Downtown Modesto is the principal administrative area and historic
townsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan ( ...
of
Modesto, California
Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...
. Measuring a square mile, it is bordered by Needham and Downey Streets to the north, Washington Street to the west, Sierra Drive and Morton Boulevard to the south, and Morton Boulevard and Burney Street to the east. The area has an approximate population of 3,138,
and is bisected by California State Routes
99,
108, and
132.
Early history
In 1870, when the location for Modesto was chosen, it was a square-mile townsite with streets parallel to the Southern Pacific railroad. The townsite's outer streets were aligned from north, east, west, and south, and its interior streets and alleyways were aligned with the railroad, which ran diagonally. They ran from northwest and southeast, and northeast and southwest.
One of the first grand homes to be built on the site was the
McHenry Mansion, built in 1883 for Robert McHenry and his wife Matilda Hewitt McHenry. It was styled in the Victorian-Italianate manner and was designed and built by
Stockton architect-contractor Jeremiah Robinson.
By the dawn of the 1900s, early Modesto's streets were paved with asphalt.
In 2016, a new non-profit, property-based assessment district was formed by a vote of a weighted majority of property owners to provide long-term funding for revitalization efforts that would benefit the downtown community, its businesses, properties, and future development of downtown Modesto.
Downtown Modesto is home to two performing arts theaters, two movie theaters, a children's museum, and historic museums.
Residential Area
The
residential area
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
is south of 5th Street and east of G Street. Many
Victorian,
Italianate
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
,
Craftsman, and
Mission style
home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
s are proudly mixed with elegant commerces in this lively
modern downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
.
References
{{coord, 37.64117, -120.99603, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title
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 ...
Neighborhoods in Modesto, California