Country United States Region San Joaquin Valley Named for Merced River Area 5,126 km² Unemployment rate 11.6% (Apr 2015) | State California Incorporated April 19, 1855 Highest elevation 3,801 ft (1,159 m) Population 263,228 (2013) County seat Merced | |
 | ||
Rivers San Joaquin River, Merced River, Bear Creek Destinations Merced, Los Banos, Atwater, San Luis Reservoir, San Luis National Wildlife R Colleges and Universities University of California, Merced College, Sierra College of Beauty | ||
Merced County (/mərˈsɛd/ mər-SED), is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California.
Contents
- Map of Merced County CA USA
- History
- Geography
- National protected areas
- 2010
- 2000
- Government
- State and federal representation
- Overview
- Crime
- Economy
- Major highways
- Public transportation
- Airports
- Cities
- Population ranking
- Places of interest
- References
Map of Merced County, CA, USA
As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after the Merced River.
Merced County comprises the Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Modesto-Merced, CA Combined Statistical Area. It is located north of Fresno County and Fresno, and southeast of Santa Clara County and San Jose.
History
The county derives its name from the Merced River, or El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (River of Our Lady of Mercy), named in 1806 by an expedition headed by Gabriel Moraga, which came upon it at the end of a hot dusty ride on the El Camino Viejo across the San Joaquin Valley in Spanish colonial Las Californias Province.
Between 1841 and 1844, during the period when Alta California was a territory of independent Mexico, four Mexican land grants were made in what became Merced County: Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas, Rancho Panoche de San Juan y Los Carrisolitos, Rancho San Luis Gonzaga, and Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
Merced County was formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County. Parts of its territory were given to Fresno County in 1856.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,979 square miles (5,130 km2), of which 1,935 square miles (5,010 km2) is land and 44 square miles (110 km2) (2.2%) is water.
National protected areas
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Merced County had a population of 255,793. The racial makeup of Merced County was 148,381 (58.0%) White, 9,926 (3.9%) African American, 3,473 (1.4%) Native American, 18,836 (7.4%) Asian, 583 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 62,665 (24.5%) from other races, and 11,929 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 140,485 persons (54.9%).
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was 109 people per square mile (42/km²). There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 26.1% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. 45.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.6% were of Portuguese and 6.0% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 55.1% spoke English, 35.3% Spanish, 3.2% Hmong, 2.9% Portuguese and 1.0% Punjabi as their first language.
There were 63,815 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.69.
In the county, the population was spread out with 34.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,532, and the median income for a family was $38,009. Males had a median income of $31,721 versus $23,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,257. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2008, according to the Lao Family Community, a nonprofit organization, about 8,000 Hmong lived in Merced County.
Government
Merced County is a general law county, governed by a Board of Supervisors. The board consists of five members, elected by districts, who serve four-year terms.
State and federal representation
In the United States House of Representatives, Merced County is in California's 16th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jim Costa.
In the California State Legislature, Merced County is in the 21st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Adam Gray, and the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Anthony Cannella.
Overview
Previously reliably Democratic, Merced is now considered a bellwether county. It voted for the winning candidate for president in every election from 1972-2012, before voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrat Barack Obama won a majority in the county in both 2008 and 2012. Republican George W. Bush won a majority in the county in both 2000 and 2004. This shift in favour of the Republican Party is a rarity given Californian politics' almost universal shift towards the Democratic Party in recent years. Since the opening of UC Merced, Merced County has tended to lean Democrat, with the student population favoring the Democratic Party.
According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 20, 2008, there are 97,179 registered voters in Merced County. Of those, 44,704 (46.0%) are registered Democratic, 35,955 (37.0%) are registered Republican, 3,090 (3.2%) are registered with other political parties, and 13,430 (13.8%) declined to state a political party. Atwater and the unincorporated areas of Merced County have Republican plurality registration advantages. All of the other cities and towns in the county have Democratic pluralities or majorities in voter registration.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Economy
According to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report, the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order:
Merced County grows 90% of California's sweet potato crop, due in part to the efforts of John Buttencourt Avila, called "the father of the sweet potato industry".
Major highways
Public transportation
Airports
Merced Regional Airport, located two miles (3 km) southwest of downtown Merced, provides passenger air service. General aviation airports in the county include Castle Airport, Gustine Airport, and Los Banos Municipal Airport.
Cities
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Merced County.
† county seat
Places of interest
The former Castle Air Force Base and the United States Penitentiary, Atwater are located in an unincorporated area near Atwater.