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Modesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County, California, United States. As of January 1, 2009 the estimated population is 210,096. Modesto is the principal city of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes all of Stanislaus County. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 446,997. Current 2009 estimates placed the population at 516,784. Its population has boomed for the last decade, becoming the seventeenth largest city in the state and the sixth largest inland city in the state behind Stockton, Bakersfield, Riverside, Sacramento, and Fresno. The 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. Modesto had the highest auto theft per capita rate in the United States five of the last six years. Its suburbs are among the most impoverished in the nation, ranking sixth poorest out of the 100 largest metro areas. It is a major meth distribution hub and was considered for many years to be the "Methamphetamine Capital of the World." In 2007, Modesto was named last in a list of best American cities in Cities Ranked & Rated, 2nd Edition Number 23 on the top 400 most dangerious metropolitan areas in 2007 Morgan Quitno (it ranked 16th in 2006 and 39th in 2008). In 2009, Forbes Magazine ranked Modesto the worst metro area with over 500,000 residents just months after placing it 5th on the list of most miserable American cities.
Climate
Modesto has cool, wet winters and very warm, dry summers. Typical of the Central Valley, the community often has dense ground fog during the winter months.
Average January temperatures are a maximum of 53.7°F and a minimum of 37.6°F. Average July temperatures are a maximum of 94.2°F and a minimum of 59.9°F. There are an average of 80.0 days with highs of 90°F (32°C) or higher and an average of 20.3 days with lows of 32°F (0°C) or lower. The record high temperature of 113°F was on July 23, 2006. The record low temperature of 18°F occurred on December 13, 1932, and January 11, 1949.
Average annual rainfall is 12.22 inches, falling on an average of 51 days annually. The summer months are usually very dry except for rare thunderstorms. The wettest year was 1983 with 27.39 inches of rain and the dryest year was 1929 with 5.70 inches of rain. The most rain in one month was 8.80 inches in February 1988. The most rain in 24 hours was 2.72 inches on March 4, 1978. Snow is very rare in Modesto, but 1.5 inches fell on January 21, 1962.
History
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. It is unknown at this time if this story is mere folklore or actual fact, but considering that to the north there is a city named Manteca (Lard in Spanish) and to the south a city named Los Banos (The Bathroom), Modesto was very fortunate with its naming. But the fact is no one seems to know for certain how Modesto got its name. The city was incorporated in 1884 in which it had over 1000 in 1880. By 1900 its population was over 4,500. For the next decades Modesto's population boomed to over 100,000 in 1980 and over 200,000 in 2001.
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.
Sights
Modesto is known for the following tourist attractions and historical sites.
- 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.
- George Lucas Plaza American Graffiti 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.
- Downtown Modesto is known for having a variety of restaurants and night life.
- The State Theatre Dating back to the 1920s, it was recently renovated and serves as a local performance arts center and as a theater specializing in independent and foreign films.
- John Thurman Field Home of the Modesto Nuts baseball team (single "A" affiliate of the Colorado Rockies MLB team).
The 1973 movie, "American Grafitti", starring Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss and Cindy Williams was set in 1962 Modesto; however, the actual filming location of the scenes of the weekend cruising was actually filmed elsewhere in California.
Transportation
Modesto is served by one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. The Amtrak San Joaquins make ten daily stops on the route between Oakland and Bakersfield, and two stops daily on the route between Sacramento and Bakersfield.
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) provides air service to San Francisco International Airport. The airport is used for manufacturing and the shipping industries throughout California and the United States.
Land
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.
Public Transit
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 . 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.
Water
Although the city is surrounded by the Tuolumne River and Stanislaus River, it has no operating port for oceangoing ships due to the depth of the rivers. Fortunately, rivers and lakes near Waterford are wide enough to be accessible for small boats and ferries. The nearest large operating port is the Port of Stockton, used for oceangoing ships that transport goods, particularly agricultural products, overseas.
Future Expansion of State Route 132
The city has plans to build an expressway that would expand State Route 132's expressway status from Interstate 580 to State Route 99. The proposed expressway would follow Kansas Avenue from the recently built Kansas-Needham Overpass and a proposed new Hwy. 99 Interchange. It would later go out of Modesto and to Interstate 580. The city are also planning to add more ramps on the Central Modesto exit in SR 99 for less traffic coming in and out of downtown.
Industry
Modesto has a large agricultural industry which is based on the fertile farmland surrounding the city. Blue Diamond Growers, an almond factory in Salida, is a major nut supplier. Modesto is also home to the second 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. The canneries downtown produce 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. Downtown there are several steelworking companies. In mid-2008, a number of road projects were being constructed, repaved or repaired, with an estimated total cost of nearly $120,000,000.
Planning and environmenta
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