- City Motto: “The Jewel of The Valley.”
2. 1875: The year that the first school was created as well as a blacksmith, shop, hotel, and fourteen homes.
- Education: 21% of Ripon residents 25 or older have a bachelor’s or advanced college degree.
- First Inhabitants: The first group of individuals to inhabit the Stanislaus River where Ripon would soon begin to develop were the Mormons.
- How did Ripon get it’s name?: Ripon’s former name, Stanislaus Station, was changed by Amplias B. Cook, who renamed the city after his hometown, Ripon, Wisconsin.
- Famous Individuals from Ripon: Gay Jacobson D’Asaro (fencing champion), Walter Hawkins (Grammy Award Winning- gospel artist), Edward L. Kessel (biologist).
- First Teacher: George Hanscom: taught multiple students by himself for many years at Ripon High School in the 1880s.
- Crime: 30 violent crimes were reported in 2003, which is very little compared to the cities surrounding Ripon. Only 1 murder/ homicide was reported.
- Ancestry: 14% of Ripon residents reported to have German ancestors while 15% were Mexican with an 11% being Dutch.
- Homes: Ripon is known for it’s “elderly people” residencies, especially Bethany Homes, which was first created in 1963.
