Cars for Sale in Modesto, California

Named after its humble founder, Modesto is a small city in central California. Though it was originally intended to be named for its financier, William Ralston, but when he asked that a different name be chosen, the city honored his modesty with the name Modesto. Since Modesto is where George Lucas grew up, it was featured prominently in the film American Graffiti. It also is one of the proud birthplaces of Rock and Roll, led by Fred Maddox's "slapbeat technique." In 2009, Modesto was ranked in the top-50 cities for "Best Bang-for-the-Buck" cities according to a Forbes report. It also ended up ranking 8th in housing affordability and travel time. Modesto's climate tends to run very hot. Temperatures in the summer can reach average highs of 90 degrees or more (record high for the summer is 113 degrees), while winter lows rarely drop below 40 degrees. The city also has a very dry climate, as it receives only 13 inches of average annual precipitation.

Aside from a brief population decrease between 1890 and 1900, Modesto's population has consistently increased since its founding in 1870. It has a wealth of fertile farmland around the city and is also home to the largest winery in the world, E & J Gallo Winery. In fact, E & J Gallo Winery is the largest employer in the city with 3,181 employees, just beating out Memorial Medical Center with 3,023 employees.

Modesto features a number of tourist attractions. These include the McHenry Mansion and McHenry Museum, the George Lucas Plaza, and the almost century-old State Theatre. Downtown Modesto has gone through serious renovations since 2000, so it has a much more modern feel now.