Join associate producer Ruth Carlson reporting from Merced, California—dubbed “The Gateway to Yosemite”.
Thanks to the new University of California, Merced, the university was recently ranked number 15 among public institutions by none other than the Wall St. Journal.
Today, the city is experiencing a renaissance. The phrase "if you build it, they will come," was made for this city in the San Jauquin Valley with a population of almost 90,000.
Historic buildings, including the El Capitan Hotel, The Tioga, a former hotel and now an apartment building with a waiting list, and the Merced Theater, have all been restored to their original glory.
In the 1920's movie stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks visited Merced, the last stop to rest before going on to Yosemite, to gather supplies, see a live show in the theater and perhaps get hitched at the Merced County Courthouse. now a museum, the former courthouse has a permanent exhibit of a Taoist altar dating to the 1870's and one of its more popular exhibits has been a vintage tractor show.
But Merced is not just about restoration. Some big city snobs may think Merced is out of touch with modern times, but Katalina Zambrano, who goes by Kat, is happy to introduce them to Somos Familia Valle Central, which supports the Latine Queer Community.
Executive Director, Kat, says locals could not be more supportive of gay rights.
Come along and join the conversation with Zambrano and associate producer, Carlson.
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