Atwater, California | |
|---|---|
 Water tower in the city | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Community Pride, City Wide | |
 Location in Merced County, California | |
  Atwater  Atwater | |
| Coordinates:37°20′52″N120°36′33″W / 37.34778°N 120.60917°W /37.34778; -120.60917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Merced |
| Incorporated | August 16, 1922[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mike Nelson[2] |
| • State senator | Anna Caballero (D)[3] |
| • Assemblymember | Esmeralda Soria (D)[3] |
| • U. S. Rep. | Adam Gray (D)[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.57 sq mi (17.0 km2) |
| • Land | 6.57 sq mi (17.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.026 km2) 0.08% |
| Elevation | 151 ft (46 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 31,970 |
| • Density | 4,868.28/sq mi (1,879.65/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific) |
| ZIP codes | 95301, 95342 |
| Area code | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-03162 |
| GNIS feature ID | 277600 |
| Website | www |
Atwater is a city onState Route 99 inMerced County, California, United States. Atwater is 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest ofMerced,[8] at an elevation of 151 feet (46 m).[6] The population as of the2020 census was 31,970,[7] up from 28,168 in 2010.
Atwater is in northern Merced County, between Merced, thecounty seat, to the southeast andLivingston to the northwest. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17 km2). 99.92% of it is land and 0.08% is water.[5]
The city includesCastle Air Museum, but does not include the formerCastle Air Force Base proper, now repurposed asCastle Airport.
The railroad reached Atwater in the 1870s, and a town grew around it.[8] The first post office opened in 1880.[8] Atwater incorporated in 1922.[8] The name honors Marshall D. Atwater, a wheat farmer whose land was used by the railroad for its station.[8]
North of the town is the site ofCastle Air Force Base, the former World War IIMerced Army Airfield.[9] Castle was selected for closure under the1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission and the base closed September 30, 1995. The site is now a public airport.
On May 15, 2020, Atwater declared itself a business "sanctuary city" during the coronavirus pandemic.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 917 | — | |
| 1940 | 1,235 | 34.7% | |
| 1950 | 2,856 | 131.3% | |
| 1960 | 7,318 | 156.2% | |
| 1970 | 11,640 | 59.1% | |
| 1980 | 17,530 | 50.6% | |
| 1990 | 22,282 | 27.1% | |
| 2000 | 23,113 | 3.7% | |
| 2010 | 28,168 | 21.9% | |
| 2020 | 31,970 | 13.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Atwater had a population of 31,970. The population density was 4,868.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,879.7/km2). The racial makeup of Atwater was 40.6%White, 3.4%African American, 3.0%Native American, 5.6%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 27.9% fromother races, and 19.2% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.6% of the population.[12]
The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[12]
There were 9,970 households, out of which 44.8% included children under the age of 18, 49.6% were married-couple households, 7.7% werecohabiting couple households, 27.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.1% of households were one person, and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.19.[12] There were 7,676families (77.0% of all households).[13]
The age distribution was 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% aged 18 to 24, 26.7% aged 25 to 44, 21.6% aged 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males.[12]
There were 10,296 housing units at an average density of 1,567.8 units per square mile (605.3 units/km2), of which 9,970 (96.8%) were occupied. Of these, 55.9% were owner-occupied, and 44.1% were occupied by renters.[12]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 22.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 52.5% spoke only English at home, 41.3% spokeSpanish, 3.0% spoke otherIndo-European languages, and 3.2% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 73.8% were high school graduates and 13.1% had a bachelor's degree.[14]
The median household income in 2023 was $63,945, and theper capita income was $30,133. About 17.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line.[15]
At the2010 census Atwater had a population of 28,168. The population density was 4,620.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,784.1/km2). The racial makeup of Atwater was 18,410 (65.4%) White, 14,808 (52.6%) Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1,225 (4.3%) African American, 364 (1.3%) Native American, 1,416 (5.0%) Asian, 76 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,300 (18.8%) from other races, and 1,377 (4.9%) from two or more races.[16]
The census reported that 28,066 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 31 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 71 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 8,838 households, 4,255 (48.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,593 (52.0%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,558 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 672 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 615 (7.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 60 (0.7%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,615 households (18.3%) were one person and 738 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.18. There were 6,823 families (77.2% of households); the average family size was 3.61.
The age distribution was 9,016 people (32.0%) under the age of 18, 2,968 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 7,492 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 5,760 people (20.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,932 people (10.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
There were 9,771 housing units at an average density of 1,602.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,905 (55.5%) were owner-occupied and 3,933 (44.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.9%. 14,920 people (53.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,146 people (46.7%) lived in rental housing units.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Atwater is inthe 14th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Anna Caballero, and inthe 27th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Esmeralda Soria.[17]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Atwater is inCalifornia's 13th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Adam Gray.[4]
Most of the city is zoned to theAtwater Elementary School District. Schools of AESD within Atwater and serving Atwater include:[18]
A small section of eastern Atwater is located in theMerced City School District; that section is zoned to Rudolph Rivera Middle School.[19] Franklin Elementary School is the closest elementary school to the section of Atwater.
Merced Union High School District operatesAtwater High School andBuhach Colony High School, both of which serve and reside in Atwater.
| School | Grades |
|---|---|
| Ariel Dear Academy | 2-12 |
| Fruitland Christian Preschool | PK-K |
| Landmark Christian School | PK-12 |
| St. Anthony School | PK-8 |
Atwater currently does not have a dailynewspaper, although many of its residents use the daily paper, theMerced Sun-Star, which is published in nearbyMerced. Additionally Atwater residents rely on local Facebook pages such as "Merced County news".Atwater has two weekly newspapers calledThe Atwater Signal andThe Atwater Times.The Atwater Signal was first published in 1911.The Atwater Times[20] is published by Mid Valley Publications, once a week.
Municipalities and communities ofMerced County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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