With a population of 15,269 in 2020, Salida is the largest unincorporated community in Stanislaus County; it is bigger than 145 of California's cities. Situated along Highway 99 and the Stanislaus River, Salida has been under threat of annexation by the City of Modesto for over 25 years. Modesto has slowly been chipping away at Salida's tax base with land annexations that Kaiser Hospital and Costco were built upon. Currently, Stanislaus County is looking to allow more development in Salida by bypassing the Salida Community Plan. This will not only further diminsh Salida's tax base, but also create more county-owned business islands. The only way Salida can be protected against annexation abuse is to incorporate as a city.