🇺🇸 Modesto, officially the City of Modesto, is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. It is the 18th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area.
Modesto is located in the Central Valley, 68 miles (109 km) south of Sacramento and 90 miles (140 km) north of Fresno. Distances from other places include: 40 miles (64 km) north of Merced, California, 92 miles (148 km) east of San Francisco, 66 miles (106 km) west of Yosemite National Park, and 24 miles (39 km) south of Stockton.
The city is surrounded by rich farmland. Stanislaus County ranks sixth among California counties in farm production. It is home to Gallo Family Winery, the largest family-owned winery in the United States. Led by milk, almonds, chickens, walnuts, and corn silage, the county grossed nearly $3.1 billion in agricultural production in 2011. The farm-to-table movement plays a central role in Modesto living in the Central Valley.
Modesto has been honored as a Tree City USA numerous times.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2011—which interviewed 1,000 participants about their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities — ranked Modesto 126 out of the 190 cities surveyed. In December 2009, Forbes ranked Modesto 48th out of 100 among "Best Bang-for-the-Buck Cities". In this ranking, Modesto ranked 8th in housing affordability and travel time, but it ranked 86th in job forecast growth and 99th in foreclosures.
1History The City of Modesto was originally a stop on the railroad connecting Sacramento to Los Angeles, built by Central Pacific Railroad. When Modesto was founded in 1870, the railroad company co-founder Mark Hopkins Jr. suggested to name it after his associate the banker William C. Ralston. Ralston asked that another name be found, and a railroad employee exclaimed loudly in Spanish that Ralston was a modest man. The railroad company co-founder Charles Crocker then named the town Modesto in recognition of Ralston's modesty.
Modesto's population exceeded 1,000 residents in 1884. With fields of grain, the nearby Tuolumne River for grain barges, and railroad traffic, the town grew. Irrigation water came from dams installed in the foothills, and irrigated fields of vegetables and fruit and nut trees flourished. By 1900, Modesto's population was more than 4,500. During World War II, the area provided canned goods, powdered milk, and eggs for the US armed forces and Allied forces. For the next few decades, Modesto's population grew about two percent per year, to over 100,000 in 1980 and over 200,000 in 2001.
The city's official motto, "Water Wealth Contentment Health", is emblazoned on the downtown Modesto Arch, which is featured in local photographs and postcards. The motto was selected in a contest held in 1911, with a $3 prize for the winner. (The original winning motto, "Nobody's got Modesto's goat", was later declined by town officials.) Modesto's motto is sometimes spoofed as "The land gets the water, the bankers get the wealth, the cows get contentment, and the farmers get the health".
1Planning and environment In 1885, Modesto enacted what is now considered to be the first zoning ordinance. The ordinance's primary goal was to keep laundries (which were primarily Chinese run), out of the city. After an arrested man filed to contest the constitutionality of the ordinance, the case escalated to the California Supreme Court which found the law to be constitutional.
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 technically 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, has been historically impaired in a fashion that is spatially variable. Water from the nearby Modesto Reservoir is now used to augment city water. In various parts of the city and its perimeter the following water pollutants have occurred from time to time: nitrates, dibromochloromethane, volatile organics, salinity, total dissolved solids and other pesticides. Each of these contaminants is not present citywide.
The EPA rates air quality in Modesto as a 23 on a scale to 100 (higher is better), making Modesto an unhealthy place to live for those with breathing difficulties. This is based on ozone alert days and number of pollutants in the air. In May 2010, Forbes magazine, in association with the American Lung Association, indicated that Modesto was one of the top 25 most polluted cities in the U.S.
1Downtown revitalization As of the 2000s, downtown Modesto (DOMO) has new attractions including the Gallo Center for the Arts and the new Downtown Plaza adjacent to Modesto Centre Plaza. Downtown Modesto has lost the Hotel Covell, the art deco Strand Theatre, and the Sears building.
Historic 10th and 11th streets, which were the original locations of the cruising featured in American Graffiti, have been designated by the City of Modesto as the Historic Cruise Route. This is now a tourist walk with information about Modesto's music, car and Graffiti culture.
In 2014, the Walk of Fame was launched on the Historic Cruise Route with markers celebrating classic legends like George Lucas, Gene Winfield, Bart Bartoni and others.
Classic Community Murals was launched by Modesto magazine ModestoView and the Peer Recovery Art Center to create a series of large scale murals celebrating the Modesto Classic Graffiti heritage. Many of these are on the Cruise Route.
New business incentives have been created to enhance facades, signage, and permitting. A promenade is being designed to create a special entertainment zone along the corridor between the Modesto Centre Plaza and the Gallo Center for the Arts and the adjacent core streets of 10th, 11th and J streets.
1Geography Modesto is located in the centre of the Central Valley surrounded by the Coastal Ranges and the Sierra Nevada, and close by, the numerous farmlands that produce a majority of several crops for the United States. There are also grassy and tree-filled preserves nearby. The city is in between the Tuolumne River and the nearby Stanislaus River. There is a small creek named Dry Creek, which is badly polluted by agricultural runoff and is adjacent to several parks. Rivers and lakes near Waterford are accessible for a kayak, or small motorboat, and there are several points of public access. This access was given as part of a government plan when hydroelectric power dams were installed upstream for flood control, irrigation, and electric power generation. The nearest large open seaport is the Port of Stockton, used for oceangoing ships that transport goods, particularly cement, fertilizer, and agricultural products, from California to overseas.
1Economy Modesto has a large agricultural industry which is based on the fertile farmland surrounding the city. Modesto is home to the largest winery in the world: E & J Gallo Winery. The Gallo Glass Company, a company of Gallo Winery, is the largest wine bottle manufacturing company in the world. The company provides thousands of office and manufacturing jobs to Stanislaus County residents. Other major privately owned companies based in Modesto include Foster Farms Dairy, Royal Robbins, international award winner Fiscalini Cheese, Sciabica Olive Oil, Acme Construction, Aderholt Specialty, and 5.11 Tactical (formerly a part of Royal Robbins, a United States brand of clothing consisting of uniforms and tactical equipment for military). A cannery downtown produces food which is usually shipped to Sacramento and Fresno for transfer to rail or ship. Ceres has a few cereal and snack factories in the area. There are several small steelworking companies in Modesto. In mid-2008, a number of road projects were underway, with roads being constructed, repaved or repaired, at an estimated total cost of nearly $120 million.
1Principal employers 1 E & J Gallo Winery; 2 Memorial Medical Center; 3 Modesto City Schools; 4 Doctors Medical Center; 5 Kaiser Permanente; 6 Modesto Junior College; 7 Graspointner Management Incorporated; 8 City of Modesto; 9 Sutter Gould Medical Foundation; 10 Save Mart Supermarkets; 11 Walmart; 12 Sylvan Union School District; 13 Modesto Irrigation District.
1Crime Rates of both violent crimes and property crimes are higher in Modesto than the state average. Of particular note is that Modesto ranks among the top car theft cities in the US. As of 2012, Modesto ranked number 1 in car thefts per 100,000 people, although the city dropped to number 3 in 2013, behind Bakersfield and Fresno. In Modesto the crime rate is higher than 86% of California's cities.
1Arts and culture The Rockabilly genre of music originated in Modesto with the formation of Maddox Brothers & Rose on KTRB Radio in 1937. The "Hillbilly Boogie" sound, featuring the string slapping percussive sound by Fred Maddox, would become popular on a national scale and would later be the foundation for Rockabilly. Fred Maddox's bass is housed at the Experience Project Museum in Seattle, Washington.
The city's annual Architectural Festival honors Modesto's history as a testing ground for mid-century modern architecture during the 1940s and 1950s. Modesto's mid-century buildings have been featured four times in Museum of Modern Art publications.
Filmmaker George Lucas, who was born in Modesto, graduated from Thomas Downey High School in 1962 and attended Modesto Junior College, immortalized the city in his award-winning 1973 film American Graffiti. Although it was not shot in Modesto, the film portrayed the spirit of cruising and friendship on Modesto's 10th and 11th Streets in 1962, and inspired a revival of interest in 1950s pop culture. Modesto celebrates Graffiti Summer annually in June. It attracts thousands of visitors and car enthusiasts, along with hundreds of classic and antique cars.
The city has realized the importance of its connection to the award-winning film, and the city is preparing new tourist attractions and events to welcome Graffiti tourists as the Modesto Convention and Visitors bureau report that the leading request for information is American Graffiti-related. Downtown Modesto as it stands has the Modesto Historic Cruise Route on 10th and 11th St, the Legends of the Cruise Walk of Fame, and the Classic Community Mural series of large scale art celebrating the history of American Graffiti.
Music festivals include SummerFest, the Downtown summer concert series, featuring Chris Isaak, Hootie & the Blowfish, The Doobie Brothers and Styx.
X-Fest, deriving from its real name Xclamation Festival, was a 21-and-over music festival in downtown Modesto. Begun in 2000, X-Fest evolved into a large outdoor event stretching for 15 blocks and featuring the world's largest disco which occupied four blocks on its own. In 2008 X-Fest featured 50 bands and a crowd of 15,000 people. Much of the profits ended up in local non-profit charities. Some business owners and citizens of Modesto complained of a rowdy and often drunk Mardi Gras atmosphere exhibited at X-fest. The last X-fest occurred in Modesto in 2015.
Located in downtown Modesto is the State Theater with music acts and independent films.
Downtown Modesto hosts a monthly Art Walk, with local artists displaying art for sale, artist demos, local gallery shows, in a multi-venue map self-guided tour.
1Music and performing arts The Modesto Symphony Orchestra, which finds its home at the Gallo Center, held their first performance when Modesto had a population of 17,000 in 1931 and continues to be a staple in the community. Not to be outdone by the Symphony, MoBand (Modesto Band of Stanislaus County), established in 1919, is one of the oldest continuously performing bands in the U.S. The group performs a free 6-week summer concerts-in-the-park series with its 130 volunteer musicians.
Modesto is also home to Townsend Opera, founded in 1983 by the late Modesto-born opera singer Buck Townsend, and Modesto Performing Arts, as well as the Gallo Center for the Arts. Modesto is also home to the area's leading professional ballet company, Central West Ballet.
The Mexican culture and traditions are displayed by the Ballet Folklorico Group "Casa Cultural Tradiciones". Folklorico groups are often at Modesto events, sharing their culture with traditional dance and colorful attire.
The MAMA, Modesto Area Music Awards are held each October. Local radio stations and promoters nominate local bands and voting happens online. There is a black tie ceremony and trophies are given to winners in multiple categories. A lifetime achievement award is also presented. The MAMAs were created by Chris Murphy and Chris Ricci to support and encourage local musicians.
1Historic places The McHenry Mansion is a restored historic home located at Fifteenth and I Streets. The McHenry family built the house in 1883 after the patriarch of the family, Oramil McHenry, left $20,000 in his will. The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978.
The Hawke Castle is a historic residence built in 1929. It was influenced by the Norman architecture, and is now the property of George Thayer Real Estate.
Crow House or the Walter B. Wood House, was originally located at 814 Twelfth Street. The house was originally owned by Walter Wood and was constructed in 1884 in the Italianate style. The house has been removed from its original location, and modern renovation of the house has compromised its NRHP designation.
The Robert Walton House was constructed in 1957, as a development of Frank Lloyd Wright's New York Usonian Exhibition House concept.
The U. S. "El Viejo" Post Office is located on Twelfth and I Streets. Wall murals inside the post office were painted by Ray Boynton, a Work Projects Administration artist. The post office was listed in the NRHP in 1983.
The Dry Creek Bridge, formerly on State Route 132, was recommended eligible for its design. The bridge is a major example of John B. Leonard's bridge designs.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was constructed in 1915 in the Mission style at the corner of J and Ninth Streets. The City of Modesto was established as a town by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1870. The building has been restored and expanded as the City Transportation Center.
1Economy: Tourist Industry Modesto is known for the following tourist attractions and historical sites: • McHenry Mansion – Built 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. It is filled with tidbits from Modesto's history. • George Lucas Plaza – American Graffiti-inspired bronze statue made in honor of Modesto filmmaker George Lucas, located at Five Points (the intersection of McHenry Avenue, "J" Street, 17th Street, Downey and Needham). • Gallo Center for the Arts – Center for the performing arts opened in 2007 and located in downtown Modesto at 1000 "I" Street. • Downtown Modesto – Known for having a variety of restaurants and night life, including 3 weekly farmer's markets. It also hosts a multi-venue Art Walk year-round on the third Thursday of the month, free to view with maps available. • The State Theatre – Dating back to the 1920s, it was recently renovated and serves as a local performance arts centre and as a theater specialising in independent and foreign films. • John Thurman Field – Renovated stadium, home of the Modesto Nuts baseball team (single "A" affiliate of the Seattle Mariners team). • Graceada Park neighborhood – An area of representative old homes (circa 1920s and earlier) with streets lined with large city-planted shade trees and a series of parks, a bandshell and other amenities. The name Graceada is based on two local residents, Grace Beard and Ada Wisecarver, who helped promote the idea of parks in the area and whose families donated the land for Graceada Park. This park was designed by John McLaren, who also designed and was the longtime superintendent of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
1Sport The Modesto Nuts Minor League Baseball Club is a class A California League. The Nuts are the Single A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play 70 home games each season.
Track and field competition includes the Modesto Relays named after meet director Tom Moore after his death. 30 world records were set at the meet held at Modesto Junior College.
1Education City schools Modesto City Schools was established for students in the community in 1871. The current enrollment is approximately 32,000 students. The district operates 23 elementary schools (K-6), four junior high schools (7–8), seven comprehensive high schools (9–12), and an alternative education program that includes an opportunity and continuation school, independent study and adult evening high school. The seventh comprehensive high school, Joseph Gregori High School, was recently completed. Modesto's oldest high school, Modesto High School, also offers an International Baccalaureate program, and is the only high school in Stanislaus County accredited for this program. There are other elementary school districts within and adjacent to the limits of Modesto City Schools that feed into the high schools. They include Sylvan Union (serving the eastern portion of Modesto), Stanislaus Union, Hart-Ransom, Shilo and Paradise Elementary School Districts.
Private schools • Modesto Christian School (K–12), Central Catholic High School, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, St. Stanislaus Catholic School, Big Valley Christian School, and Grace Lutheran School are private religious schools located in Modesto. • ULCO Seminary (U.S.A.) has its international headquarters in Modesto.
1Education: University • Modesto Junior College is a two-year junior college in Modesto and has over 20,000 students enrolled and 21 inter-collegiate sports teams. • Community Business College, vocational college in Modesto providing vocational training and job placement services to the unemployed with non-profit tuition scholarships. Offers training in medical office, bookkeeping, property management, foreign languages, medical coding and solar technologies.
1Television stations As part of the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto television market, Modesto is primarily served by stations that are based mainly in Sacramento. They are listed below, with the city of license in bold: • KCRA Channel 3 (NBC affiliate) Sacramento • KVIE Channel 6 (PBS member station) Sacramento • KXTV Channel 10 (ABC affiliate) Sacramento • KOVR Channel 13 (CBS O&O) Stockton • KUVS Channel 19 (Univision O&O) Modesto • MyTv26 Comcast26 Modesto/Stanislaus County. http://www.mytv26.tv/ Your Independent Public Access Television Station. • KSPX-TV Channel 29 (Ion O&O) Sacramento • KMAX-TV Channel 31 (Independent station) • KCSO-LD Channel 33 (Telemundo O&O) Sacramento • KTXL Channel 40 (Fox affiliate) Sacramento • KTNC-TV Channel 42 (Estrella TV affiliate) Concord • KQCA Channel 58 (dual affiliate of The CW and MyNetworkTV) Sacramento • KTFK-DT Channel 64 (UniMás O&O) Stockton
1Media: Radio FM stations • KMPO 88.7: World ethnic • KLOVE 89.7: AC Christian • Air 1 90.7 Christian (alternative/pop) • KVIN 92.3: Oldies • KOSO 92.9: Country • KPHD 93.3: The Best Local Bands and all the Real News • KBBU 93.9: Regional Mexican • KHOP 95.1: Top 40 (CHR) • KMRQ 96.7: Rock • KWIN 97.7 & 98.3: Mainstream urban • KQOD 100.1: Rhythmic oldies • KMIX 100.9: Regional Mexican • KAMB 101.5: AC Christian • KJSN 102.3: Adult contemporary • KATM 103.3: Country • KHKK 104.1: Classic rock • KHTN 104.7: Hip-hop • KRVR 105.5: Classic hits • KGIG-LP 104.9: Local-Bands & News / community radio; AM stations • KCBC 770: Christian Talk/Programs • KMPH 840: Catholic radio • KVIN 920: Oldies • KESP 970: Sports • KFIV 1360: Talk radio • KLOC 1390: Regional Mexican
1Media: Print • The Modesto Bee: Modesto's daily newspaper, published by the McClatchy Company • Modestoview magazine, monthly entertainment magazine viewable on modestoview.com or in print for free pick-up at most restaurants, cafes, and offices in Modesto.
1Transport: Rail Modesto station, east of downtown Modesto, is served by Amtrak San Joaquin intercity rail service. Future plans call for Altamont Corridor Express service at the Modesto Transportation Center by 2023, with California High-Speed Rail later serving the station as well.
The large industrial region south and east of the city is served by the Modesto and Empire Traction Company, a 5-mile (8.0 km) short line railroad, with a web of industry tracks and many customers. At one time, Modesto was the operational centre of the Tidewater Southern Railway, which had its main line down the centre of Ninth Street, a major north–south street. A city ordinance passed by the city council kept electric power lines over this section of street activated long after the railroad had converted to steam power. In 2000, the last trains ran down Ninth Street. Now the railroad (owned by the Union Pacific Railroad since 1983) no longer passes through Modesto.
1Local transit The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority operates local bus service and paratransit in Modesto, regional service in Stanislaus County, and commuter routes connecting to Bay Area Rapid Transit and Altamont Corridor Express stations.
1Transport: Air Modesto is served by the Modesto City-County Airport that lies east of California State Route 99 within the city limits. SkyWest Airlines (operating as United Express) provided air service to San Francisco International Airport, however commercial service stopped in June 2014. The airport is used for manufacturing and the shipping industries throughout California and the United States.
1Highways and roads Interstate 5 and California State Route 99 provide major highway access to Modesto. California State Route 132 links the city to Interstate 580, providing commuter access to highways into the Bay Area. California State Route 108 connects to Oakdale, California and east to the foothills. The city has added many roundabouts in an effort to ease traffic congestion within the town with varying degrees of success.
1Modesto was ranked #742 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Modesto has a population of over 215,196 people. Modesto also forms part of the wider San Francisco Bay metropolitan area which has a population of over 12,594,831 people. Modesto is the #89 hipster city in the world, with a hipster score of 4.6276 according to the Hipster Index which evaluates and ranks the major cities of the world according to the number of vegan eateries, coffee shops, tattoo studios, vintage boutiques, and record stores. Modesto is ranked #725 for startups with a score of 0.2.
To set up a UBI Lab for Modesto see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Modesto has links with:
🇲🇽 Aguascalientes, Mexico 🇺🇦 Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine 🇯🇵 Kurume, Japan 🇫🇷 Laval, France 🇨🇳 Mengzi, China 🇨🇦 Vernon, Canada 🇮🇳 Vijayawada, India🇺🇸 South San Francisco 37.65
🇺🇸 Pleasanton 37.65
🇮🇹 Mazara del Vallo 37.65
🇪🇸 Lora del Río 37.65
🇨🇳 Yuci District 37.617
🇺🇸 Nevada City -121.018
🇺🇸 El Dorado Hills -121.067
🇺🇸 Citrus Heights -121.29
🇺🇸 Rancho Cordova -121.3
Locations Near: Modesto -121,37.6415
🇺🇸 Turlock -120.833,37.5 d: 21.5
🇺🇸 Manteca -121.216,37.796 d: 25.6
🇺🇸 Tracy -121.421,37.739 d: 38.6
🇺🇸 Stockton -121.301,37.976 d: 45.6
🇺🇸 Lodi -121.335,38.131 d: 61.8
🇺🇸 Merced -120.482,37.307 d: 58.9
🇺🇸 Brentwood -121.693,37.934 d: 69
Antipodal to: Modesto 59,-37.642
🇫🇷 Saint-Pierre 55.478,-21.342 d: 18171.3
🇫🇷 Le Tampon 55.515,-21.278 d: 18165
🇫🇷 Réunion 55.532,-21.133 d: 18149.4
🇫🇷 Saint-Benoît 55.713,-21.034 d: 18141.5
🇫🇷 Saint-Paul 55.27,-21.01 d: 18131.2
🇫🇷 Saint-Paul 55.279,-21 d: 18130.2
🇫🇷 Saint-Denis 55.457,-20.867 d: 18118.9
🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 18094.6
🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 18083.3
🇲🇺 Vacoas-Phoenix 57.493,-20.3 d: 18081.3