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Modesto, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City Modesto, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Stanislaus |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Jim Ridenour |
| Area | |
| - Total | 36.0 sq mi (93.1 km²) |
| - Land | 35.8 sq mi (92.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 207,000 |
| - Density | 5,277.3/sq mi (2,037.4/km²) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 95300-95399 |
| Area code(s) | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-48354 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0277609 |
| Website: http://www.ci.modesto.ca.us/ | |
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 January 2006 estimate, 514,370 people live in the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. Roughly 110 miles (180 km) from Yosemite National Park, 80 miles (130 km) from Sacramento, California's capital city, and about 90 miles (140 km) 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 had the highest car theft per capita rate in the United States in 2005 and 2006, although it dropped to fifth in 2007.[1]
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Modesto is located at (37.661479, -120.994543).GR1 Modesto is located on the Tuolumne River and is bordered by Stanislaus River and San Joaquin River.
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.
Modesto, originally a stop on the railroad connecting Sacramento to Los Angeles, was founded in 1870 and was to be named for William C. Ralston, financier of many projects in early California. However, he declined the suggestion and a Spanish-speaking railroad worker at the naming ceremony said that Ralston was "Muy modesto" (very modest). Thus, the town was named Modesto.
Modesto's official slogan is "Water Wealth Contentment Health," which is emblazoned on a large arch downtown that has been immortalized in many photographs. A contest was run in 1911 to determine the slogan. The original winning slogan was: "Nobody's got Modesto's goat". The second place entry was the final winner.
Up until the 1930's, Modesto was commonly known as the "Filth Capital of California" due to the abundance of saloons, brothels, opium houses, and "wild west" atmosphere. In actuality, it was a Wild West town, with vigilante justice the norm, often ending in shootouts or hangings. Wealthy businessmen on their way north or south through California would routinely schedule an overnight stay in Modesto to "relieve stress", while wives of the same businessmen warned against it.
Modesto 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.
- McHenry Mansion Built by hand in the early 1880s by Robert McHenry, a local rancher and banker. The mansion is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours are given.
- McHenry Museum Across the street from the McHenry Mansion. Filled with tidbits from Modesto's history.
- Blue Diamond Nut and Gift Shop in Salida (north Modesto).
- George Lucas Plaza , American Grafitti inspired bronze statue made in the honor of Modesto filmmaker George Lucas, located at Five Points (the intersections of McHenry Avenue, "J" Street, 17th Street, Downey and Needham).
- Gallo Center for the Arts , Center for performing arts recently opened and is located in downtown Modesto at 1000 "I" Street.
- South Modesto The city's "Little Mexico". One of the largest in northern California.
- Downtown A lively area by night, home to many clubs, bars, and restaurants that contribute to area nightlife. It is a central hub of entertainment in the region. It is also home to a the Brenden Theatres multiplex, as well as the Gallo Center for the Arts.
- The State Theatre Dating back to the 1920's, it was recently renovated and serves as a local performance arts center and as a theater specializing in independent and foreign films.
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 State Route 99, State Route 132, and 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, just north of the suburb of Ceres. 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 (8-km) 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.
In 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.
In 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]. With a large Christian influence, Modesto City School District School Board has the highest percentage of members from a single church giving First Baptist Church of Modesto tremendous influence over the local education system. 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 a sustainable environment.
On May 1, 2006 (May Day) over 10,000[3] people marched up Crow's Landing Road, made several turns, and wound up at City Hall, in an unpermitted march organized by Aztlan Rising [4], to show support for undocumented immigrants. The march coincided with others across the country, one of many immigration reform protests, and the Great American Boycott. This number dwindled to about 350 people in 2007.
As 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.
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.
Arts & Entertainment
- George Lucas - Writer, Producer, Director
- Carol Channing - American Broadway and Film Actress Born in Washington State, calls Modesto home now.
- Devante - Award winning songwriter and R&B singer
- James Marsters - Actor (Best known as "Spike" From the hit television show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
- Jeremy Stolle Broadway actor
- Shane Minor - Country music artist
- Timothy Olyphant - Actor (Deadwood, The Girl Next Door, Hitman - Attended Fred C. Beyer High School)
- Harve Presnell - American Actor
- Jeremy Renner - Actor recently in 28 Weeks Later, and SWAT
- Mike Allsup - Guitarist from Three Dog Night
Athletics
- Chidi Ahanotu - NFL defensive end
- Tony Graziani - Arena Football League quarterback
- Cliff Barrows - lifelong assistant and director to Christian evangelist Billy Graham
- Chuck Hayes - NBA Basketball player
- Ray Lankford - Former Major League Baseball Outfielder First 1,000-yard rusher for Modesto Junior College
- Boaz Myhill - football(soccer) player
- Mike Matarazzo - Former IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Gino Marchetti - Former Defensive End for Baltimore Colts, NFL Hall of Fame Member
- Roger Maltbie - Professional golfer / NBC Sports analyst
- Suzy Powell - Olympian -- Discus
- Kenny Roberts - Known to fans as "King Kenny". Former three time AMA flat track champion and three-time 500cc GP world champion, and currently owns the Roberts Proton GP team
- Joe Rudi - Former Major League Baseball Outfielder and World Series Champion.
- Mark Spitz - 1972 Olympic Champion in swimming
- Wilbur "Moose" Thompson - 1948 Olympic Champion in Shot Put
- Tisha Venturini - former member of U.S. Women's National Soccer team and a founder of WUSA.
- Butch Walts - former tennis player, won 4 ATP titles
- Carter Williams - K1 (kick boxing) World Champion
- Cyrus Young - 1952 Olympic Champion in Javelin, and only American male to win the gold medal in this event in Olympic history
- Vannesa Torres - first female skateboarder to be deemed professional and is sponsored by Element skateboards
- Abimael Galindo - Professional soccer for FC Barcelona, soon to play for Mexican National team
- Blake Smith- UC Berkeley baseball player
- Lester Hayes - Former NFL defensive Back- Raiders
Business
- Ernest Gallo - Co founder of E & J Gallo Winery
- Joseph Edward Gallo - Founder of Joseph Farms Cheese and younger brother to Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo
- Julio Gallo - Co founder of E & J Gallo Winery
- Royal Robbins - Rock Climber / Apparel Company Founder
- Dan Costa - Founder/ CEO 5.11 Tactial Series--Ranked in 2007 by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in America.
Other
- Scott Peterson - Convicted murderer of his wife Laci Peterson, whose trial garnered national attention
- Gary Condit - Former Congressman
- Sonny Barger - founding member of the original Oakland, California, chapter of Hells Angels
- Kirby J. Hensley - Founder of Universal Life Church
- Ann Veneman - UNICEF Executive Director/Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Known as Molesto on the Don and Mike Show.
- The last two lines of the song "No Complaints" by Beck, say: "Take a bus back from Little Rock, Arkansas. Or Modesto. That's were my dog comes from". Beck also wrote a plaintive country ballad called Modesto, on the album Stereopathetic Soulmanure. Actually refers to Modesto, Illinois, not Modesto, CA.
- Modesto 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. [2]
- South Modesto is often confused as part of the nearby city of Ceres (even by other Modestans). It is an area that is divided between city and county "islands". South Modesto is also a hub of the areas' large Mexican/Latino community.
- According to the book "Cities Ranked and Rated, Second Edition," by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, Modesto was ranked the worst city in the nation. Shirts were made commemorating Modesto's dubious award, and can be found at [5].
- The Hold Steady heavily references Modesto in their song Modesto Is Not That Sweet.
- Punk Rock band NOFX, mentions the city on their 2006 album, Wolves in Wolves' Clothing, in the first song, "60%" - "So, I just wanna say thank you! We fuckin' love you, Modesto!", referring to the local fans of the city.
- Also known as Motown
- The McHenry Mansion, a Historic landmark in Modesto.
- Modesto Area Express local bus transit agency.
- Stanislaus County General Plan, (1987)
- John Torrey, Paul Awosika et al., Expanded initial study, Boulder Creek subdivision, Stanislaus County, Earth Metrics, Report 7999: California State Clearinghouse, Sacramento, November, 1989.
- Modesto Junior College
- The Modesto Bee, Daily Newspaper for Stanislaus County
- Official Modesto site for business
- Official Modesto website
- Official Modesto Police website
- Historic Modesto
- Modesto Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Stanislaus PRIDE Center
- Modesto, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
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Stanislaus County, California |
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| County seat: Modesto | ||
| Cities |
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| CDPs |
Bret Harte | Bystrom | Del Rio | Denair | East Oakdale | Empire | Grayson | Hickman | Keyes | Riverdale Park | Salida | Shackelford | West Modesto | Westley |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Alturas · Auburn · Bakersfield · Bridgeport · Colusa · Crescent City · Downieville · El Centro · Eureka · Fairfield · Fresno · Hanford · Hollister · Independence · Jackson · Lakeport · Los Angeles · Madera · Mariposa · Markleeville · Martinez · Marysville · Merced · Modesto · Napa · Nevada City · Oakland · Oroville · Placerville · Quincy · Red Bluff · Redding · Redwood City · Riverside · Sacramento · Salinas · San Andreas · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Jose · San Luis Obispo · San Rafael · Santa Ana · Santa Barbara · Santa Cruz · Santa Rosa · Sonora · Stockton · Susanville · Ukiah · Ventura · Visalia · Weaverville · Willows · Woodland · Yreka · Yuba City |