Out in the farmland, beyond the foreclosed homes and vacant storefronts, it might have been hard to hear the crash.
Agriculture has stayed fairly strong amid the economic troubles of the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Gross farm income nearly doubled from 2000 to 2008, to an estimated $7.6 billion worth of milk, fruit, nuts, poultry and other products.
While this sector has some troubles of its own -- notably the still-low prices for dairy farmers -- experts see it as an overall source of strength for the region over the next few years.
"Agriculture is the engine that can drive an economic recovery in California," said Paul Wenger, who grows walnuts and almonds west of Modesto and is president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.
County crop reports likely will show a decline in gross income for 2009 because of the milk prices, but the trend clearly is up.
Contrast that with what happened in housing. Median home sale prices tripled in the first half of the past decade, then sank to their previous level by last year.
This brought foreclosure for one in seven of the region's homes and contributed to a recession that has pushed the jobless rate close to 20 percent.
Five years ago, farming advocates warned of development spreading across the fields and orchards. That threat could return sometime in the future, but for now ag is standing its ground.
"Agriculture will continue to shore up our valley's and our state's economy," said Mark Bender, chairman of agricultural studies at California State University, Stanislaus.
Graduates are finding plenty of job offers in farming and related fields, he said.
The valley has advantages that keep it in the front ranks of the world's food- producing regions: Mostly warm, dry weather from spring to fall. Ample irrigation water in most places, although the West Side has suffered from federal cutbacks. Roads, rails and ports that help move goods. Research and education that make farming and processing highly efficient.
Agriculture nationwide has also benefited from the sound state of the farm credit system amid the crisis in mortgage lending.
"We've got challenges with water, dairies are having their challenges, but overall, we've held up pretty well," said Leonard Van Elderen, president and chief executive officer of Yosemite Farm Credit, based in Turlock.
Farming is what economists call a primary sector, bringing money into the region from elsewhere. The farmers spend their income on tractors, fertilizer, pesticides, veterinary care and other needs. Plenty more of the region's residents work at places that process the raw products, including wineries, poultry plants, nut processors and fruit canneries.
"The money that comes into California turns over many times before it leaves," said Dave Long, president of Hilltop Ranch Inc., an almond processor near Ballico. It employs 220 people and expects to ship about 60 million pounds of nuts to 65 countries this year.
Long said the almond industry has seen average annual growth of 10 percent in recent years, and it could continue as consumers see the health benefits of this food.
The Modesto area is the nation's biggest producer of wine, which has its own economic ripples. The industry generated about 330,000 jobs in the state in 2008, according to a study done for the Wine Institute in San Francisco.
Domestic sales dropped 3 percent with the recession last year, the group reported, but it sees increasing consumption by younger adults.
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