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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. One and a half hours from Sacramento, California's capital city, and two hours from both San Jose and San Francisco, Modesto's location 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 .

Geography

Modesto is located at (37.661479, -120.994543). 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 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.

History

Modesto, originally a stop on the railroad connecting Sacramento to Los Angeles, was founded in 1870 and was to be named for William Chapman Ralston, its founder and the 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" or very modest. Instead, the town was named Modesto.

Modesto's official slogan is "Water Wealth Contentment Health," which is emblazoned on a large arch uptown 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.

Transportation

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. Air service is provided to San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport by Skywest Airlines, under an agreement with United Airlines. Modesto is also served by California State Route 99, and Both California State Route 132, and California State Route 108, 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 Airport lies next to the Tuolumne River. Between the airport and the river lies Veterans' Park.

The MAX (Modesto Area Express) buses are part of the city's public transportation system. MAX buses connect to the ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) train station in Lathrop, the BART station in Pleasanton/Dublin, and the Amtrak station in Modesto. They also provide 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 *.

The large industrial region south and east of the city is served by the Modesto and Empire Traction Railroad, a 5 mile long shortline 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.

Industry

Modesto's industries are mainly food processing and related industries; E & J Gallo Winery, Del Monte Foods, Foster Farms, Frito Lay, Blue Diamond Growers, Hershey and Con-Agra are nationally recognized food companies with large operations in the area. However, with its maturing infrastructure, the service industry is expanding.

Planning and environmental

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.

Activism

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 *. The Environmentalists, and anti-environmental racism work of Green Action, has centered around opposing various companies like the Modesto Tallow Plant, and the Covanta energy coporation. 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. On May 1st, 2006 (May Day), close to 10,000 (a Modesto Police Department estimate *) people, marched up Crow's Landing Road, made several turns, and wound up at City Hall, in an unpermitted march, to show support for immigrant rights. The march coincided with thousands upon thousands of others across the country, one of many immigration reform protests, and the Great American Boycott.

Demographics

As of the census 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, 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.58% of the population.

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.

Crime Problem

Modesto and New York Comparative Crime Ratios per 100,000 People

Latest 2004 Crimes per 100,000 People
Crime Modesto, CA New York, NY National
Murder: 9.1 7 5.5
Forcible Rape: 32.02 17.63 32.2
Robbery: 188.8 300.9 136.7
Aggravated Assault: 387.1 361.9 291.1
Burglary: 887.4 322.2 729.9
Larceny Theft: 4598.6 1530.8 2365.9
Vehicle Theft: 1382 260.1 421.3

Actual Reported Population and Crimes
Modesto, CANew York, NY
Population: 209,258 8,101,321
Murder: 19 570
Forcible Rape: 67 1428
Robbery: 395 24373
Aggravated Assault: 810 29317
Burglary: 1857 26100
Larceny Theft: 9623 124016
Vehicle Theft: 2892 21072

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 Modesto

Neighborhoods

  • Airport Nieghborhood- south Yosemite Blvd., west of Modesto-County Airport
  • Central Modesto- South of Briggsmore Ave., West of Mchenry Ave.
  • Deep South Side Modesto
  • East Side Modesto- east of Mchenry Ave., north of Yosemite Blvd., South of Sylvan Ave., east of Coffee Rd., south of Briggsmore Ave. between Mchenry Ave. and Coffee Rd.
  • North Side Modesto- north of Briggsmore Ave., west of Coffee Rd., north of Sylvan Ave.
  • South Side Modesto-North of Ceres., South of Downtown., West of Richland Ave.
  • West Side Modesto- west of freeway 99, west of Downtown
  • Varrio South Side Modesto

Interesting Facts

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.

See also

McHenry Mansion A Historic Landmark

External links

Modesto, California | Cities in California | Stanislaus County, California

Modesto | Modesto | Modesto (Kalifornia) | Modesto

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Modesto, California".

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