Merced, California
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| Merced, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Merced County |
| Incorporated | 1889 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Ellie Wooten |
| Area | |
| - City | 19.9 sq mi (51.4 km²) |
| - Land | 19.9 sq mi (51.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Elevation | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 63,893 |
| - Density | 3,216.7/sq mi (1,242.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific (PDT) (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 9534x |
| Area code(s) | 209 |
| 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 2006, the city had a total population of 76,893. 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[1], a major airline, through Merced Municipal Airport, and two bus lines.
In 2005, the city became home to the tenth University of California campus, the University of California at Merced.
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[edit] Transportation
[edit] Air
[edit] Bus
- Greyhound serves Merced.
The Bus—Merced County Transit. The Bus operates both regularly scheduled fixed route bus service and Dial-A-Ride (demand response) transportation services throughout Merced County.
[edit] Rail
- Amtrak provides passenger service.
[edit] Major Roads
[edit] Geography and geology
Merced is located at (37.305977, -120.477916)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.4 km² (19.9 mi²).
A major groundwater plume containing the contaminant PCE was discovered in Merced in the year 1987.[2] Subsequently drilling of new water wells was severely restricted.[3]
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 63,893 people, 20,435 households, and 14,631 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,242.2/km² (3,216.7/mi²). There were 21,532 housing units at an average density of 418.6/km² (1,084.0/mi²). 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 [4]
[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, JC Penny's and Mervyns, the Best Buy strip 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, 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 under 2,000 students. The city is also served by several private religious and technical schools.
[edit] References and Notes
- ^ Merced's Amtrak station URL: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&cid=1080080552400
- ^ Paul M. Santi1, John E. McCray2 and Jamie L. Martens, Hydrogeology Journal, Issue Volume 14, Numbers 1-2, January, 2006, Springer Berlin /Heidelberg
- ^ Environmental Site Assessment for proposed development, Merced, California, Earth Metrics Inc, October 17, 1989
- ^ Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
[edit] External links
- MyMerced
- Official site
- UC Merced Official site
- The Merced Sun-Star official site
- Merced Links
- Local resources: MyMerced.com Google Yahoo!
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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Merced County, California County Seat: Merced |
|---|---|
| Incorporated places |
Atwater • Dos Palos • Gustine • Livingston • Los Banos • Merced |
| CDPs |
Delhi • Hilmar • Le Grand • Planada • South Dos Palos • Winton |
| Other unincorporated communities |
Ballico • Cressey • El Nido • Santa Nella • Snelling |
