95356, CA Real Estate Information Center

Modesto “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health”

Modesto is located in Stanislaus County and is home to a population of approximately 211,500 people.  The National Arbor Day Foundation has honored Modesto as a “Tree City USA Community®” for 31 years running, as of this writing, for its community forestry program. 

“Modesto’s many beautiful city parks are reflective of the commitment to a green community despite being a big city.”  Cindy DeLuca, Admin, Modesto Office

Modesto is surrounded by rich agricultural land.  Blue Diamond is a major manufacturer here and contributes to Stanislaus County’s ranking among the top 10 in farm production among all California Counties.

Modesto received some bad press in recent years and the city has reacted with a lot of rebuilding.  You will notice remodeling projects going on everywhere you go and the Downtown Redevelopment project has polished up the city, and along with it, its image. 

Modesto is a 2011 Digital Cities Survey Winner. 

“Cities that are investing in technology are capturing cost savings that are critical to continuity of operations and their ability to meet higher demand for services,” said Todd Sander, director of Digital Communities. “The highest-ranking cities in the survey showed great strides in consolidating and enabling shared services, government transparency and communications interoperability. We applaud these innovators as they work in the spirit of collaboration to provide extraordinary value to constituents despite budget setbacks.”

Modesto continues to make improvements and find ways to bounce back from a tough economic period. 

Modesto is probably best known for its link to the George Lucas film “American Graffiti.”  George Lucas has a history here and based his movie on Modesto.  American Graffiti is honored annually during the Graffiti Summer events.  Classic car shows and concerts such as the X Fest and all manners of summer fun are big traditions that keep folks coming in from miles around. 

Another staple of the City of Modesto is definitely the shopping.  The large, comprehensive Vintage Faire shopping mall is a big attraction due to the stores that you don’t see everywhere such as designer label clothing and accessory shops and big name electronics.  Many independent stores do well here as well.

“There are small businesses for almost every need.  It shows Modesto’s supportive spirit toward independent entrepreneurs.  You get small town friendliness in a fairly large metro area.”  Lura Bailey, REALTOR ® 

Everyone loves the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.  You can see big name entertainment; from musicals to symphonies to ballet.  There is so much to do in and around Modesto; it really provides a lifestyle that can make the broadest range of people happy.  From the downtown hub of activity to the farmer’s market, there’s something for everyone and so much to explore all around.