Ceres is a city in
Stanislaus County, California
Stanislaus County ( ; ) is a County (United States), county located in the San Joaquin Valley of the U.S. state of California. As of 2023, its estimated population is 564,404. The county seat is Modesto, California, Modesto.
Stanislaus County ...
. Its population was 49,302 at the
2020 U.S. Census, up from 45,417 at the
2010 U.S. Census. It is part of the
Modesto metropolitan statistical area.
Ceres is located in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...
along
State Route 99, south of
Modesto
Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California.
Modesto is locate ...
and north of
Turlock in Stanislaus County. Ceres is named after
the Roman goddess of agriculture.
The newspaper in Ceres is called the ''Ceres Courier'', which has been in publication since 1910. The offices of the ''Ceres Courier'' were relocated from an address in downtown Ceres in 2012. It has since combined day-to-day operations with its sister paper, the ''Turlock Journal'', in Turlock. Jeff Benziger was appointed editor in 1987. The city also has a Spanish-language paper.
Ceres hosts annual events at different times of the year. Spring brings the Ceres Street Faire on the first weekend in May. Skies the Limit, Ceres Hot Air Balloon Festival, Concert in the Park is a regular summer event. Halloween Fun Festival marks the fall, followed by the colorful, and much-attended, Christmas Tree Lane opening ceremony.
History
The first non-native families who inhabited Ceres were those of John Service, Cassius Warner, and Daniel Whitmore in 1867. Daniel C. Whitmore is considered the first founding patriarch of Ceres. He built his home in 1870, the Daniel Whitmore House at 2928 5th Street. That home still stands, fully restored by the city and the Ceres Historical Society. The Clinton Whitmore Mansion, built in 1903 is also owned by the City of Ceres.
In the early 1890s, outlaws
Chris Evans and
John Sontag
John Sontag (May 27, 1861 – July 3, 1893) was an outlaw of the American West known for train robbery, robberies.
Background
John Sontag was the oldest son of Maria (Bohn) and Jacob Contant of Mankato, Minnesota. After the death of his father i ...
robbed several
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
trains at Ceres and several other area locations. In the late 1930s, a labor camp was developed within the city of Ceres as part of the Federal Migratory Labor Camp Program.
The history of Ceres is recounted in Arcadia Publishing Company's Images of America series entitled, ''Ceres'', by Jeff Benziger. It was released on August 23, 2010.
The Ceres Historical Museum highlights items from the town's history, focusing on items which were used in the daily life in Ceres.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, Ceres has a total area of 9.5 sq mi(24.6 km), 99.9% of it land and 0.1% of it covered by water.
The formation of
alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to Semi-arid climate, semiar ...
s in the San Joaquin Valley has led to a rather flat regional geography. No active earthquake fault traces in the project vicinity are known. Hydrological feature mapping of the Ceres area has been conducted by the
U. S. Geological Survey.
Demographics
2020
The
2020 U.S. Census reported that Ceres had a population of 49,302. The population density was . The ethnic makeup of Ceres was 16,248 (32.99%) White, 1,020 African American (2.07%), 609 (1.3%) Native American, 4.226 (8.58%) Asian, 382 (0.77%) Pacific Islander, 17,536 (35.6%) from other races, and 8,873 (18%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31,624 persons (64.18%).
In Ceres, California, the home ownership rate, as reported in the
2020 Census, stands at 63.3% and there were a total 13,828 housing units in the city.
2010
The
2010 U.S. Census reported that Ceres had a population of 45,417. The population density was . The ethnic makeup of Ceres was 26,217 (57.7%) White, 1,185 (2.6%) African American, 609 (1.3%) Native American, 3,093 (6.8%) Asian, 346 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 11,463 (25.2%) from other races, and 2,504 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 25,436 persons (56.0%).
The census reported that 45,064 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 293 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 60 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
Of the 12,692 households, 6,876 (54.2%) had children under 18 living in them, 7,311 (57.6%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,211 (17.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 1,053 (8.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. The city had 976 (7.7%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 76 (0.6%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships; 1,586 households (12.5%) were one person and 628 (4.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.55. There were 10,575 families (83.3% of households); the average family size was 3.84.
The age distribution was 14,623 people (32.2%) under 18, 5,108 people (11.2%) aged 18 to 24, 12,506 people (27.5%) aged 25 to 44, 9,667 people (21.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,513 people (7.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 29.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The 13,673 housing units averaged of 1,704.9/sq mi, and of the occupied units, 8,010 (63.1%) were owner-occupied and 4,682 (36.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%; 27,776 people (61.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,288 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the
2000 U.S. Census,
34,609 people, 10,435 households, and 8,535 families were in the city. The population density was . The 10,773 housing units at an average density of . The ethnic makeup of the city was 64.5% White, 2.8% African American, 1.4% Native American, 5.0% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 20.4% from other races, and 5.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 37.9% of the population.
Of the 10,435 households, 48.6% had children under 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were not families. About 14.1% of households were one person, and 6.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.31, and the average family size was 3.62.
The age distribution was 34.4% under 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% 65 or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household was $40,736 and for a family was $43,587. Males had a median income of $35,109 versus $24,317 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,420. About 10.1% of families and 12.9% 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 ...
, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
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). ...
, Ceres 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 ...
, Ceres is in as of January 2025.
The City of Ceres has an elected City Council, including the positions of mayor and four council members. As of January 2025, Javier Lopez is the mayor. A part-time City Treasurer is also an elected position. The City Council hires a professional City Manager as the Chief Administrative Officer and appoints a City Attorney.
Economy
The
Bronco Wine Company, makers of
Charles Shaw wine, also known as "Two-Buck Chuck", is headquartered south of Ceres.
Parks and recreation
The City of Ceres maintains 11 parks for public use.
Ceres's largest park is the
Ceres River Bluff Regional Park.
Transportation
Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
train service is expected to be extended to a new
station in Ceres by 2026.
Notable people
*
Cliff Barrows - the ministry partner and announcer at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades
*
Gary Condit - former Democratic U.S. Congressman from 1989 to 2002
*
Gary Duncan - guitarist for
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...
*
Wayne Hardin -
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
r, former football and basketball coach at
Ceres High School
*
Kenny Pierce - former bass guitar player for Buck Owens' Buckaroos from 1960 to 1962
*
Cade Cowell - professional soccer player for
Chivas Guadalajara
*
Sis Bates - softball player for the
Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...
References
External links
*
The Ceres Courier
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Cities in Stanislaus County, California
Geography of the San Joaquin Valley
Incorporated cities and towns in California
1918 establishments in California
Populated places established in 1918