Atwater, California
Motto: Community Pride, City Wide
Location in California
Coordinates: 37°21′15″N 120°36′11″W / 37.35417, -120.60306
Country	United States
State	California
County	Merced
Founded	September 1, 1942
Government
- Mayor	Joan Faul
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2006)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	95301, 95342
Area code(s)	209
FIPS code	06-03162
GNIS feature ID	0277600
Website: www.atwater.org

Atwater is a city in Merced County, California, United States. The population as of August 19, 2006 is 27,972[1].

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.0 km² (5.4 mi²). 14.0 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.18% water.

The city includes Castle Air Museum and Bloss Hospital, but does not include Castle Air Force Base proper.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 23,113 people, 7,247 households, and 5,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,652.6/km² (4,277.4/mi²). There were 8,114 housing units at an average density of 580.2/km² (1,501.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.34% White, 4.99% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 5.43% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 24.48% from other races, and 6.14% from two or more races. 41.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,247 households out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in Atwater is $37,344, and the median income for a family was $39,789. Males had a median income of $32,983 versus $22,450 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,162. About 15.3% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

• Statistics accessed on August 19, 2006 at greatschools.net [2]

Newspapers

Atwater currently does not have a daily newspaper, although most of its residents use the daily paper, the Merced Sun-Star, which is published in nearby Merced. Atwater has two weekly newspapers called The Atwater Signal and The Atwater Times. The Atwater Signal was first published in 1911.

Religion

Notable residents

• Carrie Henn played Rebecca "Newt" Jorden in the 1986 film Aliens
• Bernard Berrian NFL receiver for Chicago Bears
• Thomas W. Hayes former California State Treasurer
• Jamill Kelley 2004 Olympics silver medal in wrestling
• Dennis Cardoza Democrat Congressman

References

• Compass Maps: Merced, Atwater, Merced County
• City of Atwater -- Approved Annexations

External links

• City website
• An independent internet site about Atwater, California by Hans Marsen
• Castle Air Museum
• Buhach Colony High School website
• Atwater High School website

Coordinates: 37.354245° N 120.603019° W

Municipalities and communities of Merced County, California
County seat: Merced
Cities	Atwater | Dos Palos | Gustine | Livingston | Los Banos | Merced
CDPs	Delhi | Hilmar | Le Grand | Planada | South Dos Palos | Winton
Unincorporated communities	Ballico | Cressey | El Nido | Santa Nella | Snelling

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