Atwater, California
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Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in
Merced County, California Merced County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley (California), Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the ...
, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of
Merced Merced (; Spanish language, 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 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...
, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 census was 31,970, up from 28,168 in 2010.


Geography

Atwater is in northern Merced County, between Merced, the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, to the southeast and Livingston to the northwest. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of . 99.92% of it is land and 0.08% is water. The city includes Castle Air Museum, but does not include the former Castle Air Force Base proper, now repurposed as Castle Airport.


History

The railroad reached Atwater in the 1870s, and a town grew around it. The first post office opened in 1880. Atwater incorporated in 1922. The name honors Marshall D. Atwater, a wheat farmer whose land was used by the railroad for its station. North of the town is the site of Castle Air Force Base, the former World War II Merced Army Airfield. Castle was selected for closure under the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission and the base closed September 30, 1995. The site is now a public airport. On May 15, 2020, Atwater declared itself a business "sanctuary city" during the coronavirus pandemic.


Demographics


2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Atwater had a population of 31,970. The population density was . The racial makeup of Atwater was 40.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.4%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 3.0% Native American, 5.6% Asian, 0.3%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 27.9% from other races, and 19.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.6% of the population. The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized. There were 9,970 households, out of which 44.8% included children under the age of 18, 49.6% were married-couple households, 7.7% were cohabiting couple households, 27.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.1% of households were one person, and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.19. There were 7,676
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(77.0% of all households). The age distribution was 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% aged 18 to 24, 26.7% aged 25 to 44, 21.6% aged 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 33.2years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. There were 10,296 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,970 (96.8%) were occupied. Of these, 55.9% were owner-occupied, and 44.1% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 22.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 52.5% spoke only English at home, 41.3% spoke Spanish, 3.0% spoke other
Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, and 3.2% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 73.8% were high school graduates and 13.1% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $63,945, and the
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $30,133. About 17.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line.


2010

At the 2010 census Atwater had a population of 28,168. The population density was . The racial makeup of Atwater was 18,410 (65.4%) White, 14,808 (52.6%) Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1,225 (4.3%) African American, 364 (1.3%) Native American, 1,416 (5.0%) Asian, 76 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,300 (18.8%) from other races, and 1,377 (4.9%) from two or more races. The census reported that 28,066 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 31 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 71 (0.3%) were institutionalized. There were 8,838 households, 4,255 (48.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,593 (52.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,558 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 672 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 615 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 60 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,615 households (18.3%) were one person and 738 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.18. There were 6,823 families (77.2% of households); the average family size was 3.61. The age distribution was 9,016 people (32.0%) under the age of 18, 2,968 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 7,492 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 5,760 people (20.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,932 people (10.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. There were 9,771 housing units at an average density of 1,602.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,905 (55.5%) were owner-occupied and 3,933 (44.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.9%. 14,920 people (53.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,146 people (46.7%) lived in rental housing units.


Government

In the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Atwater is in , and in . In the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Atwater is in .


Education


Primary and secondary schools


Public schools

Most of the city is zoned to the Atwater Elementary School District. Schools of AESD within Atwater and serving Atwater include: * K-6 ** Aileen Colburn Elementary School ** Shaffer Elementary School ** Thomas Olaeta Elementary School ** Elmer Wood Elementary School ** Mitchell K-6 Elementary School ** Peggy Heller Elementary School ** Bellevue Elementary School * 7-8 ** Mitchell Senior Elementary School ** Bellevue Senior Elementary School ** Peggy Heller Junior High School * High School ** Atwater High School ** Buhach Colony High School * Other ** Atwater Valley Community Day School ** Atwater Senior Academy A small section of eastern Atwater is located in the Merced City School District; that section is zoned to Rudolph Rivera Middle School. Franklin Elementary School is the closest elementary school to the section of Atwater. Merced Union High School District operates Atwater High School and Buhach Colony High School, both of which serve and reside in Atwater.


Private schools


Newspapers

Atwater currently does not have a daily
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
, although many of its residents use the daily paper, the '' Merced Sun-Star'', which is published in nearby
Merced Merced (; Spanish language, 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 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...
. Additionally Atwater residents rely on local Facebook pages such as "Merced County news". Atwater has two weekly newspapers called ''The Atwater Signal'' and ''The Atwater Times''. ''The Atwater Signal'' was first published in 1911. ''The Atwater Times'' is published by Mid Valley Publications, once a week.


Notable residents

* Bernard Berrian, NFL Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver * Chuck Compton, NFL Green Bay Packers defensive back * Jamill Kelly, 2004 Olympics silver medal in wrestling *
Sheryl Underwood Sheryl Patrice Underwood (born October 28, 1963) is an American comedian, actress and television host. She first rose to prominence in the comedy world as the first female finalist in 1989's Miller Lite Comedy Search. Underwood was one of the hos ...
, actress * Willow Wisp, experimental Gothic/metal band


Sports

* Atwater Aviators, of the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League * Atwater Falcons - football and baseball * Buhach Colony Thunder - football and basketball


See also

*
List of cities and towns in California California is a U.S. state, state located in the Western United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by population, most populous state and the List of U.S. states and territories by area, third largest by area after Alaska an ...


References

* Compass Maps: Merced, Atwater, Merced County
City of Atwater -- Approved Annexations


External links

* {{authority control Incorporated cities and towns in California Cities in Merced County, California 1922 establishments in California Populated places established in 1922