Oakdale, California
Oakdale is a city of 23,194 people in Stanislaus County, California.
Why visit Oakdale
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 14 parks and trails, 32 places to eat and 4 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include The Cowboy Museum and Oakdale Golf & Country Club.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 95°F; December lows average 39°F.
Weather in Oakdale
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Oakdale
Oakdale is a city in the San Joaquin Valley and Stanislaus County, California, United States. As of 2020 census, its population was 23,181. It goes by the slogan "Cowboy Capital of the World."
From the Wikipedia article Oakdale, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds14
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2 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes32
Starbucks
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.9 mi
1342 East F Street, Oakdale
Mo-Fr 05:00-21:00; Sa 05:00-22:00; Su 09:00-18:00
20 more on the map.
Where to stay4
History
The city was founded in 1871 when the Stockton and Visalia Railroad met the Copperopolis Railroad. The site of Taylor's Ferry Crossing is located in Oakdale, a crossing of the Stanislaus River on the 19th century Stockton - Los Angeles Road.
Oakdale was used as a film location for the United Artists film Bound For Glory starring David Carradine. Oakdale doubled as a dusty 'Texas' town using railroad scenes for the film. Oakdale was nominated for an award for having the most almond trees per capita per square mile in the state of California.
In June 2020, the town was taken by a false rumor that Black Lives Matters protestors intended to invade the town from the Bay Area. The owner of a local bar, the H-B Saloon, hired an out-of-town militia, gunmen dressed in camouflage, to patrol the town while store windows were boarded up. The false rumor started on the local Facebook group for the town. A 2025 New York Times report on the town noted that the town had become a news desert, as local news outlets had for the most part disappeared while inhabitants increasingly relied on social media for information about their area.
From the History section of Oakdale, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship12
Shopping9
Gas and EV charging9
Schools, colleges and libraries21
Healthcare3
Map of Oakdale
107 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 39°F | 2.6 in |
| Feb | 62°F | 42°F | 2.2 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 45°F | 1.8 in |
| Apr | 74°F | 48°F | 1.0 in |
| May | 82°F | 54°F | 0.7 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 59°F | 0.1 in |
| Jul | 95°F | 63°F | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 94°F | 62°F | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 89°F | 59°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 79°F | 52°F | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 66°F | 43°F | 1.1 in |
| Dec | 56°F | 39°F | 2.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Modesto City Co Ap (11 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Stanislaus County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-08-22: Wildfires (Fire)
- 2020-08-21: Scu Ligtning Complex Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Oakdale Municipal Airport (ODC) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- East Oakdale 5 mi northeast, about 8 min by car
- Riverbank 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- Escalon 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Empire 9 mi south, about 14 min by car
- Del Rio 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Waterford 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Hughson 11 mi south, about 18 min by car
- Modesto 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Bystrom 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Ceres 13 mi southwest, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Aerial view of Oakdale, California, October 2024, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20220618 05 Oakdale, California (52967629071), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Oakdale Cowboy Museum from the south, May 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oakdale Cowboy Museum from the southeast, May 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oakdale Cowboy Museum from the east, May 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trackside window on the Oakdale Cowboy Museum, May 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oakdale Cowboy Museum from the west, May 2022, Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0
- First NB Oakdale 120915 001a, Saeidb, CC BY-SA 3.0
- First NB Oakdale 120915 024a, Saeidb, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Welcome to Oakdale, Mmrvideo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oakdale, California (10753649865), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Oakdale, California (10753948343), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Yup2, Tittsworth, CC BY-SA 4.0
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