About the City
Founded in 1870, and named after the Spanish word for “modesty”, Modesto is located just eight-five miles from the Bay area in Stanislaus County, California on State Highway 99. It is 80 miles south of Sacramento, 86 miles east of San Jose and the Silicon Valley Industrial area, 88 miles southeast of San Francisco, and 311 miles north of Los Angeles.
The census of 2000 indicated that there were 188,856 people residing in the City. With a current population of over 207,000, it is the 15th largest city in California. Population growth is predicted to grow steadily at an average of 2.4% from 2005 to 2008.
The racial makeup of the city was 69.58% White, 25.58% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 3.97% African American, 1.24% Native American, 6.03% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 12.74% from other races, and 5.93% from two or more races. The median income for a household in the city was $40,394, and the median income for a family was $45,681. The per capita income for the city was $17,797 (Census, 2000).