As of the census , the city had a population of 86,, [ 8 ] up from 78, in Incorporated on April 1, , Merced is a charter city that operates under a councilβmanager government. It is named after the Merced River , which flows nearby.
Merced, known as the "Gateway to Yosemite ", is less than two hours by automobile from Yosemite National Park to the east and Monterey Bay , the Pacific Ocean, and multiple beaches to the west. The community is served by the passenger rail service Amtrak , a minor, heavily subsidized airline through Merced Regional Airport , and three bus lines. It is approximately miles km from Sacramento , miles km from San Francisco , 55 miles 89 km from Fresno , and miles km from Los Angeles.
The first Merced post office opened in Since , Merced has been home to the University of California, Merced. Historic cultural attractions in the city include The Mainzer Theater which is known for its historic and architectural value, the County Courthouse Museum c.
The Merced Sun-Star daily newspaper has a circulation of 14, daily and 18, Saturday in the Merced area. The paper was sold to U. Ruscoe said, "A tremendous amount of out-of-town buyers. Our primary client comes from the LA area or the Bay Area. We see a lot of them coming in and buying properties, even coming in now when the prices are moving up quickly because they know they can rent those. The metro area went to a Having since recovered to a rate of 8.
Some efforts have been directed towards diversifying its economy and are showing a lowering trend in the overall unemployment rate, [ 16 ] according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
