Modesto

Modesto is a city in the Central Valley of California, on the Tuolumne River in Stanislaus County. George Lucas grew up in the city and drew on its car cruising culture for his film American Graffiti.

The Central Pacific Railroad laid out the town in 1870, and the banker William Ralston declined to have it named after him. Modesto, Spanish for modest, became its name after his refusal. Irrigation from the Tuolumne River turned the dry valley into orchards and vineyards, and the Modesto Arch was put up over the main street in 1912 with the slogan Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health. The city grew as a market for the almonds, peaches and dairy products of the valley, and its canneries packed peaches and tomatoes for much of the 20th century.

E. & J. Gallo Winery, founded by the brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, has its head office in Modesto and makes wines under names such as Barefoot and Apothic. Almonds, walnuts and dairy products from the farms of Stanislaus County are processed and shipped from plants around the city.

The Gallo Center for the Arts, opened in the 2000s, holds theaters for concerts and plays downtown. The McHenry Mansion, an Italianate house of the 1880s built for the banker Robert McHenry, is kept as a museum with period rooms. Each June the Graffiti Summer celebration fills the streets with classic cars in memory of the cruising scene of the 1960s. The State Theatre, an old movie palace of the 1930s, shows films and holds concerts.