Los Banos

Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Its population was 45,532 at the 2020 census, up from 35,972 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Merced, at about 118 ft (36 m) elevation. The town's Spanish name Los Baños means "the baths"; it is named after a spring that feeds natural wetlands in the western San Joaquín Valley. Los Banos sits on the southwestern edge of extensive national and state game refuges; these wetlands support waterfowl and other wildlife habitat. Fishers, hunters, birdwatchers, and other recreational users come to the city year round. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 2.40 inches (6.1 cm) on January 18, 1914. The wettest year recorded was 1998 with 21.08 inches (53.5 cm) and the driest year was 1947 with 4.61 inches (11.7 cm) The city has a semiarid climate (Köppen climate classification: Bsk) with cool winters and hot summers. Most of the precipitation falls in the winter. Gusty winds are common in the late afternoon, especially in the vicinity of nearby Pacheco Pass. The average annual rainfall is 9.95 inches (25.3 cm), with an average of 46 days with measurable precipitation.

Etymology

The town's Spanish name Los Baños means "the baths"; it is named after a spring that feeds natural wetlands in the western San Joaquín Valley. Its official spelling, reflected in the name of its post office, omits the tilde of the ñ, though some signs in town show its name as LosBaños. The town is located in the province of San Luis Potosí, in the north-east of the country. It has a population of 2,000, according to the 2011 census. It is located near the border with the state of Hidalgo, and is on the outskirts of the city of Cuernavaca. The city's name is Spanish for "bath" or "swimming pool" and means "to bathe in the water" in Spanish. It also means "town of the baths" in English, which is used as a name for the town's spring. The name of the post office in the town is also Spanish, but with a different spelling: "Los Baño" (Spanish for "baths"). The town's name means "a place where the water comes out of a spring" in the Spanish language. It was named after the spring, which feeds wetlands near the town. The post office has a post office address in the city, but some signs show it as "Los baños" (English: "The baths"). It also has a town hall, which has a number of other buildings, including a school and a hospital.

Geography

Los Banos has a semiarid climate (Köppen climate classification: Bsk) with cool winters and hot summers. The average annual rainfall is 9.95 inches (25.3 cm), with an average of 46 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year recorded was 1998 with 21.08 inches (53.5 cm) and the driest year was 1947 with 4.61 inches (11.7 cm) The most rainfall in one month was 8.08inches (20.5cm) in March 1998. The record low temperature of 14 °F (10 °C) was on January 11, 1949, and again on December 22, 1990. Fishers, hunters, birdwatchers, and other recreational users come to Los Banos year round. The city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km²), of which 0.1square miles (0.26km²) (1.22%) is covered by water. It sits on the southwestern edge of extensive national and state game refuges; these wetlands support waterfowl and other wildlife habitat along a stretch of the San Joaquin River that still carries water. The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex includes the Kesterson Unit, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek and Blue Goose Unit. The Grassland Ecological Area, home to rare California grasslands habitat, is also near the city. Its coordinates are 37°0330N 120°5100W.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Los Banos had a population of 35,972. The racial makeup of the city was 58.61% White, 4.25% African American, 1.35% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 26.90% from other races, and 6.21% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 50.44%. At the 2000 census there were 25,869 people in 7,721 households, including 6,223 families, in the city. The average household size was 3.49. The median age was 29.8 years. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.0 males. The city has a population density of 3,555.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,372.8/km²). There were 8,049 housing units at an average density of 1,001.5 per squaremile (386.7/km 2). 20,687 people (57.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,104 people (42.0%) lived in rental housing units. About 9.8% of families were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under 18 and 9.1% of people aged 65 or older. In the city, the average household income was $43,690 and the median family income of $38,294.

Government

Los Banos is in California's 12th Senate District and 21st Assembly District. It is in the U.S. House of Representatives' 16th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +7 and is represented by Democrat Jim Costa. As of 2014, Tom Faria is the mayor of Los Banos. The city has a population of 4,000. The town is located in the Central Coast region of California, near the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. It has an elevation of 2,000 feet (600 meters) and a Cook pVI of C +7. It was founded in the early 1900s, and is located on the California River, which flows through the town. The community is in an area known as the "Central Coast Ranges" and was once known as "The Rancheria" or "The Ranch" due to its location in the central part of the state. The current mayor is Tom Farie, who was elected in 2010. He was re-elected in 2012 and is currently in his third term. In 2014, the city was in the middle of a major construction project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The project is also expected to create a new community center, which would be the first in the area. It will be named after a former mayor, who died in 2010, and a former state senator, who also died in 2011. The new city hall will be called the "City Hall of the North" and will be located in a new district.

History and culture

The first white settler in the area was Uriah Wood, who built his two-room cabin in 1859. The original site of Los Banos was located several miles from the current town center, about a mile and half west of the railroad near present-day Volta. The town was essentially a trading post and received its name when the post office was established and the Post Office Department designated the office "Los Banos" after the nearby creek. Henry Miller Plaza, honoring early California rancher Henry Miller, is located in the heart of the city. The Randall Fawcett House, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home, is on the city's Main Street. The city's population has changed with a continuing influx of people who work in the San Jose/Silicon Valley area but seek more affordable housing and slower pace of semi-rural life. There is also a significant community of Basques and the town is locally known for its annual May Day Fair during the first week of May. The first post office opened in 1873. Canal Farm Inn is a California Historical Landmarks, number 548, and is located at 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Bano. The Miller and Lux Corporation ultimately transformed the San Joaquin Valley into what can be considered as a precursor to corporate farming and turning independent farmers into wageworkers. It is located on a site currently housing the Mexican restaurant España's and the canal Farm Inn. The canal farm Inn is one of the few remaining examples of an early irrigation system in the state.

Education

K12 education is provided by the Los Banos Unified School District. Merced College has served community college students since 2007. In addition, the LosBanos Campus of Merced University has served high school students since 2003. The school district also provides a number of other services.

Economy

According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The city's top employers are: the hospital system, the hospital district, and the city government. The city is home to more than 1,000 businesses, according to the report. The top employer is the hospital department, followed by the city council, the police department, the fire department and the human services department. The economy is the second-largest employer in the town, after the state's economy. The unemployment rate is at 4.7 per cent, the highest in the state. The number of jobs created is up from 3.9 per cent in 2013 to 4.1 per cent this year, the report says. The U.S. economy is one of the fastest-growing in the country, with an unemployment rate of 3.8 per cent. It is the third-highest in the nation, behind the United States and the United Kingdom. The United States is No. 1 in the world in terms of jobs, with more than 2.1 million jobs created in the past 12 months. The country's economy is growing at the fastest rate in more than three years, the city says. It has the highest unemployment rate in the U.N. and the lowest unemployment rate among the world's major economies. It's also the fastest growing in the Southwestern United States, with a rate of 2.4 per cent and the highest rate of growth in the Midwest.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Los Banos, Merced County, California = 5.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 81. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Los Banos = 5.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 45,532 individuals with a median age of 30.3 age the population grows by 41.11% in Los Banos, Merced County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,500 residents per square mile of area (1,700/km²). There are average 3.44 people per household in the 10,510 households with an average household income of $60,072 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 17.20% of the available work force and has dropped -3.09% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.62%. The number of physicians in Los Banos per 100,000 population = 83.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Los Banos = 9.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 47. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 260. 96 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 36.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 54, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Los Banos, Merced County, California which are owned by the occupant = 65.56%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 15 years with median home cost = $116,420 and home appreciation of -28.46%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.24 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,268 per student. There are 21.5 students for each teacher in the school. 90215.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 7.40% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.56% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).