For the next few decades, Modesto's population grew about two percent per year to over 100,000 in 1980, and over 200,000 in 2001. During World War II, the area provided canned goods, powdered milk, and eggs for the US armed forces and Allied forces. By 1900, Modesto's population was more than 4,500. Irrigation water came from dams installed in the foothills, and irrigated fields of vegetables and fruit and nut trees flourished. With fields of grain, the nearby Tuolumne River for grain barges, and railroad traffic, the town grew. Modesto's population exceeded 1,000 residents in 1884. The railroad company co-founder Charles Crocker then named the town Modesto in recognition of Ralston's modesty. Ralston asked that another name be found, and a railroad employee exclaimed loudly in Spanish that Ralston was a modest man. suggested to name it after his associate the banker William C. When Modesto was founded in 1870, the railroad company co-founder Mark Hopkins Jr. The City of Modesto was originally a stop on the railroad connecting Sacramento to Los Angeles, built by Central Pacific Railroad. In December 2009, Forbes ranked Modesto 48th out of 100 among 'Best Bang-for-the-Buck Cities.' In this ranking, Modesto ranked 8th in housing affordability and travel time, but it ranked 86th in job forecast growth and 99th in foreclosures.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2011-which interviewed 1000 participants about their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities - ranked Modesto 126 out of the 190 cities surveyed. Modesto has been honored as a Tree City USA numerous times. The farm-to-table movement plays a central role in Modesto living in the Central Valley. Led by milk, almonds, chickens, walnuts, and corn silage, the county grossed nearly $3.1 billion in agricultural production in 2011.

It is home to Gallo Family Winery, the largest family-owned winery in the United States. Stanislaus County ranks sixth among California counties in farm production. Distances from other places include: 40 miles (64 km) north of Merced, California, 92 miles (148 km) east of San Francisco, 66 miles (106 km) west of Yosemite National Park, and 24 miles (39 km) south of Stockton. Modesto is located in the Central Valley, 68 miles (109 km) south of Sacramento and 90 miles (140 km) north of Fresno. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto Combined Statistical Area. Modesto ( Spanish for 'modest') is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States.

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