Dos Palos is a small farming town near Los Banos with strong community
Dos Palos lies at the center of a patchwork of farmland in Central California, about 17 miles from Los Banos, where most residents travel for dining and grocery shopping. "Most of Dos Palos is families who came back in the day, and they work on private, family-owned farms,” says Katrina Sousa, a Realtor with PMZ Real Estate with about seven years of experience. “They have small-community pride. Whatever holiday there is, they will come together and celebrate.”
Cottages built from 1905 to the 2010s near mature trees in Dos Palos
Cottages built over the past 120 years in Dos Palos are shaded by a variety of mature trees, from towering palms to Italian cypress that seem to pierce the sky. Homes built between 1905 and the late 1980s range from about $200,000 to $415,000, mostly depending on their condition. Single-story, New Traditional homes from the first two decades of the 21st century often come with outdoor living or storage spaces, fetching between $380,000 and $415,000. The city and its surrounding region are at a relatively high risk of earthquakes, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Football at Dos Palos High School brings the community together
Students in Dos Palos may start their education with kindergarten through second grade at Dos Palos Elementary School, which scores a B-minus grade from Niche. They may then move forward to Bernhard Marks Elementary School, for grades 3-5, and Bryant Middle School, both of which receive C-minus grades. Dos Palos High School earns a C-plus and offers nearly 20 athletic teams, including competition cheer, swimming and football. “Anybody who has a kid, or a family friend with a kid going to high school, comes together for Friday night lights to watch the football games,” Sousa says.
Merced County Office of Education Regional Occupational Program (ROP) consists of 15 career and technical education pathways, including fashion and interior design, manufacturing and product development as well as public services. The school’s Portfolio Day gives ROP students a chance to interact with local professionals one-on-one and receive interview feedback.
Nostalgic drive-ins, diners and Western-themed cafes
The Coffee Saloon is a Wild West-themed café with lassos and cowhides fixed to the walls in a stucco building on Central Avenue. A few blocks away, Mom’s & Pop’s Diner serves casual American fare and Mexican dishes for all three meals of the day. Closer to the outskirts of the city, Butch’s Drive In is a nostalgic fixture of Dos Palos that’s been part of the community since 1966, serving burgers, shakes, sundaes and burritos. Its history is evident in the black-and-white photos that decorate its retro wood-paneled walls. The drive-in is next to State Foods Supermarket. For more options, most residents go to Los Banos.
Highway connection to Firebaugh and Los Banos, and the Merced airport
California state Route 33, also known as Elgin Avenue, passes through Dos Palos. It leads south to the communities of Firebaugh and Mendota and northwest to Los Banos, where the closest hospital is about 18 miles away. Dos Palos is between Fresno, about 60 miles away, and San Jose, roughly 100 miles away.
The Transit Joint Powers of Authority Board for Merced County maintains The Micro Bus, a hybrid of a fixed-route bus and an on-demand service. Pick-up requests can be made by phone or through the Micro Bus app. Travelers can catch connecting flights to Las Vegas or Hawthorne, California from the Merced Yosemite Regional Airport.
Baseball diamonds and recently renovated indoor community spaces
Green spaces in Dos Palos are largely located on the northeast side of the city. Pierini Park consists of a baseball diamond, and it’s home to the city’s T-ball team practices. O’Banion Park offers more baseball diamonds and a couple of basketball courts. Next door, Del Hale Hall and its rentable dining and kitchen spaces reopened in the spring of 2025 after a major renovation. The revamped community center is attached to the new city library. The Thomas Bunthoff Playground in southern Dos Palos is adjacent to a basketball court in an otherwise residential neighborhood.
