturally based city into a bedroom community. Over twenty percent of the workforce travels outside of the county to their place of employment. The area is plagued by some of the worst air quality in the nation, on occasion surpassing even that of Los Angeles. It is also reported to have the highest car theft per capita rate in the United States for at least two years.
GeographyModesto is located at (37.661479, -120.994543)GR1. Modesto is located on the Tuolumne River and is bordered by the Stanislaus and San Joaquin rivers.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 93.1 km² (36.0 mi²). 92.7 km² (35.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.47%) is water.
Modesto's climate consists of hot, dry summers, cool to mild winters, and temperate spring and fall seasons. Precipitation is greatest from November to March (known as the Rainy Season), a period that is also characteristic of dense tule fog. The all-time record high temperature is 113°F (45°C) set recently on July 23, 2006. The all-time record low temperature is 18°F (-8°C) set on December 13, 1932.
Modesto's international character can also be seen in its five officially recognized sister cities. They are Kurume, Japan; Vernon, Canada; Vijayawada, India; Aquascalientes, Mexico; and Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
SightsModesto is commonly referred to as 'a great place to live, a horrible place to visit.' That said, there are quite a few sights to see.
Modesto is served by one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. The Amtrak San Joaquins make six daily stops on the route between Oakland and Bakersfield, and two stops daily on the route between Sacramento and Bakersfield.
Modesto is also served by California State Route 99, California State Route 132, and California State Route 108, the latter a seasonal highway (opening usually in May or June, closing with the first major snow) which is the main route into Stanislaus National Forest and Inyo National Forest.
The Modesto City-County Airport lies next to the Tuolumne River in the southeastern end of the city. Air service is provided between it and San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport by Skywest Airlines, operating as United Express under an agreement with United Airlines.
Three public transit systems serve Modesto: Modesto Area Express (MAX), Stanislaus Regional Transit (StaRT), and the San Joaquin Regional Transit District along the northern edge of the city on McHenry Avenue. MAX is the local system with additional connections to the Altamont Commuter Express train station in Lathrop and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. MAX also provides a paratransit 'dial-a-ride' service which specifically caters to seniors and the disabled. It is open to the general public only during certain times [1]. StaRT connects Modesto to the county's other populated centers.
The large industrial region south and east of the city is served by the Modesto and Empire Traction Railroad, a 5-mile long short line with a web of industry tracks and many customers.
At one time, the city was the operational center of the Tidewater Southern Railway, which had its mainline down the center of Ninth Street, a major north-south road. A law passed by the city kept electric wire over this section of street running long after the railroad converted to steam power. In 2000, the last trains ran down Ninth Street and now the railroad (owned by the Union Pacific Railroad since 1983) is severed through Modesto.
IndustryModesto's industries are mainly food processing and related industries; E & J Gallo Winery, Del Monte Foods, Foster Farms, Frito Lay, Blue Diamond Growers, Hershey's, and Save Mart Supermarkets are nationally recognized food companies with large operations in the area. However, with its maturing infrastructure, the service industry is expanding.
Planning and environmentalIn the late 1980s Modesto embarked on an update to the city's General Plan pursuant to requirements of the State of California. The result was a comprehensive evaluation of alternative population and land use projections along with associated environmental impact analysis. Some of the environmental factors assessed were air quality, water quality, environmental noise, soil contamination and visual impacts.
Much of the soils in Modesto are classified as part of the Hanford series: (HbpA) fine sandy loam, moderately deep over silt. These soils are well-drained, moderately coarse textured soils derived from alluvium from granitic rock. The Hanford soils are important for the production of a wide variety of irrigated orchard, field, and truck crops.
Vicinity watercourses include the Stanislaus River, the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek empties into the Tuolumne River. Area groundwater, which is the principal source of water supply in the city,{Stanislaus,1987) has been historically impaired in a fashion that is spatially variable. In various parts of the city and its perimeter the following water pollutants have occurred from time to time: nitrates, dibromochloroethane, volatile organics, salinity, total dissolved solids and other pesticides.(Torrey, 1989) Each of these contaminants is not present citywide.
ActivismIn recent years, Modesto has seen a growing number of activist movements. Groups working on homeless issues, have lead to the creation of an emergency homeless shelter [2]. The Environmentalist and anti-environmental racism work of Green Action has centered around opposing various companies like the Modesto Tallow Plant, and the Covanta Energy Corporation. Various individuals and groups have also worked on counter military recruitment in schools, a product of the No Child Left Behind Act, several Animal Rights demonstrations, and various other events/movements. Some of these are supported and organized by the Direct Action Anti-Authoritarians Collective, a local community organizing group. This anarchist collective has also engaged in many organizing drives, including Critical Mass, Food Not Bombs, Really Really Free Market, Copwatch, strike support, and other projects. These projects are often firsts for Modesto, in terms of organizing. The Modesto Peace/Life Center, established in 1971, is one of Modesto's longest-lived activist groups, promoting non-violence and and a sustainable environment.
On May 1, 2006 (May Day), close to 10,000 (a Modesto Police Department estimate [3]) people, marched up Crow's Landing Road, made several turns, and wound up at City Hall, in an unpermitted march, to show support for illegal immigrants. The march coincided with others across the country, one of many immigration reform protests, and the Great American Boycott.
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 188,856 people, 64,959 households, and 46,640 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,037.4/km² (5,277.3/mi²). There were 67,179 housing units at an average density of 724.7/km² (1,877.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.58% White, 25.58% Hispanic or Latino, 3.97% African American, 1.24% Native American, 6.03% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 12.74% from other races, and 5.93% from two or more races.
There were 64,959 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,394, and the median income for a family was $45,681. Males had a median income of $38,595 versus $26,989 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,797. About 12.2% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
CrimeModesto and New York Comparative Crime Ratios per 100,000 People
Notes:
Formula used for chart: ((Crimes Reported) / (Population)) X 100,000) Chart shown is a statistical comparison of the crime rates per 100,000 people. A blank value in the above data means there is no available data for that crime. Based on the final 2004 FBI Crime Statistics. National arson statistics is not available. Therefore, no arson statistics are used in a comparative manner. Crime rate results are tabulated using the crime collection area population of each city. Crime collection population may not match US Census data. Population is based on the agencies participating in the reporting. 2005 crime stats will be available October 2006.
Famous/Infamous People From ModestoModesto is the setting for the movie American Graffiti created by George Lucas, who was born in the city (the actual location of the set was Petaluma, California). Many of the characters and scenes from the movie are based on actual events that happened in Modesto during the time that Lucas went to high school there.
Modesto and the greater Modesto area have recently been associated with high profile murders, including Chandra Levy and Laci Peterson. It was also the district of former congressman Gary Condit. Although Scott Peterson has been convicted and sentenced to die for the killing of his wife, the method of administering death in California is now in judicial suspension.
Modesto is Home to the Modesto Nuts of the High-A California League (Colorado Rockies minor league team); the Nuts play their home games at John Thurman Field. Modesto is also the home of the critically acclaimed musical group Grandaddy, the E & J Gallo Winery, and the McHenry Mansion.
The Universal Life Church headquarters are based in Modesto, California.
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