287 articles
Modesto, California
Modesto, California: Central Valley city and seat of Stanislaus County, population 218,464 (2020). Known for Tuolumne River water supply with MID, agricultural economy, McHenry Museum, and 2050 growth plan.
Monrovia, California
Monrovia, California: a San Gabriel Valley city incorporated December 15, 1887 as the fourth city in Los Angeles County, named for founder William N. Monroe; about 38,000 residents, 164 historic landmarks, and a Metro A Line station opened in 2015.
Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park, California: San Gabriel Valley city eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the 'first suburban Chinatown' and first majority-Asian U.S. city (1990). 57,457 residents (2025), 64.8% Asian; transformed by Chinese immigration since the 1970s.
Monterey, California
Monterey, California: coastal city founded by Spain in 1770 by Portola and Serra; capital of California under Spanish and Mexican rule; site of the 1827 Old Custom House, Sloat's 1846 flag raising, Cannery Row, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, incorporated in 1984 from three rural communities and home to about 208,634 people as of the 2020 Census.
Morro Bay, California
Morro Bay is a small Central Coast California city in San Luis Obispo County, population 10,757 (2020), on Highway 1, defined by the 576-foot Morro Rock volcanic plug, a 2,300-acre estuary, a working fishing harbor, and 1964 incorporation.
Mount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta, California: small incorporated city (1905) in Siskiyou County at the base of the 14,179-foot volcano, 50 miles from Oregon; tourism-driven economy, spring-fed water, council-manager government.
Mount Vernon, Washington
Mount Vernon, Washington: Skagit County's largest city (35,219 in 2020), incorporated 1890, on the Skagit River. Known for its 2018 downtown floodwall, record December 2025 flood, and the Tulip Festival.
Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California, a Santa Clara County city in Silicon Valley between Palo Alto and Sunnyvale; population 85,438 (2025 est.), home to Google's headquarters and NASA Ames, with median household income $189,917.
Murrieta
Murrieta, a city in Riverside County, California, incorporated July 1, 1991 and named for sheep rancher Juan Murrieta; population about 114,000, grown via I-15 commuter expansion.
Napa, California
Napa is a city in Napa County, California, on the Napa River, founded in 1847 and known as the gateway to Napa Valley wine country.
Needles, California
Needles, California, is a small city on the Colorado River at the Arizona border, founded in 1883 with the railroad and known for Route 66.
Nevada City, California
Nevada City, California: Gold Rush-era Sierra foothill city and Nevada County seat, founded 1850, incorporated 1856; 3,152 residents (2020), National Register downtown historic district, 1865 Nevada Theatre, council-manager government, high wildfire hazard.
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, incorporated on September 1, 1906, known for Newport Bay's harbor, eight miles of beaches, and some of the state's highest home values.
Nicknames of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon's nicknames include Stumptown, Rose City, Rip City, Bridgetown, Beervana, PDX, and Portlandia, tracing the city's path from frontier logging town to brewing capital.
Norwalk, California
Norwalk, California, a city in Los Angeles County 17 miles southeast of downtown LA; incorporated 1957, founded by the Sproul brothers in the 1870s; 2020 population 102,773, declining to an estimated 97,104 by 2025.
Novato, California
Novato, California: northernmost city in Marin County, about 29 miles north of San Francisco. Population about 52,000, incorporated 1960, council-manager government, SMART rail stops, median household income $115,736.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a city in Alameda County, California, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay opposite San Francisco. The 2020 Census counted 440,646 residents, and its port handles 99 percent of Northern California's containerized goods.
Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California: coastal city in northern San Diego County, incorporated July 3, 1888; population 174,068 (2020). Known for its 1,954-foot pier, 3.5 miles of beaches, adjacency to Camp Pendleton, and tourism- and biotech-driven economy.
Ojai, California
Ojai, CA, is a small city of about 7,400 people in Ventura County, California, in a valley beside Los Padres National Forest, known as a tourism destination.
Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington: state capital and Thurston County seat at the southern tip of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet. Population 55,605 (2020); territorial capital since 1853; 287-foot capitol dome.
Ontario, California
Ontario, California: Inland Empire city in San Bernardino County founded 1882 by the Chaffey brothers as the Model Colony, incorporated 1891; population about 187,000, home to Ontario International Airport.
Orange, California
Orange, California: Orange County city founded 1871 as Richland, incorporated April 6, 1888; population 139,911 (2020); home to Old Towne Orange, the Plaza, and Chapman University.
Oroville, California
Oroville, formerly Ophir City, is the county seat of Butte County, California, on the Feather River, best known for Oroville Dam, the tallest dam in the country.
Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California: largest city in Ventura County on the Oxnard Plain, incorporated 1903 around the Oxnard brothers' sugar beet factory; about 200,000 residents, 77.1% Hispanic or Latino, gateway to Channel Islands National Park.
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California: a Coachella Valley city in Riverside County, incorporated November 26, 1973, charter city since 1997, council-manager government, 51,163 residents (2020), home to College of the Desert and El Paseo shopping district.
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California: resort city in the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, about 107 miles east of Los Angeles; home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, midcentury modern Desert Modernism architecture, Modernism Week, and a $1.9 billion tourism economy.
Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California: high-desert Antelope Valley city in northern LA County, ~60 miles from downtown LA; grew from a railroad water stop (Palmenthal, 1886) into an aerospace hub around Air Force Plant 42; 169,450 residents in 2020, affordable housing, long commutes.
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California: Bay Area city named for El Palo Alto redwood, founded 1894 around Stanford University (opened 1891), birthplace of Silicon Valley, about 69,700 residents with municipal utilities.
Palos Verdes Estates, California
A wealthy planned city in Los Angeles County, Palos Verdes Estates was designed by the Olmsted Brothers in the 1910s, incorporated in 1939, and features exclusive community living.