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 206,300. 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.

Related Topics:
County seat - Stanislaus County, California - 2000 - San Francisco Bay Area - Sacramento - Agriculturally - Los Angeles

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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 workers at the naming ceremony said that Ralston was "Muy modesto" or very modest. Instead, the town was named Modesto.

Related Topics:
Sacramento - Los Angeles - William Chapman Ralston - Spanish

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Modesto is the setting for the movie American Graffiti created by George Lucas, who was born in the city (the actual location 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, such as the time Lucas wrecked his father's car on Coffee Road.

Related Topics:
American Graffiti - George Lucas

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Modesto and the greater Modesto area have recently been been associated with high profile murders, including Chandra Levy and Laci Peterson. It was also the district of Gary Condit.

Related Topics:
Chandra Levy - Laci Peterson - Gary Condit

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Modesto's official slogan is Water Wealth Contentment Health, which is emblazoned on a large arch downtown that has been immortalized in many photographs. The original winning slogan was: "Nobody's got Modesto's goat".

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The Modesto Airport lies next to the Tuolumne River. Between the airport and the river lies Veterans' Park.

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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 band Grandaddy as well as the birthplace of Conan Neutron. Modesto is also the home of Gallo Winery.

Related Topics:
Modesto Nuts - Colorado Rockies - Grandaddy - Conan Neutron

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Modesto's international character can also be seen in its five officially recognized sister cities. They are, Kurume, Japan, Vernon, Canada, Vijawata, India, Aquascalientes, Mexico, and Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.

Related Topics:
Kurume - Japan - Vernon - Canada - Vijawata - India - Aquascalientes - Mexico - Khmelnytskyi - Ukraine

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