Gustine is a city in
Merced County
Merced County ( ), is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Gustine is located west of
Merced
Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1 ...
,
at an elevation of 98 feet (30 m).
At the
2020 census, the city population was 6,110,
up from 5,520 at the
2010 census.
Geography
Gustine is located in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
at
at an elevation of about 31 m (101 ft) above
MSL.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Gustine has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
History
Gustine was established in the early 1900s as a station on the
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
and named after Sara Miller, nicknamed "Gussie", the daughter of
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
, the "Cattle King", an early California land baron and Agricultural pioneer.
Little Sara, always getting "gussied up" with fancy clothes, was killed when she was thrown from her horse when she was eight years old. The first post office opened in 1907.
The city was incorporated in 1915.
Gustine was the site of the first
9-1-1
, usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...
system in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, installed in March 1970.
[The History of 911](_blank)
/ref>
Gustine is home to the nation's largest festa which is steeped in Portuguese tradition.
Gustine High School is home to the longest running basketball tournament in the state of California, which is put on by the city's Rotary Club. The tournament has been put on by the Rotary Club and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2017.
Demographics
2010
At the 2010 census Gustine had a population of 5,520. The population density was . The racial makeup of Gustine was 3,875 (70.2%) White, 73 (1.3%) African American, 54 (1.0%) Native American, 95 (1.7%) Asian, 8 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,191 (21.6%) from other races, and 224 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,769 persons (50.2%).
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,879 households, 757 (40.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,025 (54.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 227 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 118 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 98 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 5 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 437 households (23.3%) were one person and 234 (12.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.94. There were 1,370 families (72.9% of households); the average family size was 3.50.
The age distribution was 1,577 people (28.6%) under the age of 18, 481 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,352 people (24.5%) aged 25 to 44, 1,319 people (23.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 791 people (14.3%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
There were 2,087 housing units at an average density of 1,345.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,197 (63.7%) were owner-occupied and 682 (36.3%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.2%. 3,348 people (60.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,172 people (39.3%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the United States 2000 Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
, there were 4,698 people in 1,683 households, including 1,216 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,763 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 72.26% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 18.97% from other races, and 5.49% from two or more races. 35.08% of the population were Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino of any race.
Gustine is home to a relatively high concentration of ethnic Portuguese-Americans. Most can trace their ancestry back to the Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
, but the Portuguese-speaking community also welcomes many families from mainland Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. This is shown by a large turnout in the yearly OLM (Our Lady of Miracles) Portuguese Festa when over 20,000 people from around Gustine and far away come to visit.
Of the 1,683 households 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.7% of households were one person and 15.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.34.
The age distribution was 30.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median household income was $38,824 and the median family income was $45,583. Males had a median income of $35,920 versus $22,149 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,821. About 11.5% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
Much of the town's income has traditionally come from dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
and processing; Gustine is the home of a Golden Valley Cheese factory
A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...
and formerly a Carnation
''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...
processing plant. In addition, Morningstar Distributing, Hillview Packing, Pusateri Nut Company, and Ingomar Tomato Plant, and Wolfsens' Meat and Sausage are significant businesses in the area. As agricultural land becomes covered by housing developments, Gustine is becoming a bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
to the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, a 1½ hour commute
Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to:
* Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work
Mathematics
* Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...
away.
Government
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
, Gustine is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, Gustine is in .
Environmental issues
The nearby San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Kesterson Wildlife Refuge), experienced an accumulation of selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It is a nonmetal (more rarely considered a metalloid) with properties that are intermediate between the elements above and below in the periodic table, sulfur and tellurium, ...
due to its location at the terminus of the incomplete San Luis Drain. Wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
in this region developed a number of deformities, drawing the attention of news media
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...
and leading to the closure of the refuge.
Education
Gustine is served by the Gustine Unified School District (GUSD) a unified TK–12 public school district, and by the Our Lady of Miracles Catholic School (K-8). There are five schools in the GUSD: Gustine Elementary School (GES), Romero Elementary School (RES), Gustine Middle School (GMS), Gustine High School (GHS), and Pioneer High School (PHS), a continuation school.
Transportation
Gustine is located at the intersection of State Route 33 and State Route 140, near the intersection of Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...
and State Route 140.
Gustine is served by public Dial-A-Ride
Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...
from Merced County's The Bus. The service connects Gustine with Los Banos and Dos Palos
Dos Palos (Spanish for "Two Timbers") is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Dos Palos is located south-southwest of Merced, the county seat, at an elevation of . The population was 5,798 at the 2020 census, up from 4,950 at the ...
, and other communities on the west side of Merced County.
The city is also served by Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority route 45W providing connections Monday through Saturday to Newman, Crows Landing, and Patterson Patterson may refer to:
People
* Patterson (surname)
Places
;Canada
* Pattersons Corners, Ontario
*Patterson Township, Ontario
*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta.
;United States of America
* Patterson, Arkansas
*Patterson, C ...
. This service to Gustine is proposed to be discontinued in early 2023
References
External links
*
Factual Information from www.city-data.com
Gustine Unified School District Website
{{authority control
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Cities in Merced County, California
1915 establishments in California