Businesses locating in Atwater can thrive thanks to a range of valuable community assets. Being next to Merced, the two city economies work together in creating a large urban area of well over 100,000 people. Atwater currently is the location for Dole Food Processing, Gallo Farms, NCI Building Systems manufacturing, among others.
Bisected by the main California commercial corridor CA 99, local businesses benefit from easy transport connectivity north toward Stockton, Modesto and Sacramento, and south toward Fresno, Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Understanding business needs and future growth, the County has finished the first phase of the Atwater-Merced Expressway, providing an efficient route connecting Atwater to the State’s highway network.
Atwater has an attractive downtown and with an increasing population, new residential construction is taking place in several areas around the City. As a result, new commercial investment is planned and will create more modern shopping, adding to an already rich commercial base. Located adjacent to the City, both the Castle Airport and the Mid-California International Trade District will enhance the City’s economic growth. The MCITD already has 65 commercial tenants, the Castle Air Museum and a campus for the University of California – Merced. As the MCITD develops, it will house companies in the automotive, medical products and supplies, food production, commercial space systems and specialty chemicals sectors.