Merced, California

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Merced, California
Seal
Location in the state of California
Coordinates: 37°18′22″N 120°28′40″W / 37.30611, -120.47778
Country	United States
State	California
County	Merced
Incorporated	1889
Government
- Mayor	Ellie Wooten
Area
- Total	19.9 sq mi (51.4 km²)
- Land	19.9 sq mi (51.4 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)  0%
Elevation	171 ft (52 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	63,894
- Density	3,216.7/sq mi (1,242.2/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (PDT) (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95340-95344, 95348
Area code(s)	209
FIPS code	06-46898
GNIS feature ID	1659751
Website: http://www.cityofmerced.org/

Merced (pronounced "Mer-SED"), is the county seat of Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. As of 2007, the city had a total population of 80,806.^[1] Incorporated in 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 car from Yosemite National Park to the east and to the west is Monterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and miles of beaches. The community is served by the rail passenger service, Amtrak^[2], a major airline, through Merced Municipal Airport, and three bus lines.

In 2005, the city became home to the tenth University of California campus, University of California, Merced (UCM), the first research university built in the 21st Century.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Air

• Merced Municipal Airport
• Nearby Castle Airport (Atwater, California)

[edit] Bus

• Greyhound serves Merced.
• The Bus—Merced County Transit, which operates both regularly scheduled fixed route bus service and Dial-A-Ride (demand response) transportation services throughout Merced County.
• Cattracks is UCM'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.

Major highways near Merced

[edit] Rail

• Amtrak provides passenger service.

[edit] Major Roads

• Highway 59
• Highway 99
• Highway 140

[edit] Geography and geology

Merced is located at 37°18′22″N, 120°28′40″W (37.305977, -120.477916)^[3]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.4 km²).

A major groundwater plume containing the contaminant PCE was discovered in Merced in the year 1987.^[4] Subsequently drilling of new water wells was severely restricted.^[5]

[edit] Demographics

Historic County Courthouse, now serving as a museum.

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 63,893 people, 20,435 households, and 14,631 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,216.7 people per square mile (1,242.2/km²). There were 21,532 housing units at an average density of 1,084.0/sq mi (418.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.40% White, 6.33% African American, 1.28% Native American, 11.37% Asian (mostly Hmong), 0.21% Pacific Islander, 23.18% from other races, and 5.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.36% 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% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 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...

Merced is home to one of the largest concentrations of Laotian Hmong immigrants in the United States, which likely make up the "Asian" and "Other" categories in the 2000 census listed above. It has been reported that by the mid-nineties, one in five residents of Merced was Hmong. Despite many struggles with integration and some local xenophobia, because of the exceptionally high concentration, the Hmong community in Merced has managed to retain a great deal of their traditional culture ^[7]

In the 2007 version of the book "Cities Ranked & Rated" by authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, Merced has been ranked 370th of 373 cities nationwide. The factors that determined the ranking of the cities within the book include the quality of life, cost of living in the area, availability and type of jobs, education, health care, climate, crime, commute times, and leisure activities.^[8] However, the entry in the book also states that the town may not stay in this place for long, since the authors stated that "Merced is definitely on an upward path and offers potential not found in other Valley towns. This potential is clearly not shown in today's numbers." ^[9]

[edit] Politics

In the state legislature Merced is located in the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Jeff Denham, and in the 17th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Cathleen Galgiani. Federally, Merced is located in California's 18th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +3^[10] and is represented by Democrat Dennis Cardoza.

[edit] Community

Merced can be described as a "sleepy town," though the arrival of California's tenth UC campus, UC Merced, is altering the city's image. Current recreation in the town include Applegate Park and zoo, Bear and Black Rascal Creeks and their bike trails, a skate park located in Applegate, a live stage theater downtown, two first run movie theaters, The Mainzer Theater which is known for its historic and architectural value, County Courthouse Museum circa 1889, and the County Library. Though still growing, Merced has several shopping areas including the Merced Mall, anchored by Target, Sears, JCPenney and Mervyns, the Best Buy mall including Barnes & Noble, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and several restaurants, and Main Street with several restaurants, movie theaters, and bars. Some of the famous former citizens of Merced include Steven Stayner and his infamous brother Cary Stayner. Recently, Merced had two of their athletes appear in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where they received bronze and silver medals.

Also within a short distance from the city limits are the Castle Air Museum, Challenger Learning Center, Castle Science and Technology Museum, Lake Yosemite, and Merced Falls.

The city of Merced, along with its surrounding cities are serviced by the Merced Sun-Star. This daily newspaper has a circulation of over 20,000 in the Merced area.

Merced Theater	The Main Place Theater	Civic Center	Applegate Park Rose Garden Fountain, The Laura Fountain
Applegate Park Open Air Theater	Veterans Memorial	Applegate Flag Pole	Bob Hart Square Clock

[edit] Education

Merced is served by two major public high school campuses, Merced High School and Golden Valley High School, as well as a few smaller campuses offering alternative education. Merced has one community college, Merced College. The University of California, Merced opened in late 2005 immediately outside of the city limits. UC Merced for the 2006 school year currently has an enrollment of about 3,000 students. The city is also served by several private religious and technical schools.

[edit] Prominent people

• Ray Allen, an NBA basketball player playing for the Boston Celtics.
• Bruce Bowen, an NBA basketball player playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Brian Fuentes, an MLB closer, playing for the Colorado Rockies
• Janet Leigh, actress
• Katie Gallagher, a Survivor: Palau finalist.
• Steven Stayner, kidnap victim.
• Cary Stayner, serial killer.
• Margaret Dingeldein, a member of the 2004 US Olympic Waterpolo team.
• Marvin Eastman, Professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter currently competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion
• Vincent Cervantes, Human Rights Activist^[11][12]
• Cory Williams, aka "Mr. Safety", famous internet personality / TV show host.
• Peter Rojas, gadget expert and founder of Engadget and RCRD LBL.
• Salar Kamangar, VP at Google.

[edit] References and Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Merced, California

• MyMerced
• UC Merced Official site
• The Merced Sun-Star official site
• Local resources: MyMerced.com Google Yahoo!

• Merced, California is at coordinates 37°18′22″N 120°28′41″W / 37.305977, -120.477916 (Merced, California)Coordinates: 37°18′22″N 120°28′41″W / 37.305977, -120.477916 (Merced, California)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Merced County, California County seat: Merced Cities Atwater | Dos Palos | Gustine | Livingston | Los Banos | Merced CDPs Delhi | Hilmar | Le Grand | Planada | South Dos Palos | Winton Unincorporated communities Ballico | Cressey | El Nido | Santa Nella | Snelling