Turlock, CA Real Estate

Located in the heart of California’s Central Valley, Turlock has grown to reach a population of over 67,000 residents. Though Turlock is the second largest city in Stanislaus County, it continues to maintain a small town atmosphere and friendly attitude but with the conveniences and opportunities of a bigger city.

Originally Turlock was to be named 'Sierra' but with the potential for confusion with the mountains or county of the same name, 'Sierra' was abandoned. 'Turlock' may come from 'turlough,' an Irish dry lake. Turlock was founded in 1871 by John William Mitchell, a prominent grain farmer who owned 100,000 acres of land from Keyes to Atwater, encompassing what is now the City of Turlock.

In the 1890's Turlock was a prosperous and busy town consisting of three hotels, a restaurant, three general stores, a tin shop, a boot and shoe store, three livery stables, two blacksmith shops, a butcher shop, five warehouses and sixteen saloons.

Since the early 1900's, Turlock has experienced economic and agricultural growth and development. New residents brought in farming and business, entrepreneurial ventures in addition to diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. A school district was formed in addition to a newspaper, major religious and civic organizations. The city quickly developed including the acquisition of California State University Stanislaus, which opened its doors in 1960.

Today, with a population of over 67,000, Turlock has achieved its early city planning goals of creating a safe environment, a strong school system and maintaining its hometown atmosphere. Turlock has become economically sound and agriculturally elite and continues to seek growth and development that complements the city's business and industry and the needs of its residents.

Historic downtown Turlock recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, making it a must see in Turlock with antique shops, cafes, restaurants and boutiques. In addition historic downtown Turlock is home to the Turlock Historical Museum which is free to the public.

The historic Sierra Railroad Dinner Train located in Oakdale, just twenty minutes from Turlock, offers a variety of scenic and entertaining train rides every week of the year between Oakdale and Sonora. The most popular is the sunset dinner train every Saturday.
Turlock Lake & Don Pedro Reservoir offer many fun activities including boating, fishing, jet-skiing and water-skiing. Turlock is also home to the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds hosts many different entertainment venues throughout the year, including the Stanislaus County Fair. For golf lovers, there are the Turlock Golf and Country Club, Stevinson Ranch Golf Club just a few miles outside of town and the Diablo Grande Golf Courses in the foothills above nearby Patterson. Also available in Turlock are several fitness centers, public swimming pools, and billiard halls. CSUS Warrior Athletics hosts an ongoing schedule of collegiate athletic events, in addition to the new Sports Complex facility.

Winter sports enthusiasts can find snow skiing within a two hour drive. Dodge Ridge is located about 90 minutes away off Highway 108 above Sonora while Bear Valley is about a two hour drive off Highway 4.

Donnelly Park, which was opened to the public in 1974, is the City of Turlock’s premier community park. Donnelly Park is a 40-acre site, covering one square mile and includes a 10-acre man-made storm basin. Residents enjoy walking or jogging around the park in addition to feeding the fish. Donnelly Park maintains hundreds of beautiful trees, which provide a very shady environment for family gatherings and for a comfortable haven during the summer heat. Donnelly Park has many open space areas for recreational events.

The playground area on the east side of the park is a very large community-built play park structure that offers an assortment of equipment for the young children and is visited weekly by busloads of children from the surrounding communities. Donnelly Park features a half court basketball court and two grass volleyball courts in addition to picnic and barbeque areas.