Los Banos, California

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 Los Baños. ==Geography==

Los Banos is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, southwest of Merced. The city is at the intersection of California State Route 152 and California State Route 165. to the west is Interstate 5, which extends north–south between Canada and Mexico. The San Luis Reservoir and the Diablo Range are farther to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which (1.22%) is covered by water. Los Banos 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 and the Grassland Ecological Area, home to rare California grasslands habitat. The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex includes San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, which includes the Kesterson Unit, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek, and Blue Goose Unit. Nearby are the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. Fishers, hunters, birdwatchers, and other recreational users come to Los Banos year round. Climate Los Banos 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. On average, 97.1 days have highs of or higher, and 15.5 days have lows of or lower. }} }} ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Los Banos had a population of 45,532. The population density was . The median age was 31.6 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over. The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized. There were 12,626 households in Los Banos, of which 50.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.9% were married-couple households, 8.0% were cohabiting couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.6. There were 10,326 families (81.8% of all households). The median household income in 2023 was $70,893, and the per capita income was $25,505. About 15.9% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line. 2010 census At the 2010 census, Los Banos had a population of 35,972. The population density was . The racial makeup of Los Banos was 20,846 (58.0%) White, 1,354 (3.8%) African American, 512 (1.4%) Native American, 1,162 (3.2%) Asian, 134 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10,123 (28.1%) from other races, and 1,841 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 23,346 persons (64.9%). The census reported that 35,791 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 103 (0.3%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 78 (0.2%) were institutionalized. Of the 10,259 households, 5,451 (53.1%) had children under 18 living in them, 6,018 (58.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,474 (14.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 838 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present, 791 were (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, 78 (0.8%) were same-sex married couples or partnerships, and 1,551 households (15.1%) were one person and 653 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.49. There were 8,330 families (81.2% of households); the average family size was 3.84. The age distribution was 12,102 people (33.6%) under 18, 3,703 people (10.3%) from 18 to 24, 9,596 people (26.7%) from 25 to 44, 7,494 people (20.8%) from 45 to 64, and 3,077 people (8.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 29.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.0 males. The 11,375 housing units had an average density of 1,124.4 per square mile, of the occupied units 6,197 (60.4%) were owner-occupied and 4,062 (39.6%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%. 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. ==Government==

In the California State Legislature, Los Banos is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Los Banos is in California's 13th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +4 and is represented by . As of 2025, Michael Amabile is the mayor. ==History and culture==

The Los Banos area was initially settled, according to Mexican land-grant records, in the 1840s. The first Anglo-American 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. When the railroad arrived, Los Banos relocated to its present-day site. The first post office opened in 1873. His company, the Miller & Lux Corporation, was headquartered in Los Banos on a site currently housing the Mexican restaurant España's and the Canal Farm Inn. Los Banos has a long history of Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish immigrants, as do many of the nearby towns on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. This is reflected both in local restaurants and in several festivals and parades that take place during the year. There is also a significant community of Basques. Los Banos is locally known for its annual May Day Fair during the first week of May. Los Banos is home to The Randall Fawcett House, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home. A member of the Manson family, Susan Atkins attended Los Banos High School, before joining the family. Since the 1980s, 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, a pattern seen in many other small towns within commuting distance of Silicon Valley. • California Historical Landmark Canal Farm Inn is located at 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos. Canal Farm Inn is a California Historical Landmarks, number 548. The California Historical Landmark reads: :''NO. 548 CANAL FARM INN – This original San Joaquin Valley ranch headquarters of California pioneer and cattle baron Henry Miller (1827–1916) was established in 1873. His farsighted planning and development in the 1870s of a vast gravity irrigation system, and the founding of Los Banos in 1889, provided the basis for this area's present stability and wealth.'' ==Notable people==

• Mack Wheat, (1893–1979), was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1915 to 1921 for Brooklyn and the Philadelphia Phillies. • Logan Whitehurst (1977-2006), musician and founding member of The Velvet Teen ==Education==

K–12 education is provided by the Los Banos Unified School District. In addition, the Los Banos Campus of Merced College has served community college students since 2007. ==Economy==

Top employers According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: ==References==