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Mendota

Californiacity

Photograph of Mendota
Featured view

Mendota

Total population

12,577

Median home value

$281,000

5.3%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$50,342

Mendota$50k
National$74k

Founded

1942

Elevation53 m
Land area8.5 km²
Weather96°F · Sunny
Coordinates36.76°, -120.38°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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Active weather alerts
  • Heat Advisory · Moderate
    Heat Advisory issued October 1 at 9:30AM PDT until October 4 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Source: NOAA National Weather Service.

City facts

Founded
1942
Elevation
53 m
Area
8.5 km²
Official website
ci.mendota.ca.us

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Mendota is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 12,595 at the 2020 U.S. Census. State Routes 180 and 33 run through the agricultural city. Mendota is located 8.5 miles (14 km) south-southeast of Firebaugh.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

Beginning in 1891, Mendota thrived as a Southern Pacific Railroad storage and switching facility site. Southern Pacific management borrowed the name from Mendota, Illinois. The unemployment was quoted at 45% in May 2011. In 2019, USA Today named Mendota the "worst city in America" due to poverty, violent crime rate and high unemployment. However, some residents took issue with the ranking. In response, Mayor Robert Silva noted "the unemployment of 15 percent is distorted because of the seasonal nature of agricultural work".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% land. At the 2000 census, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total land area of . It is located next to the San Joaquin River, near where the Delta-Mendota Canal intercepts it to bring extra water to the dry riverbed. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mendota has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
26.6
Median home value
$281,000
Housing units
3,300
Poverty rate
27.5%
Unemployment
11.5%

Race & ethnicity

White
13%
Black
0.3%
Asian
0.3%
Hispanic
97%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
36.7576
Longitude
-120.3805
Water area
0.00 mi²
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Current forecast

This Afternoon
96°F
Sunny
Tonight
61°F
Mostly Clear
Friday
95°F
Mostly Sunny
Friday Night
62°F
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
99°F
Sunny
Saturday Night
64°F
Mostly Clear

Forecast for Mendota, CA from NOAA NWS API.

Air quality

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

High blood pressure
36.2%
Diabetes
19.4%
Adult obesity
46.8%
Binge drinking
12.9%
Adult smoking
19.2%
No leisure activity
48.6%

Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Schools

Total
13
Elementary
5
Middle
2
High
5
Other
1

Largest nearby schools

  • Mendota High
    High · Mendota · 1,056 students · 22:1 ratio
  • McCabe Elementary
    Elementary · Mendota · 977 students · 26.4:1 ratio
  • Mendota Elementary
    Elementary · Mendota · 856 students · 25.2:1 ratio
  • Firebaugh High
    High · Firebaugh · 641 students · 18.3:1 ratio
  • Mendota Junior High
    Middle · Mendota · 576 students · 21.3:1 ratio
  • Hazel M. Bailey Primary
    Elementary · Firebaugh · 527 students · 20.3:1 ratio
  • Firebaugh Middle
    Middle · Firebaugh · 526 students · 20.2:1 ratio
  • Arthur E. Mills Intermediate
    Elementary · Firebaugh · 477 students · 21.7:1 ratio

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

Nearby places in California

Browse all places in California →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
5.52
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
2,015

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
754
Avg daily Wikipedia views
25
Attention level
Obscure

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about Mendota

Mendota general plan, 1974
Consultive Planners · 1974
Sudoku Genius Mind Exercises Volume 1
Mendota Calif State of Mind Collection · 2019
Soil survey of the Mendota area, California
Frank Frederick Harradine · 1956
Mendota-Gustine study Fresno and Merced Counties, California
Mendota-Gustine study Fresno and Merced Counties, California
United States. Soil Conservation Service · 1972
Biogeochemistry of Delta-Mendota Canal, Central Valley Project, California
Frederick Morrill Swain · 1969
Geology of part of the Delta-Mendota Canal
Parry Reiche · 1950
Ground-water conditions in the Mendota-Huron area, Fresno and Kings counties, California
Davis, G. H. · 1957
Check list of the birds of the Mendota Wildlife Area
Daniel Patrick Connelly · 1976

Search results from Open Library.

Recent natural events nearby

Wildfires, storms and other events from NASA EONET (last 12 months, within 250 mi).

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Variegated Meadowhawk
Variegated Meadowhawk
Sympetrum corruptum
Seen 2026-09-22
Pacific Forktail
Pacific Forktail
Ischnura cervula
Seen 2026-09-22
Saltgrass
Saltgrass
Distichlis spicata
Seen 2026-08-30
common water hyacinth
common water hyacinth
Pontederia crassipes
Seen 2026-08-30
turkey tangle frogfruit
turkey tangle frogfruit
Phyla nodiflora
Seen 2026-07-18
narrowleaf milkweed
narrowleaf milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis
Seen 2026-07-10
Heermann's Kangaroo Rat
Heermann's Kangaroo Rat
Dipodomys heermanni
Seen 2026-07-09
Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
Seen 2026-06-19
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Seen 2026-06-12

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Nearest stream gauge

Site
SAN JOAQUIN R NR MENDOTA CA
Distance
3.7 mi
Streamflow
153 cfs
Gage height
2.7 ft
Water temp
13 °C

Live readings from USGS NWIS · measured 2021-12-09 00:00 UTC.

Events

Gallery

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • NOAA National Weather Service
  • • Wikidata
  • • USGS NWIS (water data)
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • iNaturalist
  • • CDC PLACES
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Open Library
  • • NASA EONET