Patterson, CA

Patterson anchors the west side of Stanislaus County along Interstate 5, between Modesto and Tracy. Thomas Patterson platted the colony in 1909 with Washington and Paris as his models, which is why getting around means following curves instead of square blocks. Apricot orchards made the town famous, and the city still bills itself as the world's apricot capital, even though distribution centers now share the landscape. Downtown Patterson gathers around El Circulo, where El Baristro serves breakfast at 201 South El Circulo Avenue and Touchdown Pizza and Deli is a local pizza order. The Old Water Office is another restaurant that turns up on current local lists. Beyond the circles, newer subdivisions have spread outward, and distribution centers for Amazon and RH have arrived on the edge of town. The city's pull for people from elsewhere is the canyon. Del Puerto Canyon runs into the Coast Range west of town, and Frank Raines Regional Park, a county park out in the canyon, offers steep slopes, off-highway vehicle riding in its own section and a hiking trail overlooking the canyon. Diablo Grande, another Houseberry neighborhood in the hills about nine miles southwest, belongs to the same landscape. Getting around works mostly by car. Interstate 5 and State Route 33 are the main roads, and the Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority runs a commuter route out to Dublin and Pleasanton for people working in the East Bay. The Patterson Historical Museum on the Circle Plaza covers the town's story, and the Apricot Fiesta every June fills the streets with a parade and fireworks. Spread is the drawback. Services for serious shopping or hospital care sit in Modesto or Tracy, and the commute to the Bay Area is long. A walk around Patterson's Circle Plaza on a quiet morning shows that the founder's circles are still the first thing you notice.