Modesto, California

Modesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 188,856. Current census estimates place the population at 203,200. Its location, an hour and half from both the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, has turned the once agriculturally based region 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.

Table of contents

1 Geography
2 Transportation
3 Industry
4 Demographics
5 See also

Geography

Modesto is located at 37°39'41" North, 120°59'40" West (37.661479, -120.994543)¹.

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 is water. The total area is 0.47% water.

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 by Skywest Airlines, under an aggreement with United Airlines. This is the only airport with significant scheduled air service between Sacramento and Fresno.

Industry

Modesto's industries are mainly food processors and related industries. Gallo, Del Monte Foods, Frito Lay, Blue Diamond Growers, Hershey and Con-Agra are nationally recognized food companies with large operations in the area.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 188,856 people, 64,959 households, and 46,640 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,037.4/km² (5,277.3/mi²). There are 67,179 housing units at an average density of 724.7/km² (1,877.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 25.58% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 64,959 households out of which 38.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.86 and the average family size is 3.36.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $40,394, and the median income for a family is $45,681. Males have a median income of $38,595 versus $26,989 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,797. 15.7% of the population and 12.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 21.9% are under the age of 18 and 7.4% are 65 or older.