Dixon, California
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Dixon is a city in northeastern Solano County, California, United States, located Template:Convert from the state capital, Sacramento. It has a hot-summer mediterranean climate on the Köppen climate classification scale. Its population was 18,988 at the 2020 United States census.<ref name="USCensus2020">Template:Cite web</ref> Other nearby cities include Vacaville, Winters, Davis, Woodland, and Rio Vista.
History
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The first semi-permanent European settlement to develop in the Dixon area emerged during the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century when the community of Silveyville was founded in 1852 by Elijah Silvey<ref name="Munro-Fraser">Template:Cite book</ref> as a halfway point between the Pacific coast and the rich gold fields of Sacramento along a route commonly traveled by miners. In 1868, Central Pacific railroad came through the area and missed Silveyville by a few miles.<ref name=SilveyvilleRepublic>Template:Cite web</ref> As a result, local leaders decided to physically relocate Silveyville closer to the tracks in order to enjoy the benefits of commerce and travel. One of the first buildings that still stands in Dixon from the 1871 move is the Dixon Methodist Church located at 209 N. Jefferson Street.<ref name="Visitors Guide">Template:Cite web</ref>
Originally, the city was named "Dicksville" after Thomas Dickson who donated 10 acres of his land for the construction of a railroad depot following the completion of the tracks and subsequent relocation of Silveyville to the now-Dixon area.<ref name="Munro-Fraser" /> However, when the first rail shipment of merchandise arrived from San Francisco in 1872, it was mistakenly addressed to "Dixon"—a name that has been used since, mainly out of simplicity.<ref name="Munro-Fraser" /><ref name="Visitors Guide"/> Up to now, the urban landscape of the town can be seen to have developed mostly in between the railroad tracks and Interstate-80.
As of 2024 the Dixon city council consists of Steve Bird, Mayor, Kevin Johnson, Vice Mayor, representing District 3, Jim Ernest, representing District 1, Thom Bogue, representing District 2, and Don Hendershot, representing District 4.<ref name="CityCouncilDixon">Template:Cite web</ref>
The city operates a municipal police and fire department, and water system & wastewater treatment plant.
Geography
[edit]Dixon is located at Template:Coord (38.449108, -121.826872).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which, Template:Convert of it is land and Template:Convert of it (1.36%) is water.
Demographics
[edit]2020
[edit]The 2020 United States census reported that Dixon had a population of 18,988. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Dixon was 51.5% White, 3.1% African American, 1.6% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 23.1% from other races, and 16.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.7% of the population.<ref name=DP1>Template:Cite web</ref>
The census reported that 100.0% of the population lived in households, 4 people (0.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 6,374 households, out of which 40.0% included children under the age of 18, 56.1% were married-couple households, 7.5% were cohabiting couple households, 22.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.5% of households were one person, and 8.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.98.<ref name=DP1/> There were 4,846 families (76.0% of all households).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The age distribution was 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% aged 18 to 24, 27.1% aged 25 to 44, 25.4% aged 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65Template:Nbspyears of age or older. The median age was 37.0Template:Nbspyears. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 6,554 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 6,374 (97.3%) were occupied. Of these, 65.9% were owner-occupied, and 34.1% were occupied by renters.<ref name=DP1/>
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 17.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 67.2% spoke only English at home, 28.2% spoke Spanish, 2.6% spoke other Indo-European languages, and 2.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 83.9% were high school graduates and 24.3% had a bachelor's degree.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The median household income was $98,798, and the per capita income was $42,163. About 7.2% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010
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The 2010 United States Census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> reported that Dixon had a population of 18,351. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Dixon was 13,023 (71.0%) White, 562 (3.1%) African American, 184 (1.0%) Native American, 671 (3.7%) Asian, 58 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,838 (15.5%) from other races, and 1,015 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,426 persons (40.5%).
The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.
There were 5,856 households, out of which 2,773 (47.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,550 (60.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 790 (13.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 339 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 327 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 26 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 867 households (14.8%) were made up of individuals, and 301 (5.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 4,679 families (79.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.47.
The population was spread out, with 5,349 people (29.1%) under the age of 18, 1,816 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 5,026 people (27.4%) aged 25 to 44, 4,608 people (25.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,552 people (8.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
There were 6,172 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 3,902 (66.6%) were owner-occupied, and 1,954 (33.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. 12,149 people (66.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 6,201 people (33.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Notable sites
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The Jackson Fay Brown House and the Dixon Carnegie library are on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:As of, Dixon residents Matt and Mark Cooley, owners of Cool Patch Pumpkins, hold the Guinness World Record for "largest maze, temporary corn/crop maze".<ref name="Woodlandpumpkin">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="KCRA3corn">Template:Cite news</ref> The maze measured 163,853.83 m2 or 40.489 acres.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, Cool Patch Pumpkins broke its own record with a 53-acre maze.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014 Cool Patch Pumpkins again broke its own record by growing a 60-acre maze.<ref name="StCloud">Template:Cite news</ref>
A Milk Farm Restaurant sign, measuring 100 feet tall,<ref name="SFGate">Template:Cite news</ref> was built in May 1963<ref name="SFGate" /> and still stands today at the intersection of State Route 113 and Interstate 80.<ref name="Patch">Template:Cite news</ref>
Dixon is home to the Dixon May Fair, California's oldest fair.<ref name="DavisMayFair">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DRMayFair">Template:Cite news</ref> The fair began in 1885 as a May Day celebration and predates the Solano County Fair which first occurred in 1949.<ref name="FFDRMayFair">Template:Cite news</ref> A stage on the fairground was named in honor of country singer Jon Pardi,<ref name="PardiReporter">Template:Cite news</ref> who grew up in Dixon.
Notable people
[edit]- Spencer Webb - was a tight end for the Oregon Ducks<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Jon Pardi - Country music singer and songwriter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Nick Watney - Professional golfer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Dave Ball - Professional NFL player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Espinoza Paz - Mexican musician and composer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Joe Craven - Professional musician and music educator<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Transportation
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Interstate 80 and California State Route 113 pass through Dixon.
The Union Pacific Railroad mainline between Oakland and Sacramento also passes through Dixon.<ref name="Sacbeetrain" /> This line was owned by Southern Pacific Railroad until its merger with Union Pacific on September 11, 1996. The track was constructed in 1868 by the California Pacific Railroad.
Amtrak Capitol Corridor also passes through Dixon over the UP mainline but the nearest station stops are at Davis and Fairfield–Vacaville. Amtrak's California Zephyr and Coast Starlight also pass through Dixon without stopping.<ref name="Sacbeetrain" />
In 2006, the City of Dixon finished construction on a train station near downtown Dixon.<ref name="Sacbeetrain" /> However, there are currently no scheduled stops at the station. The building has, for the time being, been converted to the city's Chamber of Commerce.<ref name="Sacbeetrain">Template:Cite news</ref>
The Dixon Readi-Ride is a dial-a-ride shuttlebus service. The Dixon Park & Ride<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> serves Fairfield and Suisun Transit route 30 which runs between Fairfield Transportation Center and downtown Sacramento.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dixon Readi-Ride a dial-a-ride service also stops here.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has 89 parking spots. The bus service runs approximately 10 hours per day on route 30.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economy
[edit]Top employers
[edit]According to the city's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dixon Unified School District | 346 |
| 2 | Walmart | 300 |
| 3 | Cardinal Health | 250 |
| 4 | Basalite | 193 |
| 5 | Altec Industries | 190 |
| 6 | Dixon Canning (Campbell's) | 182 |
| 7 | Superior Packing | 164 |
| 8 | City of Dixon | 156 |
| 9 | Gold Star Foods | 99 |
| 10 | First Northern Bank | 74 |
Dixon was the home of the Gymboree Corporation's only distribution center prior to the bankruptcy and closing of the company in 2019.<ref name="Gymboree">Template:Cite web</ref>
Media
[edit]The Dixon Independent Voice was founded in 1993 (first as The Dixon Newspaper)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and is the main paper of circulation today.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is published weekly and is owned by Messenger Publishing Group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dixon Tribune newspaper was founded November 14, 1874.,<ref name="Munro-Fraser" /> but ceased publication after its January 31, 2024 issue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Historically, the Voice of America ran a shortwave transmitter site that was formerly owned and operated by NBC. NBC built the site in 1944,<ref name="Berg2">Template:Cite book</ref> and it broadcast under the call signs KNBA, KNBH, KNBI, KNBC, and KNBX.<ref name="Berg" /> The station was closed between September 2, 1979, and October 1, 1983, and briefly reopened for Spanish language broadcasting until 1988.<ref name="Berg">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="GAO">Template:Cite web</ref> The station served as a relay to both NBC International programming overseas, and as a relay of KNBR and its programming overseas, mostly the Pacific area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is also a military transmission site, the Dixon Naval Radio Transmitter Facility.<ref name="Patch2">Template:Cite news</ref>
Education
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Dixon is served by the Dixon Unified School District, and also has a few private educational institutions.
High schools
- Dixon High School
- Maine Prairie High School (continuation school)
Middle schools
- Dixon Montessori Charter School
- John Knight Middle School (formerly known as C.A. Jacobs Middle School)
- Neighborhood Christian Middle School
Elementary schools
- Silveyville (closed as of 2008)
- Anderson
- Gretchen Higgins
- Tremont
- Neighborhood Christian School
- Dixon Montessori Charter School (now located in Silveyville facility)
- Easter Seals Special Education Center (shares Silveyville facility with DMCS)
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Cities of Solano County, California Template:SF Bay Area Template:California