Turlock, California
Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its population was 72,740 at the 2020 United States census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. The city is home to California State University, Stanislaus.
History
Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer John William Mitchell, the town consisted of a post office, a depot, a grain warehouse and a few other buildings. Mitchell declined the honor of having the town named for himself. The name "Turlock" was then chosen instead. The name is believed to originate from the Irish village of Turlough. In October 1870, Harper's Weekly published an excerpt from English novelist James Payn's story Bred in the Bone, which includes the mention of a town named "Turlock". Local historians believe that the issue of Harper's Weekly was read by early resident H.W. Lander, who suggested the alternate name.Mitchell and his brother were successful businessmen, buying land and developing large herds of cattle and sheep that were sold to gold miners and others as they arrived. They were also leaders in wheat farming and cultivated tracts of land under the tenant system. Eventually, the Mitchells owned most of the area, over 100,000 acres, from Keyes to Atwater. In the early 20th century, 20-acre lots from the Mitchell estate were sold for $20 an acre.
While it grew to be a relatively prosperous and busy hub of activity throughout the end of the 19th century, it was not incorporated as a city until February 15, 1908. By that time intensive agricultural development surrounded most of the city. Many of the initial migrants to the region were Swedish. As an early San Francisco Chronicle article stated of the region and the community's lacteal productivity, "you have to hand it to the Scandinavians for knowing how to run a dairy farm."
Turlock went on to become known as the "Heart of the Valley" because of its agricultural production. With the boom came racial and labor strife. In July 1921, a mob of 150 white men evicted 60 Japanese cantaloupe pickers from rooming houses and ranches near Turlock, taking them and their belongings on trucks out of town. The white workers claimed they were being undercut by the Japanese who were working for lower wages. In protest, fruit growers briefly threatened not to hire any white workers who supported the eviction, preferring to let their melons rot on the vines, rather than hire such characters. As a result of this stance, the eviction had the opposite effect of what the mob had intended. By August 1921, Japanese workers had returned to the Turlock area and were nearly the only people employed to pick melons.
The incident gained national attention, and California Governor William Stephens vowed that justice would be served. Six men were promptly arrested but were apparently untroubled by the charges, stating that leaders of Turlock's American Legion and Chamber of Commerce had told them that no trouble would result from their actions. Although a former Turlock night watchman testified that one of the accused had disclosed a plan "to clean up Turlock of the Japs," all six men were acquitted.
An editorial in the July 22, 1921 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle opposed both the evictions and Japanese labor, with one column stating that "we in California are determined that Oriental workers shall be kept out of the state. But that does not mean that the decent citizens of California will tolerate for one moment such proceedings as the attack of a mob on the Japanese cantaloupe workers in the Turlock district."
In 1930, Turlock's population was 20% Assyrian. They were such a significant part of the population that the southern part of town even became referred to as Little Urmia, referring to the region of northwestern Iran from which most had come. In the 1930s, Turlock was cited by Ripley's Believe It or Not as having the most churches per capita in the US, which had partly to do with the variety of ethnic churches established for the relatively small settler population. Various religious centers reflecting a diverse population, such as Sikh Gurdwaras, various Assyrian Christian churches, and many mainline Protestant, Mormon and Roman Catholic churches have been built.
During World War II, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government placed Japanese Americans into concentration camps all over the country. The Stanislaus County Fairgrounds was the site of one of 15 temporary "assembly centers" and held 3,669 Japanese Americans, most of whom were US citizens. The US Army also built the Ballico Auxiliary Field for training pilots in Turlock.
In 1960, California State University, Stanislaus, opened to students, helping to spur growth in the city as the university expanded in its early years. In the 1970s, State Route 99 was completed through the area, largely bypassing the then-incorporated areas of Turlock in a route to the west of the city through mostly undeveloped land. Since that time, the city has grown westward considerably to meet the freeway's north–south path, but urban development west of the freeway has only recently begun to take hold. In an attempt to allow for orderly growth of the city, comprehensive growth master plans have established urban growth boundaries since the 1960s.
In the 1980s, Turlock experienced extensive growth of both residential and commercial areas, following a statewide boom in housing demand and construction. The housing boom of the 1980s diminished in the early 1990s but increased again in the second half of the decade, partly as a result of growth in the San Francisco Bay Area, which placed a higher demand for more affordable housing in outlying areas. After the dot-com bust, housing demand intensified, producing much higher housing prices in an area formerly known for affordable housing. A recent boom in the retail sector has produced considerable growth along the Highway 99 corridor. Turlock reached its northern urban growth boundary, Taylor Road, in the late 1990s, and growth beyond it is restricted by the city's Master Plan.
The Stanislaus County Fairgrounds are located in Turlock. Before the land was known as Stanislaus County Fairgrounds it was first known as Melon Carnival because of its crop of cantaloupes, the main source of Turlock's economy. In 1911, the first Melon Carnival was held in downtown Turlock. Eventually, the Melon Carnival became the Stanislaus County Fair and was held at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. Promoting agriculture, entertainment and technology with the help of the community, is the main mission of the Stanislaus County fairgrounds.
Geography
Turlock is located in Stanislaus County, between the cities of Modesto and Merced, at the intersection of State Route 99 and State Route 165.According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land.
Climate
Turlock has hot, mostly dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average January temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of. Average July temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of. There are an average of 78.0 days with highs of or higher and an average of 19.8 days with lows of or lower. The record high temperature was on July 9, 1896. The record low temperature was on January 21, 1922, and December 19, 1924.The average annual precipitation is. There are an average of 48 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983 with and the driest year was 1953 with. The most precipitation in one month was in February 1998. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on December 11, 1906. Although snow is very rare in Turlock, fell in January 1922 and fell in February 1976.
Demographics
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Turlock had a population of 72,740. The population density was. The racial makeup of Turlock was 52.8% White, 2.1% African American, 2.0% Native American, 7.5% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 20.9% from other races, and 14.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.2% of the population.The census reported that 97.3% of the population lived in households, 1.9% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.9% were institutionalized.
There were 24,163 households, out of which 37.8% included children under the age of 18, 49.8% were married-couple households, 7.0% were cohabiting couple households, 27.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.1% of households were one person, and 10.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 17,490 families.
The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% aged 18 to 24, 26.8% aged 25 to 44, 22.6% aged 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 35.1years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males.
There were 25,105 housing units at an average density of, of which 24,163 were occupied. Of these, 54.6% were owner-occupied, and 45.4% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $79,807, and the per capita income was $36,306. About 8.2% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Turlock had a population of 69,733. The population density was. The racial makeup of Turlock was 47,864 White, 1,160 African American, 601 Native American, 3,865 Asian, 313 Pacific Islander, 11,328 from other races, and 3,418 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24,957 persons. The Census reported that 67,342 people lived in households, 687 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 520 were institutionalized.There were 22,772 households, out of which 9,339 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 12,055 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,161 had a female householder with no husband present, 1,453 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,387 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 153 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,755 households were made up of individuals, and 2,058 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 16,669 families ; the average family size was 3.45. The population was spread out, with 18,820 people under the age of 18, 8,087 people aged 18 to 24, 18,313 people aged 25 to 44, 15,317 people aged 45 to 64, and 8,012 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
There were 24,627 housing units at an average density of, of which 12,622 were owner-occupied, and 10,150 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%. 37,867 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 29,475 people lived in rental housing units.