Livingston, California

Livingston is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Livingston is located 7 miles (11 km) west-northwest of Atwater,^[5] at an elevation of 131 feet (40 m).^[3] According to the 2020 census, the city population was 14,172,^[4] up from 13,058 in 2010. Livingston's total area is 3.678 square miles (9.53 km²),^[2] including undeveloped farmland annexed in anticipation of future growth.

City of Livingston
City
Downtown Livingston in 2009
Motto:  The Last Stop
Location in Merced County, California
Livingston Show map of California Livingston Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°23′13″N 120°43′25″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Merced
Incorporated	September 11, 1922[1]
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Mayor	Jose Moran
Area [2]
• Total	3.678 sq mi (9.53 km2)
• Land	3.675 sq mi (9.52 km2)
• Water	0.003 sq mi (0.008 km2)  0.08%
Elevation [3]	131 ft (40 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• Total	14,172
• Density	3,856.3/sq mi (1,488.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95334
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-42006
GNIS feature ID	1656135
Website	www.livingstoncity.com

Location

Livingston is located in northern Merced County at 37°23′13″N 120°43′25″W.^[3] It lies slightly uphill from where the Southern Pacific Railroad crosses the Merced River. Highway 99 follows the Southern Pacific through the town.

History

The Livingston post office opened in 1873, closed in 1882, and re-opened in 1883.^[5] The town was named for Dr. David Livingstone, a Scottish explorer of Africa who was an international celebrity in the late 1800s. An error on the town's post office application resulted in the difference in spelling between his name and the town's.^[5][6]

Agriculture

Livingston lies in the fertile San Joaquin Valley. Like the rest of the valley, it has long, dry summers and depends on irrigation water. The winters are mild, alternating between fog, rain, and sun, with occasional frost. The growing season is long, and there is a low risk of mold, drought, or bad weather interfering with crops. Due to deposits from the Merced River, Livingston's soil is unusually sandy, distinguishing it from the clay-based soils predominant in most of the valley. Sweet potatoes and grapes are one of the most fertile crop in Livingston, and almonds are a fertile crop in the spring.

Livingston and Merced County are a center of the agriculture industry. Livingston's largest businesses are agriculture-related. Among these are the largest poultry producer in the western United States, Foster Farms, and a dairy, Joseph Gallo Farms, which owns the largest dairy herd in the United States.^[7] Ninety percent of the sweet potatoes grown west of the Rockies are grown and packed in and around Livingston.^[7] The sweet potatoes benefit from the sandy soil. Grapes are also widely farmed near Livingston for wine, raisins, and table grapes. E & J Gallo Winery operates a major grape-pressing facility just outside the city.^[7] Almond orchards are a common sight, and the Central Valley is a key part of California's production of this crop (California produces 100% of the US domestic supply of almonds, and 80% of the world's supply^[8]). Other crops are farmed in smaller quantities, including alfalfa, corn, soybeans, peaches, melons, berries,^[7] and turf.^[9]

The League of Independent Workers of the San Joaquin Valley and United Farm Workers are active in the area.

Schools

Livingston Union School District serves 2,400 children in and around Livingston.^[10] The district operates three elementary schools, Campus Park Elementary School, Selma Herndon Elementary School, and Yamato Colony Elementary School. Most elementary-age children are within walking distance of each school. All three elementary schools offer some form of two-way immersion instruction designed to build proficiency in both English and Spanish. Livingston Middle School serves grades 6–8.

Livingston High School is part of Merced Union High School District and serves all of Livingston as well as students from the nearby towns of Ballico and Cressey. In years past, most students from Delhi attended Livingston High School until Delhi opened its own high school, Delhi High School, in 1998. Livingston High School's foreign language department offers classes in Spanish and Punjabi.

Longview Mennonite School serves many Mennonite students in the area.

In the 1990s, Livingston schools were at the center of a controversy involving Sikh students' right to wear ceremonial daggers known as kirpans under clothing while at school. In 1995, a Federal appellate court affirmed the right to wear the kirpan if certain safety precautions are followed.^[11]

Newspapers

The Livingston Chronicle is a weekly newspaper delivered on Saturdays. The Chronicle publishes local happenings, especially Livingston High School academic and athletic events. The Merced Sun-Star and Modesto Bee are also widely read and cover Livingston news and events. All three newspapers are owned by the McClatchy Company. The San Francisco Chronicle is also available throughout the city.

Churches

Places of worship in Livingston and the immediately surrounding area include St. Jude's Thaddeus a Catholic church, an Apostolic Assembly, an Assemblies of God church, a Southern Baptist church, a Church of Christ, Lutheran and United Methodist churches, a Mennonite church, a United Pentecostal Church, and two Sikh Gurdwaras.^[12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	803		—
1940	895		11.5%
1950	1,502		67.8%
1960	2,188		45.7%
1970	2,588		18.3%
1980	5,326		105.8%
1990	7,317		37.4%
2000	10,473		43.1%
2010	13,058		24.7%
2020	14,172		8.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

Heritage

The residents of Livingston are descended from people of many nations, including:

• Mexicans from Michoacán, the Yucatán, Chihuahua, Veracruz, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Oaxaca and other estados
• Central Americans from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and other countries
• People from Oklahoma and other parts of the United States of America. About 100 members of the Cherokee Nation live in the town.
• Portuguese from the Azores, Angola, and Brazil. About 10 percent of the locals speak Portuguese.
• Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims from India and Pakistan. Livingston has one of the largest communities of Sikhs in the United States.
• Japanese, mostly from Wakayama. The Livingston Farmers' Association was founded by Japanese Americans.^[14]
• Mennonites from Germany and Russia
• Armenians from the Middle East
• Hmong from Laos and Vietnam
• Cambodians from Cambodia
• Vietnamese from South Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War
• Filipinos
• Chinese

An estimated 30 European, 25 Asian, 15 Latin American and 5 Sub-Saharan African nationalities are counted among Livingston's ethnic makeup.^{[citation needed]} There are very few African-Americans in Livingston.

The immigration continues. Most of the recent immigrants are from Mexico, Central America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Punjab.

Census figures

Livingston, California – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000[15]	Pop 2010[16]	Pop 2020[17]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,065	1,039	930	10.17%	7.96%	6.56%
Black or African American alone (NH)	62	60	95	0.59%	0.46%	0.67%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	34	37	52	0.32%	0.28%	0.37%
Asian alone (NH)	1,487	2,193	2,978	14.2%	16.79%	21.01%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	16	19	0.03%	0.12%	0.13%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	51	28	34	0.49%	0.21%	0.24%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	250	138	128	2.39%	1.06%	0.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,521	9,547	9,936	71.81%	73.11%	70.11%
Total	10,473	13,058	14,172	100%	100%	100%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Livingston had a population of 14,172. The population density was 3,856.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,488.9/km²). The racial makeup of Livingston was 15.7% White, 0.9% African American, 3.9% Native American, 21.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 41.2% from other races, and 16.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 70.1% of the population.^[18]

The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.^[18]

There were 3,644 households, out of which 55.1% included children under the age of 18, 60.0% were married-couple households, 6.3% were cohabiting couple households, 22.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 11.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 9.6% of households were one person, and 4.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.89.^[18] There were 3,159 families (86.7% of all households).^[19]

The age distribution was 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% aged 18 to 24, 27.9% aged 25 to 44, 22.4% aged 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males.^[18]

There were 3,706 housing units at an average density of 1,008.4 units per square mile (389.3 units/km²), of which 3,644 (98.3%) were occupied. Of these, 61.6% were owner-occupied, and 38.4% were occupied by renters.^[18]

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $76,158, and the per capita income was $22,911. About 14.3% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line.^[20]

2010

At the 2010 census Livingston had a population of 13,058. The population density was 3,514.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,357.0/km²). The racial makeup of Livingston was 5,263 (40.3%) White, 106 (0.8%) African American, 348 (2.7%) Native American, 2,223 (17.0%) Asian, 18 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,547 (34.8%) from other races, and 553 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9,547 persons (73.1%).^[21]

The census reported that 13,054 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 3,156 households, 1,907 (100%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,014 (63.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 501 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 288 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 199 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 19 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 277 households (8.8%) were one person and 112 (3.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.14. There were 2,803 families (88.8% of households); the average family size was 4.32.

The age distribution was 4,254 people (32.6%) under the age of 18, 1,783 people (13.7%) aged 18 to 24, 3,605 people (27.6%) aged 25 to 44, 2,499 people (19.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 917 people (7.0%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 27.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

There were 3,320 housing units at an average density of 893.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,923 (60.9%) were owner-occupied and 1,233 (39.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 7,849 people (60.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,205 people (39.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

Livingston uses a council–manager form of government with a five-member city council, including the mayor of the city. As of March 2024, the current mayor of Livingston is Jose A. Moran.^[22][23]

In the California State Legislature, Livingston is in the 14th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero, and in the 27th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Esmeralda Soria.^[24]

In the United States House of Representatives, Livingston is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Gray.^[25]

Sister city

• - Oga, Akita Prefecture, Japan^{[citation needed]}
• Churintzio, Michoacan, Mexico

See also

• List of cities in California
• Merced River
• Merced County, California