Category:North America/United States of America/California/Modesto/

Coordinates: 37°39′41″N 120°59′40″W 37.66139, -120.99444

Modesto

Modesto is the county seat of Stanislaus County, California. As of January 1, 2009 the estimated population is 216,936 . Its population has boomed for the last decade, becoming the sixteenth largest city in the state and the sixth largest inland city in the state behind Stockton, Bakersfield, Riverside, Sacramento, and Fresno. The proximity to major business centers has turned the agriculturally based city into a bedroom community. Over twenty percent of the workforce travels outside of the county to their place of employment. The area is plagued by some of the worst air quality in the nation, on occasion surpassing even that of Los Angeles. Modesto had the highest auto theft per capita rate in the United States in 2005 and 2006 but dropped to fifth place in 2007.. It regained the top spot in auto theft in 2008, followed closely by Laredo, Texas. In 2007, Modesto was named last in a list of best American cities in Cities Ranked amp Rated, 2nd Edition and one of the top three most dangerous metropolitan areas in California by Morgan Quitno (it ranked second in 2006). In 2009, Forbes Magazine ranked Modesto the worst metro area with over 500,000 residents just months after placing it 5th on the list of most miserable American cities.^[1]

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