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) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to estimates published by the US Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 62,724 in 2007 (60,308 in 2000). It is the largest city in Yolo County, and the 126th largest in the state, by population. Davis is known as a strongly progressive town because of its significant bike path mileage and because it contains the campus of the University of California, Davis. In 2006, Davis was ranked as the second most educated city (in terms of the percentage of residents with graduate degrees) in the United States by
, after Arlington, Virginia among the best places to live. In 2008, Davis was named one of the friendliest cites in the United States. In 2009, Davis was ranked 19th as one of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well.
Davis grew around a Southern Pacific Railroad depot built in 1868. It was then known as "Davisville," named for Jerome C. Davis, a prominent local farmer. However, the post office at Davisville shortened the town name to simply "Davis" in 1907. The name stuck, and the city of Davis was incorporated on March 28, 1917.
From its inception as a farming community, Davis has been known for its contributions to agriculture along with veterinary care and animal husbandry. Following the passage of the University Farm Bill in 1905 by the California State Legislature, Governor George Pardee selected Davis out of 50 other sites as the future home to the University of California's University Farm, officially opening to students in 1908. The farm, later renamed the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture in 1922, was upgraded into the seventh UC campus, the University of California, Davis, in 1959. Contemporary Davis is also known for its contributions in the areas of biotechnology, medicine, and other life sciences.