Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Take a look below for 15 interesting and fun facts about Atwater, California, United States.

1. Atwater is 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of 151 feet (46 m).

2. The population as of the 2010 census was 28,168.

3. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (16 km2). 99.86% of it is land and 0.14% water.

4. The city includes Castle Air Museum, but does not include Castle Air Force Base proper.

5. The railroad reached Atwater in the 1870s, and a town grew around it.

6. The first post office opened in 1880.

7. Atwater incorporated in 1922.

8. The name honors Marshall D. Atwater, a wheat farmer whose land was used by the railroad for its station.

9. North of the town is Castle Air Force Base, the former World War II Merced Army Airfield.

10. On May 15, 2020, Atwater declared itself a business “sanctuary city” during the coronavirus pandemic.

11. At the 2010 census Atwater had a population of 28,168. The population density was 4,620.8 people per square mile (1,784.1/km2).

12. The racial makeup of Atwater was 18,410 (65.4%) White, 14,808 (52.6%) Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1,225 (4.3%) African American, 364 (1.3%) Native American, 1,416 (5.0%) Asian, 76 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,300 (18.8%) from other races, and 1,377 (4.9%) from two or more races.

13. The census reported that 28,066 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 31 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 71 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

14. There were 8,838 households, 4,255 (48.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,593 (52.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,558 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 672 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present.

15. There were 615 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 60 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,615 households (18.3%) were one person and 738 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.18. There were 6,823 families (77.2% of households); the average family size was 3.61.