Crime Scene & Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Gustine Gustine, CA

Gustine is a small city in western Merced County, California, established in the early 1900s as a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad and incorporated on November 11, 1915.

Gustine is named for Sara Miller, nicknamed 'Gussie' — the young daughter of Henry Miller, the famous 'Cattle King' land baron; her middle name, Augustine, gave the town its name, and she died at age eight after being thrown from a horse.

Gustine's first post office opened in 1907, and the town grew up around the Miller & Lux cattle and dairy empire in the San Joaquin Valley.

Gustine was the site of the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system in California, installed in March 1970.

Gustine hosts what is billed as the nation's largest Portuguese festa — the Our Lady of Miracles (OLM) Festa draws more than 20,000 visitors, reflecting the town's large Azorean Portuguese-American community.

Gustine High School hosts the longest-running basketball tournament in California, a Rotary Club event that celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2017.

Gustine had a population of 6,110 at the 2020 census, up from 5,520 in 2010, living in about 2,035 households averaging 3.0 people each.

About 62% of Gustine's residents are Hispanic or Latino, and Spanish is spoken at home by more than half of the population age five and older.

Dairy production and processing have traditionally driven Gustine's economy — the town is home to a Golden Valley Cheese factory — and the city sits at the junction of State Routes 33 and 140, about 29 miles west of Merced.