TheRancho Del Puerto Mexicanland grant (1844) by GovernorManuel Micheltorena extended east of the present-day Highway 33 to theSan Joaquin River. The northern boundary was Del Puerto Creek, and the southern boundary was just south of present-day Marshall Road. This early land grant marked the beginning of the area that would eventually become modern-day Patterson.
Samuel G. Reed and Ruben S. Wade claimed the land on January 7, 1855. A patent encompassing the land grant was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, confirming their ownership. Reed and Wade received title to 13,340 acres (54 km2) on August 15, 1864. Reed and Wade then sold the grant to J. O. Eldredge on June 18, 1866, for $5,000. Mr. Eldredge held the title for only two months before selling it to John D. Patterson on August 14, 1866, for $5,400. John D. Patterson purchased additional land that expanded the property upon his death on March 7, 1902, a total of 18,462 acres (75 km2) were willed to Thomas W. Patterson and William W. Patterson, his estate executors, and other heirs. The land was sold to the Patterson Ranch Company on May 16, 1908, for $540,000 cashgold coin. Thomas W. Patterson subdivided the land into ranches of various sizes and plotted the design of the town of Patterson. Determined to make Patterson different from most rural towns, he modeled Patterson after the cities ofWashington, D.C., andParis, France, using a series of circles and radiating streets. Major streets were planted with palm, eucalyptus, and sycamore trees.
The Patterson Colony map was filed with the Stanislaus County Recorder's office on December 13, 1909. Sales of the ranch properties and city lots commenced. Patterson was the third city in Stanislaus County to incorporate on December 22, 1919.[8] In May 1971, the chamber of commerce approved the title of "Apricot Capital of the World" for Patterson, highlighting the identity.[9]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20 km2), of which 98.9% is land and 1.1% is water.[1] The city is located 17 miles (27 km) southwest ofModesto,[10] and 78 miles (126 km) southeast ofOakland[11] making it close to theSan Francisco Bay Area and major cities.
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, and no one was institutionalized.[13]
There were 6,461 households, out of which 51.4% included children under the age of 18, 58.6% were married-couple households, 7.2% werecohabiting couple households, 20.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 12.1% of households were one person, and 5.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.67.[13] There were 5,395families (83.5% of all households).[14]
The age distribution was 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% aged 18 to 24, 27.1% aged 25 to 44, 22.9% aged 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 33.7years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males.[13]
There were 6,685 housing units at an average density of 858.5 units per square mile (331.5 units/km2), of which 6,461 (96.6%) were occupied. Of these, 67.8% were owner-occupied, and 32.2% were occupied by renters.[13]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 21.1% of the population was foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 43.9% spoke only English at home, 48.7% spokeSpanish, 2.2% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 4.2% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.1% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 74.7% were high school graduates and 14.2% had a bachelor's degree.[15]
The median household income in 2023 was $93,542, and theper capita income was $29,365. About 7.8% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line.[16]
The2010 United States census[17] reported that Patterson had a population of 20,413. The population density was 3,428.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,323.8/km2). The racial makeup of Patterson was 10,117 (49.6%)White, 1,291 (6.3%)African American, 221 (1.1%)Native American, 1,069 (5.2%)Asian, 280 (1.4%)Pacific Islander, 6,235 (30.5%) fromother races, and 1,200 (5.9%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 11,971 persons (58.6%).
The Census reported that 20,410 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 3 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 5,630 households, out of which 3,162 (56.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,398 (60.4%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 758 (13.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 491 (8.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 453 (8.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 47 (0.8%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 716 households (12.7%) were made up of individuals, and 273 (4.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.63. There were 4,647families (82.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.95.
The population was spread out, with 6,890 people (33.8%) under the age of 18, 2,140 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 5,822 people (28.5%) aged 25 to 44, 4,280 people (21.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,281 people (6.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
There were 6,328 housing units at an average density of 1,062.8 units per square mile (410.3 units/km2), of which 3,801 (67.5%) were owner-occupied, and 1,829 (32.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 13,304 people (65.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 7,106 people (34.8%) lived in rental housing units.
The city council consists of five representatives. The mayor is elected to a two-year term, and four council members are elected in district elections to four-year terms on a staggered basis; this means that every two years, there are two council seats and the mayor's seat up for election. The current council consists of MayorMichael Clauzel and Council members Shivaughn Alves (District A),Jessica Romero (District B), Dominic Farinha (District C), andCarlos Roque (District D). The City Council appoints a city manager, who hires all city staff and manages the day-to-day business of the city. Advisory bodies work with the city council and identify issues before the council makes final decisions. Advisory body members are appointed by the mayor, subject to the approval of a majority of the council.[20]
Patterson previously had a local police department.[21] In 1998, it was merged into theStanislaus County Sheriff's Department.[21] The county sheriff's department, through a contract with the city, provides services through Patterson Police Services.[21][22]
The daily newspaper in Patterson is thePatterson Irrigator, which was founded in 1911.[23] It is located in downtown Patterson and has been at the same location since 1929.[23] TheIrrigator, since 2009, is published weekly.[23]
During the first weekend in June, Downtown Patterson hosts the town's largest celebration of the year, the Apricot Fiesta.Patterson is known as the “Apricot Capital of the World”, celebrates its strong agricultural history through its annual fiesta held every June. In 1971, the first year of the fiesta, the Chamber of Commerce agreed to decree that Patterson was the Apricot Capital of the World. It may have been the “capital” at the time, with California growing 95 percent of the nation’s apricots and the United States leading the world in production of the delicate fruit. The event begins on Friday with several beauty pageants, which have become a local tradition. The Patterson Library hosts an art show during the celebration, and displays on local history are held open to the public at the Patterson Museum, also known as the Center Building, located at the center of Patterson. The three-day celebration also features fireworks shows and typically takes place on the first weekend of June.[24]