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History and culture

Los Banos area was initially settled, according to Mexican land grant records, back in the 1840s. The first white settler in the area was Uriah Wood, who built his two room cabin in 1859. The original site of Los Banos was located several miles from the current town center, about a mile and half west of the railroad near present day Volta. The town was essentially a trading post and received its name when the Post Office was established and the Post Office Department designated the office "Los Banos" after the nearby creek. When the railroad arrived, Los Banos relocated to its present day site.

The first post office opened in 1873.

Land and water rights were important to early Los Banos residents. But those rights were recognized only when the land and deed were registered. Sometimes those rights depended on fleet footedness, as it did in the "race" between Los Banos residents Uriah Wood and Henry Miller. Wood, whose homestead resided off of Badger Flat Road, raced Miller to the land office in Stockton to insure his claim to the land would be recognized. After crossing the San Joaquin River, Wood paid the ferryman $5 to hold the boat on the east side of the river to insure he would gain sufficient distance from Miller to insure he would reach the land office first. Wood did and the seven sections that he registered cost him only .45¢ an acre.

Miller Plaza downtown Los Banos, CA

The centerpiece of downtown Los Banos is the newly created Miller Plaza which honors early California rancher, Henry Miller. The 10-acre (40,000 m²) half-oval public plaza features a monumental scale bronze arrangement of Miller with cattle. At one time in the late nineteenth century, Miller was the largest land owner in the United States. His company, the Miller & Lux Corporation, was headquartered in Los Banos on a site currently housing the Mexican restaurant España's and the Canal Farm Inn.

Los Banos has a long history of Portuguese and Spanish immigrants, as do many of the nearby towns on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. This is reflected both in local restaurants and in several festivals and parades that take place during the year. Los Banos is locally known for its annual May Day Fair during the first week of May.

Employment Development Department #109
Job Service Office
1075 H Street Los Banos Ca. 93635
Jobseekers:             209-826-0420      
Employers:             209-826-0420      
Employers Fax: 209 826-4068

Local Newspapers
The local Los Banos newspapers usually have classified ads with job listings. Subscribe to the local papers and peruse the help wanted ads.

Merced County Job Search Resources

Merced County Human Resources Administration
Merced County Job Hotline             1-209-385-7516      

Worknet of Merced County
800 Seventh Street
Los Banos California 93635
            1-209-826-7241      

Merced County Human Services Agency Employment and Training Division
848 Sixth Street
Los Banos Calif. 93635
            1-209-826-4970      

Ed Join - Teacher / Educational System Employment Offered Listings

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