Travelstone: Modesto CA

Modesto CA United States of America

Modesto /məˈdɛstoʊ/ (Spanish for "modest"), officially known as the City of Modesto, is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. It has a population of approximately 201,165 according to the 2010 census, making it the 18th largest city in California and part of the Modesto–Merced combined statistical area. The Modesto Census County Division, which includes the cities of Ceres and Riverbank, had a population of 312,842 as of 2010. Modesto is situated in the Central Valley, 90 miles (140 km) north of Fresno, 40 miles (64 km) north of Merced, California, 92 miles (148 km) east of San Francisco, 68 miles (109 km) south of the state capital of Sacramento, 66 miles (106 km) west of Yosemite National Park, and 24 miles (39 km) south of Stockton. Modesto has been recognised as a Tree City USA multiple times. It is surrounded by fertile farmland; Stanislaus County is the sixth highest producing county in California. The county's main agricultural products are milk, almonds, chickens, walnuts, and corn silage, generating nearly $3.1 billion in 2011. The farm-to-table movement is a key part of life in Modesto and the Central Valley. George Lucas, a filmmaker born in Modesto, graduated from Thomas Downey High School in 1962 and attended Modesto Junior College. He made the city famous in his award-winning 1973 film American Graffiti. Although the film was not shot in Modesto, it captured the spirit of cruising and friendship on Modesto's 10th and 11th Streets in 1962, sparking a renewed interest in 1950s pop culture, including the TV show Happy Days and its spin-offs. The city's annual Architectural Festival celebrates Modesto's history as a testing ground for mid-century modern architecture during the 1940s and '50s. Modesto's mid-century buildings have been featured four times in Museum of Modern Art publications. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2011, which interviews 1,000 participants about their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities, ranked Modesto 126 out of the 190 cities surveyed. In December 2009, Forbes ranked Modesto 48th out of 100 among "Best Bang-for-the-Buck Cities". In this ranking, Modesto ranked 8th in housing affordability and travel time but also ranked 86th in job forecast growth and 99th in foreclosures. Modesto is the home of Gallo Family Winery, the largest privately owned winery in the world.

Recommended airport

Stockton Metropolitan (SCK)

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Destinations: San Francisco CA, Modesto CA, Yosemite National Park, CA, Stevenson Ranch, CA, Death Valley National Park CA, Barstow, CA, Las Vegas NV, Grand Canyon AZ, Page AZ, Bryce Canyon National Park UT, Kanab UT, Zion National Park, UT, Las Vegas NV, Los Angeles CA

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Destinations: Los Angeles CA, Santa Barbara CA, Solvang, CA, Oakland, CA, San Francisco CA, Modesto CA, Yosemite National Park, CA, Stevenson Ranch, CA, Death Valley National Park CA, Barstow, CA, Las Vegas NV, Grand Canyon AZ, Page AZ, Bryce Canyon National Park UT, Kanab UT, Zion National Park, UT, Las Vegas NV

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Modesto CA, United States of America

Modesto CA United States of America

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West & Beyond 13 Notti Allargato Italian

West & Beyond 15 Notti Allargato Italian

Forever West Italian

Icons of the American West

The Best of the American West: San Francisco and the Great Parks

Classic West Budget FR

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West & Beyond 13 Notti Allargato Italian