Modesto

Modesto, city, seat (1871) of Stanislaus county, central California, U.S. It is situated on the Tuolumne River in the northern San Joaquin Valley, 94 miles (151 km) southeast of San Francisco. Founded in 1870 by the Central Pacific Railroad, it was named Modesto (Spanish: “Modesty”) when W.C. Ralston, a railway director, “modestly” declined to have the community named in his honour. It developed as a shipping centre for agricultural produce (especially peaches and figs). Food...