Merced, known as the "Gateway toYosemite", is less than two hours by automobile fromYosemite National Park to the east andMonterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and multiple beaches to the west. The community is served by the passenger rail serviceAmtrak, a minor, heavily subsidized airline throughMerced Regional Airport, and three bus lines. It is approximately 110 miles (180 km) fromSacramento, 130 miles (210 km) fromSan Francisco, 55 miles (89 km) fromFresno, and 270 miles (430 km) fromLos Angeles.
The first Merced post office opened in 1870.[10] Merced incorporated in 1889[10] and now operates under thecouncil-manager form of government.
DuringWorld War II, theMerced County fairgrounds were the site of a temporary "assembly center" where Japanese Americans were detained after beingremoved from their West Coast homes underExecutive Order 9066. 4,669 men, women and children from centralCalifornia (with most coming from Merced County) were confined in the Merced Assembly Center from May 6 to September 15, 1942, when they were transferred to the more permanentGranada internment camp in Colorado.[11]
Also within a short distance from the city limits are theCastle Air Museum,Lake Yosemite, and Merced Falls. The city of Merced along with its surrounding cities are serviced by theMerced Sun-Star and theMerced County Times. TheMerced 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 SquareMain 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. 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 theBureau of Labor Statistics.
Cinema, Merced, California; photographed byJohn Margolies in 2003
During theGreat 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 toZillow, making housing affordable compared to many other California locations.
The economy has traditionally relied uponagribusiness and upon the presence ofCastle 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 theCastle Airport Aviation and Development Center. The Castle Air Museum remains at the site.
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 contaminantPCE was discovered in Merced in 1987.[18] Subsequently, drilling of new water wells was severely restricted.[19]
Merced has acold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk), with its annual precipitation falling just short of amediterranean 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
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]
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.[29] TheUniversity of California, Merced campus opened in late 2005 northeast of the city limits. UC Merced spans a campus area of 1,026acres. UC Merced enrolled about 7,967 students during the 2017–2018 academic year.[30] Merced is served by theMerced City School District, which has five main middle schools, Cruickshank Middle School, Herbert Hoover Middle School, Rivera Middle School, Weaver Middle School and Tenaya Middle School. There are also 14 elementary schools in this district.Merced Union High School District has three major public high school campuses,Merced High School,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] The main campus of Merced College covers an area of 267 acres.[1]
Mercy Medical Center Merced. A 2016 Community Health Assessment[2] 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[3] 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
Merced city, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
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.[36]
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%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 4,921 (19.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,941 (7.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,156 (8.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 167 (0.7%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,356 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,823 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 17,820families (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.
As of the census[38] of 2000,[39] there were 63,893 people, 20,435 households, and 14,631 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,216.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,242.0/km2). There were 21,532 housing units at an average density of 1,084.0 per square mile (418.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 57.4%White, 6.3%African American, 1.3%Native American, 12.4%Asian (mostly Hmong), 0.2%Pacific Islander, 23.2% fromother races, and 5.2% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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.
Escaping persecution from Communist forces after theLaotian Civil War,Hmong refugees fromLaos moved to the United States in the 1970s and '80s, first settling in Merced and other areas in theCentral Valley of California.[40][41] The Hmong could not initially take part in farming like they had expected, as the land was owned by other people.[41] They could not get high end agricultural jobs because they did not speak sufficient English andMexican migrants already held low end agricultural jobs. As such, a great many of Merced's Hmong collected social services and Hmonggangs arose, prompting other residents to perceive them as being the cause of economic troubles.[42] 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.[41]
This acceptance is reflected in various services provided to the Hmong community. This includes the Merced Lao Family Community Inc., anonprofit organization that provides social services to Hmong people,[43] 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,[40][44] a body of Hmong-speaking faculty and paraprofessionals (including college classes on Hmong culture and language),[43][45] and media outlets for the Hmong community—cable television channel Channel 11 broadcasts programming to the Hmong community twice per week and radio stationKBIF 900 AM airs programming oriented towards Hmong people.[43]
While Merced has historically had a proportionally large portion of Hmong (in 1997, 12,000 of Merced's 61,000 residents were Hmong[42]), demographic shifts have reduced this. ThePersonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 prompted a move of some Hmong toMinnesota,North Carolina, andWisconsin. More recently, many Hmong have gone to Alaska to work in crabbing and fishing industries that require little proficiency in English.[41]
Through the years, Merced County has recognized many historic milestones. Some of those essential moments include the rise of Merced's first Black mayor, Sam Pipes in 1983 and the visit by first ladyMichelle Obama to UC Merced for the university's 2009 commencement.
There's also the story of the lateCharles Ogletree, a Merced native who rose from poverty to become a respected Harvard Law professor. Ogletree taught bothBarack andMichelle Obama at Harvard; he remained close toBarack Obama throughout his apolitical career.[13]Ogletree wrote opinion pieces on the state of race in the United States for major publications.[14] Ogletree also served as the moderator for a panel discussion on civil rights in baseball on March 28, 2008, that accompanied the second annual Major League Baseball civil rights exhibition game the following day between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.[15]
In 2010,Latinos became a majority population in Merced andMerced County as the agricultural industry brought in migrant farm laborers. The area's affordable housing prices attracted both Latino andAsian immigrants. Merced has largeAsian-American (e.g. Hmong, followed byChinese,Vietnamese,Laotian,Cambodian,Filipino,Thai, Korean[46] andAsian Indian) populations relative to the city and county's population size.
In Merced County, Black history goes back to before the Civil War. According to historian Sarah Lim, during the mid-1800s Blacks came to this region and California as enslaved persons, while others arrived as free settlers. The 2011 census reported that 9,837 Black orAfrican Americans lived in Merced County
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.[47] 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.[48] With its high crime rate, Merced is considered one of the "50 most dangerous" Californian cities to live in.
UC Merced is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes in the California Pacific (Cal Pac) Conference. It offers men's and women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, water polo, cross country and track. In July 2024, it was announced that in 2026-2027, UC Merced will begin NCAA Division II competition in the 2025-26 academic year and will be fully eligible for postseason in 2026-27.[50]
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[55] isUC 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.[56]
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2021)
TheCalifornia High-Speed Rail Authority February 2016 draft business plan, outlined the Merced station as not beginning service at the same time as the initialSan Jose toBakersfield route in 2025, but would likely open in 2029 instead. This would make the leg between the Central Valley andPacheco 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.[59] 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.[60] In August 2022, the CAHSRA announced that it had received a $25,000,000 RAISE Grant to advance design work from Madera to Merced.[61]
Sample trips in the California High Speed rail would include:
TheACE 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.
^abDurham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 801.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
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