California Japantowns - Exploring the preservation of history, culture, and community...

Livingston

Located adjacent to the railroad and highway, the Yamato Colony was comprised of 30 residents by 1907 in the town of Livingston. Ten years later, a new building for the Methodist Church was erected at the center of the colony. By 1940, the colony increased to 75 families, farming 3,000 acres of primarily grapes and peaches. They established a cooperative to oversee shipping and packing of fruit to market. Although many farms have closed with the retiring Nisei, family members return and the strong bonds to Livingston remain.