Livingston is a city in the northern San Joaquin Valley of Merced County, California, along Highway 99 about fifteen miles northwest of Merced. Its flat, fertile setting combines the Merced River's well-drained soils with the valley's warm, dry summers — conditions that made it an agricultural powerhouse. The town took shape as a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad, when local landowner William Little platted a grid of 80 blocks along the tracks. It was named for Dr. David Livingstone, the African explorer whose widely publicized disappearance was in the news at the time; in an 1873 post office application the final "e" was dropped, and the spelling became Livingston. Little hoped the new town would become the county seat, but Merced won that distinction. For years the city also carried the nickname "The Last Stop," a reference to the last traffic signal on Highway 99 before the highway continued into the open valley. Agriculture remains Livingston's leading industry. The city calls itself the "Sweet Potato Capital of the World," and most of the sweet potatoes grown west of the Rocky Mountains are cultivated and packed in the Livingston, Delhi, and Atwater area. Grapes for wine, table use, and raisins are also central, with a major Gallo grape-pressing operation nearby, and Foster Farms is among the city's largest agricultural employers. Livingston's population, about 14,000, includes a substantial Sikh and Punjabi community, reflected in the city's several gurdwaras and in a Punjabi language program at Livingston High School. Public education is provided by the Livingston Union School District for younger grades, with Livingston High serving secondary students. For residents, Livingston offers a genuine farming-community identity within commuting distance of the larger Merced and Modesto areas.