For a mid-sized community, Modesto, California manages more than its share of national headlines. Here is some information to consider if you have thoughts about giving Modesto a try.
Over 200,000 people reside in Modesto, the county seat of Stanislaus County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Modesto has a metro population of over 514,000. The median age of residents is young at 32.7 years. White non-Hispanic people account for 55% of the populous, 30% are Hispanic, with 7% Asian and 5% African-American. Holding near the national average in 2005, the median income of households was $45,769. Residents living in poverty fell below the national average at 13.4%. However, unemployment topped 10%.
City leaders long to attract people to Modesto with young families, preserving a quaint bedroom community image. But it will take a lot of dough to own a home. According to Wells Fargo and National Association of Home Builders, the city ranked as the third least affordable place to own a house. Just 4.1% of the homes for sale in 2005 were affordable, based on the average income of residents. In the five years since 2000, median home values leapt from $126,000 to $336,900. Government figures reveal during that time, the Modesto metro area homes had the most dramatic increase of any place in the country. The average monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners in 2005 was $1,532, non-mortgaged owners paid $364, while renters' costs were $882. New home starts have been in decline, from 1,330 new houses in 2001 to just 261 in 2006. Twenty percent of Modesto's homes have been built since 1990.
Centrally located in the San Joaquin Valley, Modesto is amid one of the richest agricultural areas in the country. One of Modesto's most famous businesses is the E & J Gallo Winery, the second largest wine company in the world. Other businesses operating in the Modesto area include Del Monte Foods, Frito Lay, Hershey's and Save Mart Supermarkets. Modesto's proximity to major business centers makes it a popular locale for those who commute. Over twenty percent of the workforce travels outside of the county to their place of employment. However, Modesto is listed among the top 25 most dangerous places to live in the U.S. for its crime rates. Car theft and violent crime rates have been high. In fact, the city was dubbed the nation's auto-theft capital from 2003-2005. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Modesto easily beat out big cities Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
For anyone heading to Modesto, residents experience cool to mild winters with summers that tend to be hot and dry. The historical average temperature for a day in January is 54 degrees. July is the hottest month with an average temperature near 94 degrees. About 13 inches of precipitation falls annually, mostly between November and March when dense tule fog is common. The community is also plagued by some of the worst air quality in the nation, sometimes surpassing that of Los Angeles. Modesto is less than a two hour drive from many popular areas in California. Yosemite National Park is about 110 miles away, with Sacramento at 80 miles, and San Francisco and San Jose about 90 miles. Modesto is served by Amtrak on one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. The Modesto City-County Airport services passengers flying between Modesto and San Francisco or Los Angeles. Three public transit systems also serve the city.
Modesto has other claims to fame and some infamy. The city is the birthplace of film director George Lucas who used Modesto as a model for his movie American Graffiti. Among the infamous residents is convicted killer Scott Peterson whose murder trial grabbed national headlines. Another high profile murder case involved U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, a district congressman alleged to have had an affair with murder victim Chandra Levy in Washington D.C.
