Merced, California

Coordinates: 37°18′N 120°29′W / 37.300°N 120.483°W / 37.300; -120.483
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Merced
City of Merced
FIPS code
06-46898
GNIS feature IDs1659751, 2411080
Websitewww.cityofmerced.org

Merced (/mɜːrˈsɛd/; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333,[8] up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1, 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council–manager government. It is named after the Merced River, which flows nearby.

Merced, known as the "Gateway to Yosemite", is less than two hours by automobile from Yosemite National Park to the east and Monterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and multiple beaches to the west. The community is served by the passenger rail service Amtrak, a minor, heavily subsidized airline through Merced Regional Airport, and three bus lines. It is approximately 110 miles (180 km) from Sacramento, 130 miles (210 km) from San Francisco, 55 miles (89 km) from Fresno, and 270 miles (430 km) from Los Angeles.

In 2005, the city became home to the 10th University of California campus, University of California, Merced (UC Merced), the first research university built in the U.S. in the 21st century.[9]

History

The historic Merced County Courthouse, built in 1875.
Spanish Revival style Merced High School
, demolished 1974
.

The first Merced post office opened in 1870.[10] Merced incorporated in 1889[10] and now operates under the council-manager form of government.

During

Granada internment camp in Colorado.[11]

Since 2005, Merced has been home to the University of California, Merced. Historic cultural attractions in the city include The Mainzer Theater which is known for its historic and architectural value, the County Courthouse Museum c. 1889, the Merced Multicultural Arts Center and the County Library.

Also within a short distance from the city limits are the Castle Air Museum, Lake Yosemite, and Merced Falls. The city of Merced along with its surrounding cities are serviced by the Merced Sun-Star and the Merced County Times. The Merced Sun-Star daily newspaper has a circulation of 14,219 daily and 18,569 Saturday in the Merced area. The paper was sold to U.S. Media in 1985 and was acquired by The McClatchy Company in January 2004.[12]

Bob Hart Square
Main Street in Merced, California

Homes at the median level in Merced had lost 62% of their value from the second quarter of 2006, when they peaked at $336,743, the biggest drop anywhere in the country, according to data provided to Forbes by Local Market Monitor, a Cary, North-Carolina-based real-estate research firm. Home prices have since rebounded, with the median sale price in April 2018 at $247,000.[13] The current average being $358,000.[14] Terry Ruscoe of Merced-Yosemite Realty, noted investors from outside of the Valley were helping to drive up home prices. Ruscoe said, "A tremendous amount of out-of-town buyers. Our primary client comes from the LA area or the Bay Area. We see a lot of them coming in and buying properties, even coming in now when the prices are moving up quickly because they know they can rent those."[15]

The metro area went to a 14.2% unemployment rate in December 2013. Having since recovered to a rate of 8.7% in April 2018. Some efforts have been directed towards diversifying its economy and are showing a lowering trend in the overall unemployment rate,[16] according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

During the Great Recession Merced suffered one of the greatest property price collapses in the country and house prices at the end of 2009 had fallen to 1998 levels, according to Zillow, making housing affordable compared to many other California locations.

The economy has traditionally relied upon agribusiness and upon the presence of Castle Air Force Base. Over the past twenty years, more diversified industry has entered the area, including printing, fiberglass boat building, warehousing and distribution, and packaging industries.

In September 1995, Castle Air Force Base closed after phasing down over the previous three years. This affected residential real estate and some sectors of the retail and service economies, but overall retail continued to increase. Industrial development is increasing in the area. It is now known as the Castle Airport Aviation and Development Center. The Castle Air Museum remains at the site.

Geography

Merced County countryside
Night aerial view of Merced, Atwater, etc. in 2019

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.3 square miles (60 km2).[6]

Merced is approximately 110 miles (180 km) southeast of San Francisco and 275 miles (443 km) northwest of Los Angeles.[17]

A major groundwater plume containing the contaminant PCE was discovered in Merced in 1987.[18] Subsequently, drilling of new water wells was severely restricted.[19]

Climate

Merced has a

cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk), with its annual precipitation falling just short of a mediterranean climate. The city features very hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.[20]
There are an average of 99.7 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 27.8 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record highest temperature of 116 °F (47 °C) was recorded on September 6, 2022. The record lowest temperature of 15 °F (−9 °C) was recorded on December 24, 1990.

The wettest year was 1998 with 21.98 inches (558 mm) and the driest year was 2013 with 3.79 inches (96 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 8.00 inches (203 mm) in January 1909. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 2.20 inches (56 mm), which occurred on January 30, 1911, and March 9, 1911.[21]

Climate data for Merced, California (Merced Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)
84
(29)
88
(31)
98
(37)
109
(43)
111
(44)
114
(46)
114
(46)
116
(47)
102
(39)
90
(32)
76
(24)
116
(47)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 65.9
(18.8)
71.8
(22.1)
79.7
(26.5)
89.4
(31.9)
97.3
(36.3)
103.9
(39.9)
105.5
(40.8)
104.9
(40.5)
101.7
(38.7)
92.5
(33.6)
78.2
(25.7)
66.1
(18.9)
107.0
(41.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 55.6
(13.1)
62.0
(16.7)
68.1
(20.1)
74.0
(23.3)
82.7
(28.2)
90.7
(32.6)
96.3
(35.7)
95.1
(35.1)
90.5
(32.5)
79.6
(26.4)
66.1
(18.9)
56.0
(13.3)
76.4
(24.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 46.3
(7.9)
50.5
(10.3)
55.2
(12.9)
59.7
(15.4)
67.4
(19.7)
74.2
(23.4)
79.0
(26.1)
77.9
(25.5)
73.5
(23.1)
64.3
(17.9)
53.5
(11.9)
46.0
(7.8)
62.3
(16.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 37.0
(2.8)
39.1
(3.9)
42.3
(5.7)
45.4
(7.4)
52.1
(11.2)
57.6
(14.2)
61.7
(16.5)
60.6
(15.9)
56.5
(13.6)
49.0
(9.4)
40.8
(4.9)
36.0
(2.2)
48.2
(9.0)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 27.1
(−2.7)
29.9
(−1.2)
33.4
(0.8)
36.4
(2.4)
42.8
(6.0)
48.5
(9.2)
54.8
(12.7)
54.7
(12.6)
48.4
(9.1)
39.4
(4.1)
31.0
(−0.6)
26.8
(−2.9)
25.0
(−3.9)
Record low °F (°C) 16
(−9)
20
(−7)
20
(−7)
25
(−4)
30
(−1)
37
(3)
40
(4)
36
(2)
32
(0)
28
(−2)
21
(−6)
15
(−9)
15
(−9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.37
(60)
2.20
(56)
1.82
(46)
1.12
(28)
0.55
(14)
0.12
(3.0)
0.00
(0.00)
0.00
(0.00)
0.05
(1.3)
0.64
(16)
1.02
(26)
1.91
(49)
11.80
(300)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.6 9.5 8.2 4.9 2.7 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.6 3.0 7.3 9.7 56.2
Source 1: NOAA[22]
Source 2: National Weather Service[21]
Notes

Economy

Storefronts in Downtown Merced

Top employers

According to the city's Official Website the top employers in the city are:[23]

# Employer # of Employees
1 County of Merced 1980
2 University of California, Merced 1,910[24]
3 Merced City School District 1300
4 AT&T Call Center (Closed 2014)[25] 1,200
5 Merced Union High School District 890
6 Merced College 800
7 Quad Graphics 700
8 City of Merced 480
9 Scholle Corporation 370
10 WalMart 290

In the summer of 2014, the Castle Commerce Center's call center closed, subtracting 400 jobs from AT&T's share of employment.[26][27]

Agriculture

Merced is ranked as the sixth-top producing county in California. In 2019, Merced County generated $3.271 billion in total value of production. The top five commodities from 2019 in Merced are:[28]

Crops $ Amount (1,000) Ranking in CA % of State Total
Milk 905,116 2nd 15.5
Almonds 421,254 N/A 9.3
Cattle 297,451 4th 8.7
Chickens 294,633 2nd 8.1
Sweet Potatoes 234,964 1st 92.2

Education

Science and Engineering 1 building at University of California, Merced

Merced is home to a community college, Merced College and the University of California Merced. UC Merced now enrolls 8,321 undergraduate and 772 graduate students for a total of 9,093 students, as reported in the university's fall 2021 census. Of the 2021-2022 undergraduate degrees awarded, the top degrees were: 19% Biological Sciences, 16% Psychology, 11% Management, and 10% Computer Science Engineering.

Golden Valley High School, and El Capitan High School as well as a few smaller campuses offering alternative education. Merced's community college, Merced College, has an enrollment of 8,996 students as of January 2021.[31]

Health

Mercy Medical Center Merced. A 2016 Community Health Assessment Archived March 23, 2020, at the Wayback Machine prepared by the Merced County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), determined that top health topics that affect Merced and Merced county are heart disease and stroke; diabetes; access to health care; and drug and alcohol abuse. In 2017 the MCDPH published the Merced County Community Health Improvement Plan Archived July 17, 2018, at the Wayback Machine

in an effort to "address health disparities and to promote health equity with the goal of health and wellness for all county residents."

Historic County Courthouse, now serving as a museum

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18801,446
18902,00938.9%
19001,969−2.0%
19103,10257.5%
19203,97428.1%
19307,06677.8%
194010,13543.4%
195015,27850.7%
196020,06831.4%
197022,67013.0%
198036,42360.7%
199056,21654.3%
200063,89313.7%
201078,95823.6%
202086,3339.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[32]

2020

The Decennial Census of Population and Housing reported that the population in 2021 was 89,308.[8] In 2021, the average income of an individual was $21,518, and for a household $49,973.[33]

2010

The

Latino
of any race were 39,140 persons (49.6%).

The Census reported that 77,878 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 492 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 588 (0.7%) were institutionalized.

There were 24,899 households, out of which 11,484 (46.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,958 (44.0%) were

families
(71.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.65.

The population was spread out, with 25,091 people (31.8%) under the age of 18, 10,475 people (13.3%) aged 18 to 24, 20,986 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 15,484 people (19.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,922 people (8.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

There were 27,446 housing units at an average density of 1,177.1 per square mile (454.5/km2), of which 10,637 (42.7%) were owner-occupied, and 14,262 (57.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%. 31,690 people (40.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,188 people (58.5%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

Monument commemorating the site of the Merced Assembly Center

As of the census

Latino
of any race were 26.4% of the population.

There were 20,435 households, out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% contained married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were "nonfamilies." 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.62.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,429, and the median income for a family was $32,470. Males had a median income of $31,725 versus $24,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,115. About 22.4% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Hmong community

Escaping persecution from Communist forces after the

Mexican migrants already held low end agricultural jobs. As such, a great many of Merced's Hmong collected social services and Hmong gangs arose, prompting other residents to perceive them as being the cause of economic troubles.[39] As the Hmong settlement matured and the Hmong children gained English language skills, the town's overall attitude began to be more accepting of the Hmong community.[38]

This acceptance is reflected in various services provided to the Hmong community. This includes the Merced Lao Family Community Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides social services to Hmong people,[40] the Merced Department of Public Health's MATCH (Multidisciplinary Approach to Cross-Cultural Health) program, intending to draw Hmong patients into the health care system,[37][41] a body of Hmong-speaking faculty and paraprofessionals (including college classes on Hmong culture and language),[40][42] and media outlets for the Hmong community—cable television channel Channel 11 broadcasts programming to the Hmong community twice per week and radio station KBIF 900 AM airs programming oriented towards Hmong people.[40]

While Merced has historically had a proportionally large portion of Hmong (in 1997, 12,000 of Merced's 61,000 residents were Hmong[39]), demographic shifts have reduced this. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 prompted a move of some Hmong to Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. More recently, many Hmong have gone to Alaska to work in crabbing and fishing industries that require little proficiency in English.[38]

Racial demographics

In 2010,

Asian Indian) populations relative to the city and county's population size.[36]

Crime

In 2021, Merced had approximately 4,000 violent crimes occur within the city. This means that with a population of just 89,303 people, in 2021, individuals had approximately a 4.5% chance of falling victim to a crime while living-in or visiting Merced.[44] Of the crimes that occurred, roughly 1,200 were physical (such as assault, rape or homicide) and 2,500 were property-related (e.g. burglary and theft). However, these crimes occurring in 2021 resulted in 13 fatalities.[45] With its high crime rate, Merced is considered one of the “50 most dangerous” Californian cities to live in.

Civic Center in Merced

Government

Merced County
Office of Education

In the

the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Shannon Grove, and in the 21st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Diane Papan.[4]

In the United States House of Representatives, Merced is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Republican John Duarte.[46]

Sports

  • UC Merced Bobcats: softball and other athletic programs.
    Golden Valley High School sponsor athletics as well.[48]

Merced has a history of minor league

Transportation

Major highways near Merced

Major highways

Air

Bus

  • Greyhound, Intercalifornias, TUFESA and Fronteras del Norte serve Merced.
  • YARTS provides scheduled service into Yosemite National Park
    .
  • Merced County Transit, "The Bus", operates both regularly scheduled fixed route bus service and Dial-A-Ride (demand response) transportation services throughout Merced County.
  • CatTracks[52] is UC Merced's bus service, which connects students, staff and faculty at the university to off-campus apartments, the off-campus Castle facilities, local amenities, the Amtrak station, and the downtown area. CatTracks also has a live map.[53]

Rail

  • Amtrak San Joaquins provides passenger service.[54]
Las Vegas

High-speed rail

The California High-Speed Rail Authority February 2016 draft business plan, outlined the Merced station as not beginning service at the same time as the initial San Jose to Bakersfield route in 2025, but would likely open in 2029 instead. This would make the leg between the Central Valley and Pacheco Pass the first to be constructed. The Merced City Council vigorously opposed the delay in their city's station opening, noting Merced's volume of commuters seeking high-speed rail to access jobs in Silicon Valley. In response, the April 2016 revisions to the business plan indeed included Merced in the initial construction segment, initially as a single-track spur connecting only to the westbound track to the Bay Area, with build out of the full Wye happening later.[55] The system will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds capable of over 200 miles per hour.[56] In August 2022, the CAHSRA announced that it had received a $25,000,000 RAISE Grant to advance design work from Madera to Merced.[57]

Sample trips in the California High Speed rail would include:

Altamont Corridor Express Extension

The ACE regional rail system is pursuing an extension to Merced as a part of its broader Altamont Corridor Vision plan. The Final Environmental Impact Report for the Ceres-Merced extension was approved on December 3, 2021.

Notable people

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "Merced, CA Code of Ordinances [codes] - Sec. 300. - Form of government". Municode. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "Merced City Council". City of Merced, CA. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "California's 13th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
  6. ^ a b "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Merced". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "P1. Race – Merced city, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "UC Merced – Mission Statement". Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  10. ^ .
  11. ^ Iwata, Adrienne. "Merced (detention facility)" Densho Encyclopedia (accessed 17 Jun 2014).
  12. ^ "Merced Sun Star". Mercedsunstar.com.
  13. ^ "Merced, CA Housing Market". Realtor.com. April 17, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  14. ^ "Merced current real estate prices".
  15. ^ Yurong, Dale (October 7, 2021). "Housing Watch: Merced home prices hit all-time high". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "Merced, CA Economy at a Glance". Bureau of Labor Statistics. April 15, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  17. ^ "History of Merced[permanent dead link]." City of Merced. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.
  18. ^ Paul M. Santi1, John E. McCray2 and Jamie L. Martens, Hydrogeology Journal, Issue Volume 14, Numbers 1–2, January, 2006, Springer Berlin /Heidelberg
  19. ^ Environmental Site Assessment for proposed development, Merced, California, Earth Metrics Inc, October 17, 1989
  20. ^ "Merced, California Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  22. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Major Employers | Merced, CA". www.cityofmerced.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "Fast Facts 2020-2021 | UC Merced". Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  25. ^ "AT&T call center near Atwater closes its doors". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  26. ^ http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article3291776.html .
  27. ^ "Costa Outraged at AT&T Call Center Closure". Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  28. ^ "California Agriculture Statistics Review 2019-2020" (PDF). California Department of Food and Agriculture. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Degrees Awarded | Center of Institutional Effectiveness". cie.ucmerced.edu. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  30. ^ "Fast Facts 2018-19 | UC Merced". www.ucmerced.edu. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "Enrollment Status Summary". Archived from the original on January 20, 2022.
  32. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  33. ^ Bureau, US Census. "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2019)". Census.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  34. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Merced city". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  35. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  36. ^ a b "Merced (City) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  37. ^ a b Warner, Miriam E; Mochel, Marilyn (1998), "The Hmong and Health Care in Merced, California" (PDF), Hmong Studies Journal, 2 (2): 30, archived (PDF) from the original on May 23, 2005, retrieved November 28, 2010
  38. ^ a b c d Reiter, Carol. "Hmong seeking life in Merced, Ca Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Merced Sun-Star at Suab Hmong Radio. January 29, 2008. Retrieved on September 20, 2010.
  39. ^ a b Fadiman, Anne (1997), The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  40. ^
    S2CID 144971394
  41. ^ Anderson, Barbara. "Merced's Mercy Medical opens its door to Hmong shamans Archived March 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." The Modesto Bee. Monday October 19, 2009. Retrieved on November 29, 2010.
  42. Fresno Bee
    . December 10, 1987. Retrieved on November 29, 2010.
  43. ^ "Korean Presbyterian church in Merced".
  44. ^ "Merced City, California". United States Census Bureau. November 2022.
  45. ^ "Statistics". City of Merced California. November 2022.
  46. ^ "California's 13th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  47. ^ "University of California, Merced Athletics". www.ucmercedbobcats.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  48. ^ "Merced High School / Homepage". Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  49. ^ "1941 Merced Bears Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  50. ^ "Pointstreak Sites".
  51. ^ "Merced Regional Airport". mercedairport. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  52. ^ "Home | CatTracks". cattracks.ucmerced.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  53. ^ "Live Bus Map | Transportation and Parking Services". taps.ucmerced.edu. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  54. ^ "Merced's Amtrak station". Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  55. ^ "California High-Speed Rail Officials Tinker With Plans". www.capradio.org. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  56. ^ "High-Speed Rail in California". California High Speed Rail. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  57. ^ CAHSRA. "News Release August 11, 2022".
  58. ^ "Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez | Seattle Sounders".
  59. ^ "Engadget reader meetup in Merced, CA on for June 10th". Engadget. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  60. ^ Novelist takes on Vatican secrecy with new spy thriller Archived February 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  61. St. Petersburg Times. United Press International
    . Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  62. ^ "Rick Williams Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.

External links