About Los Banos, California

Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California located in the San Joaquin Valley, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5. The City’s population at the 2010 census was 35,972. The City is served by Los Banos Municipal Airport for air transport access.

The City’s Spanish name Los Baños means “the baths”, is named after a spring that feeds natural wetlands in the western San Joaquín Valley. Its official spelling, reflected in the name of its post office, omits the tilde of the ñ, though some signs in town show its name as Los Baños.

The City of 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. There is also a significant community of Basques. Los Banos is locally known for its annual May Day Fair during the first week of May.

The centerpiece of downtown Los Banos is Henry Miller Plaza, honoring early California rancher, Henry Miller. The 10-acre (4.0 ha) half-oval public plaza features a monumental scale bronze arrangement of Miller with cattle. Los Banos is also home to The Randall Fawcett House which is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home.