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David Baldwin Chedester, a wagon master of a wagon train from Iowa, is acknowledged as the first settler of Livingston in 1862. He supplied food and produce to the railroad gangs building the railroad. On November 4, 1871, the day which preceded the crossing of the Merced river by the Central (now Southern) Pacific Railway, Edward Olds, an ex-member of the railway gang, set up a saloon and clothing "store" on the banks of the Merced river. The only other existing building was a grain warehouse built in 1868 by William Little who owned 2,500 acres of land for grain and grazing. Development into a town site was stimulated by railway gang workers, gold seekers, and farmers. Before there was a town, there was only the railway station of Cressey named after the pioneer family who owned 7,500 acres. Originally the town was to be named after the famed African explorer Dr. Livingstone whose disappearance at the time was created world-wide publicity. Mr. Little laid out the town by platting a visionary 80 blocks, 40 blocks on each side of the railroad track. He hoped the large number of blocks would make Livingston the county seat. He offered to sell lots of 25 by 125 feet for $1.00 if Livingstone were chosen. In 1872, the town lost the election for a new county seat to Merced by 200 votes. In 1873, in a petition for a new post office, the final letter "E" was inadvertently deleted and the town officially became Livingston. In 1883 Cyrus Bliven purchased all the land ownings of William Little including the unsold portions of the projected town site. He grew grain on the town site for many years. Mr. Bliven and his mansion eventually gained notoriety. First, for holding seances and spiritual meetings for guests from as far away as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Then, later as a hideaway for Bill Dalton (the infamous Dalton gang of western lore), who had married Bliven's daughter while hiding from the law authorities of Kansas. Livingston experienced a period of slow growth until land speculators and promoters such as the Hunter Land Company began to extol the virtues of the area to land hungry families from as far away as Iowa. This followed the granting of rights-of-way through the Bliven's land for irrigation purposes in 1908. By 1909, water was on the land. Because of irrigation, Livingston was able to achieve a period of steady growth. Livingston was incorporated in 1922 with Charles Daman as its first mayor.
Agriculture has been its primary industry. The grape industry and later vineyards then
Gallo wineries have achieved world wide prominence as do the sweet potato and almond industries. Livingston is the world headquarters for Foster Farms and has the largest chicken slaughter house and processing plant in the world within the city limits. Diversity of our citizens is a trademark feature. Our Mexican population with its historical presence in the area is the dominant ethnic group. The Yamato colony, the only Japanese colony in America, have become successful land owners. The Portuguese from the Azore Islands are prominent in the dairy industry and in sweet potato farming. Filipinos filled a void for farm labor. Menonites found a religious haven and remained as family farmers. More recently, Sikhs of India have arrived. Livingston has had a historically exciting past and looks forward to an even more promising future!
Livingston is a City on the move and is in a period of transition and transformation due to new residential and commercial development. The community is rapidly becoming a premier ethnically diverse, residential, commercial and industrial center in Merced County and the Central Valley. It is strategically located along one of California’s major freeway arteries and is just two hours from San Francisco, the Pacific Coast and the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Merced County covers 2,000 square miles and has a population of 247,000.
Livingston’s economy is intertwined with the economy of Merced County which is enjoying an industrial renaissance that has brought approximately 3,000 new jobs with an estimated impact of $100 million into the County within the past two years.
The entire City of Livingston is within the Merced County Enterprise Zone. This Enterprise Zone is one of the 23 Enterprise Zones in the State of Califorina. The California Enterprise Zone program targets economically distressed areas using special state and local incentives to promote business investment and job creation. By encouraging entrepreneurship and employer growth, the program strives to create and sustain economic expansion in California communities.
In addition, Merced was selected in 1995 to be the site of U.C. Merced (the 10th campus in the University of California system). The university will eventually be home to over 20,000 students. U.C. Merced will probably have to split into two locations. Environmental restrictions are bound to hold back expansion efforts north and east of the two-year-old campus. The University’s new dorms, lecture halls and classrooms may need to be built at least 15 miles away.
Employment.
The total number of jobs in Merced County increased by 400 from January 2007 to February
2007. The county gained about 200 farm jobs, 100 manufacturing jobs and 200 service jobs during the 30-day period. From February 2006, Merced County lost 200 mining and construction jobs. However, over the last 12 months, Merced County has gained 600 jobs in the educational and health services sectors, 700 manufacturing jobs, 200 state government education jobs and 400 jobs in the hospitality industry. The City of Livingston gained 150 new jobs with the opening of Travel Centers of America on March 14, 2007.
Learn more about this city
City of LIVINGSTON, CA official site
City of LIVINGSTON, CA chamber of commerce
City of LIVINGSTON, CA general information
City of LIVINGSTON, CA yellow pages
County of MERCED, CA official site
State of California official site