Tracy, California

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Tracy, California
City in California
Tracy Transit Center 2290 01 (cropped).JPG
Tracy City Hall Front.jpeg
Downtown Tracy.jpeg
Downtown Tracy (cropped).jpg
Motto(s): 
Think Inside the Triangle[1]
Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California
Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California
Tracy is located in the United States
Tracy
Tracy
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 37°44′17″N 121°26′2″W / 37.73806°N 121.43389°W / 37.73806; -121.43389Coordinates: 37°44′17″N 121°26′2″W / 37.73806°N 121.43389°W / 37.73806; -121.43389
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySan Joaquin
IncorporatedJuly 22, 1910[2]
Government
 • TypeCity Manager[3]
 • MayorNancy D. Young.[4]
 • ManagerJennifer D. Haruyama
 • State senatorSusan Eggman (D)[9]
 • Assembly memberCarlos Villapudua (D)[9]
 • U. S. rep.Josh Harder (D)[10]
Area
[5]
 • Total26.03 sq mi (67.42 km2)
 • Land25.90 sq mi (67.07 km2)
 • Water0.14 sq mi (0.35 km2)  0.61%
Elevation
[6]
52 ft (16 m)
Population
 (2010)[7]
 • Total82,922
 • Estimate 
(2019)[8]
94,740
 • Rank80th in California
 • Density3,658.34/sq mi (1,412.50/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95304, 95376–95378, 95385, 95391
Area code209
FIPS code06-80238
GNIS feature IDs277621, 2412090
Websitecityoftracy.org

Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census. Tracy is located inside a geographic triangle formed by Interstate 205 on the north side of the city, Interstate 5 to the east, and Interstate 580 to the southwest.

History[]

Until the 1760s, the area that is now the city of Tracy was long populated by the Yokuts tribe of loosely associated bands of Native Americans and their ancestors. They lived on hunting and gathering foods, game and fish from the area, including its local rivers and creeks. After encountering the Spanish colonists, the Yokuts suffered from new infectious diseases, which caused social disruption, as did the Spanish efforts to impress them for labor at missions. Mexican and American explorers later came into the area, pushing the Yokuts out.[11]

1877 Map: new branch under construction (dash line) terminating at a junction (near the "O" in "COUNTY") that would birth Tracy

Tracy is a railroad town that came from the mid-19th century construction, mainly by Chinese laborers, of Central Pacific Railroad rail lines running from Sacramento through Stockton to the San Francisco Bay Area, beginning 1868 and ending September 1878 with the opening of a new branch and junction.[12] A number of small communities sprang up along these lines at designated station sites, including one at the junction named for railroad director Lathrop J. Tracy.[13]

Incorporated in 1911, Tracy grew rapidly and prospered as the center of an agricultural area, even when larger railroad operations began to decline in the 1950s. Competition with trucking and automobiles resulted in widespread railroad restructuring. Tracy is part of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area, an extension of the Bay Area.

In December 1969, the town of Tracy was the host of the Altamont Free Concert, held at the (now closed) Altamont Raceway Park. An estimated 300,000 people gathered at the speedway infield in an event that was plagued by violence among attendees, many of whom were drunk or drugged. Artists featured included the internationally known Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Geography[]

Tracy, California in 2016. Note large warehouses at east side of the city.
Tracy vineyard

Located in the Greater Bay Area, Tracy is near both fertile and (due to a region of hills west of Tracy) infertile agricultural lands. Tracy has a Mediterranean climate.

Some of this land (in the east and mostly north of Tracy because of the moist Delta river system) has come under increasing development pressure. The San Francisco Bay Area's vigorous population growth has spilled over into the Tracy area as well as other locations, such as the new town of Mountain House. Tracy passed Measure A in 1990 to try to contain and limit development.

In an effort to reduce environmental impacts of the city, it launched the Emerald Tracy Project in September 2009. City spokesman Matt Robinson said that if it succeeds, Tracy will be the second city after Riverside, California to satisfy the state's goal for sustainable communities.

Tire fire, south of Tracy[]

On August 7, 1998, a tire fire ignited at S.F. Royster's Tire Disposal south of Tracy at 29425 South MacArthur Drive, near Linne Road. The tire dump held more than 7 million illegally stored tires and was allowed to burn for over two years before it was extinguished. Allowing the fire to burn was considered to be a better way to avoid groundwater contamination than putting it out.[14] The cleanup of chemicals released by the fire cost $16.2 million. The chemicals were found to have contaminated groundwater in the region after all.[15][16]

Climate[]

Tracy is marked by a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), with mild, moist winters and very hot and dry summers, displaying Mediterranean characteristics. December and January are the coolest months, and average around 47.1 °F (8.4 °C), and there are 19 nights with lows at or below freezing annually, with the coldest night of the year typically bottoming out below 30 °F (−1.1 °C).[17] July is the warmest month, averaging 76.4 °F (28.3 °C); normally, there are 18 days of 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ highs and 82 days of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs. Average annual precipitation is around 12.5 inches (317.7 mm), which, by definition, results in the area being classified as a semi-desert.

hideClimate data for Tracy, California (Pumping Plant)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 55.6
(13.1) 		62.4
(16.9) 		67.2
(19.6) 		73.5
(23.1) 		80.0
(26.7) 		87.3
(30.7) 		92.5
(33.6) 		91.8
(33.2) 		88.0
(31.1) 		79.2
(26.2) 		65.1
(18.4) 		55.6
(13.1) 		74.9
(23.8)
Average low °F (°C) 38.5
(3.6) 		41.3
(5.2) 		44.8
(7.1) 		48.2
(9.0) 		53.5
(11.9) 		57.4
(14.1) 		60.2
(15.7) 		59.9
(15.5) 		58.3
(14.6) 		52.8
(11.6) 		44.9
(7.2) 		38.4
(3.6) 		49.9
(9.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.61
(66) 		2.31
(59) 		1.97
(50) 		0.73
(19) 		0.45
(11) 		0.10
(2.5) 		0.04
(1.0) 		0.06
(1.5) 		0.25
(6.4) 		0.72
(18) 		1.61
(41) 		1.66
(42) 		12.51
(317.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 in) 10.5 8.9 9.0 4.1 2.3 0.7 0.2 0.4 1.0 2.8 7.0 8.3 55.2
Source: NOAA[18]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19303,829—
19404,0565.9%
19508,410107.3%
196011,28934.2%
197014,72430.4%
198018,42825.2%
199033,55882.1%
200056,92969.6%
201082,92245.7%
2019 (est.)94,740[8]14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[19]

The 2010 United States Census[20] reported that Tracy had a population of 82,922. The population density was 3,745.5 people per square mile (1,446.2/km2). The racial makeup of Tracy was 43,724 (52.7%) White, 5,953 (7.2%) African American, 715 (0.9%) Native American, 12,229 (14.7%) Asian, 747 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 13,173 (15.9%) from other races, and 6,381 (7.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30,557 persons (36.9%).

The Census reported that 82,606 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 69 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 247 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 24,331 households, out of which 13,143 (54.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,122 (62.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,196 (13.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 1,627 (6.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,501 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 184 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,326 households (13.7%) were made up of individuals, and 1,026 (4.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 19,945 families (82.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.72.

The population was spread out, with 26,668 people (32.2%) under the age of 18, 7,476 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 23,826 people (28.7%) aged 25 to 44, 19,202 people (23.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,750 people (6.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

There were 25,963 housing units at an average density of 1,172.7 per square mile (452.8/km2), of which 16,163 (66.4%) were owner-occupied, and 8,168 (33.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 54,275 people (65.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 28,331 people (34.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Government and infrastructure[]

Aerial view of the northeastern part of Tracy (lower right) and land to the south and east, in 2021. The warehouse distribution and fulfillment centers in the northeast corner of the city are at lower center. Behind and to the right is the Defense Logistic Agency's Tracy Defense Distribution Depot (which is just outside Tracy to the east).
See also: Government of San Joaquin County, California

The United States Postal Service operates the Tracy Post Office[21] and the Tracy Carrier Annex.[22]

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the Deuel Vocational Institution, a state prison, in unincorporated San Joaquin County, near Tracy.[23][24]

Front view of Tracy's City Hall

School districts[]

Three public school districts serve the city of Tracy. The largest and most recognized is the Tracy Unified School District. This school system incorporates many elementary and middle schools as well as six Tracy high schools: Tracy High School, Merrill F. West High School, Delta Charter High School, Millennium Charter High School, John C. Kimball High School, and Mountain House High School, which opened in 2014. However, Mountain House High School is open only to Mountain House residents.

Tracy's students with behavioral issues attend the Willow Community Day School, and the Tracy One Program, or Community One. The other two school districts are: Lammersville Joint Unified School District and Jefferson School District. The latter covers the south side of Tracy and includes four schools: Jefferson Middle School, Tom Hawkins Elementary School, Monticello Elementary School and Anthony C. Traina School.

Transportation[]

Tracy City Hall

Public transportation[]

Tracy is served by several bus services: locally, Tracer runs seven lines that serve as circulators between major transit hubs, shopping, school, residential, and downtown areas. San Joaquin Regional Transit District (SJRTD) runs two county hopper routes that connect the city with other San Joaquin County communities and one commuter route that run to Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.

Greyhound, Tracer, and SJRTD all connect with taxis, bike stations, and parking at the Tracy Transit Center, a transit station built in 2010.

Amtrak Buses connect serve the city's Amtrak Bus Station to the area with six daily trips to the South Bay and two to San Francisco, all of which stop at BART and job centers in Livermore.

To meet the future transportation needs, which will connect San Joaquin Valley with the Bay Area, there are two Transit Stations in Tracy. One is located downtown and is designated for bus service, but is being considered as a possible site for California High-Speed Rail.

South Tracy offers the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) service at Tracy (ACE station), which provides commuter rail transportation to the Bay Area and connects with VTA in San Jose, BART via shuttle in Pleasanton and Fremont, in addition to Amtrak train in Santa Clara and San Jose.

Tracy Transit Station

Major highways[]

Interstate 205 passes along the north side of the city and connects the nearby Interstates 580 to the west and 5 on the east, with the three Interstates forming a triangle around much of the city. Business Loop 205 runs through the center of Tracy along 11th Street, formerly a portion of U.S. Highway 50. In addition, the northern terminus of State Highway 33 is located at South Bird Road and Interstate 5 southeast of Tracy.

Aviation[]

Tracy is served by Tracy Municipal Airport, located south of the city. It serves general aviation; there is no scheduled airline service from the airport.

Local media[]

Tracy's daily newspaper is the Tracy Press, a once-weekly newspaper owned since the 19th century by the Matthews family. Bilingual Weekly News covers Tracy in English and Spanish.

Sister cities[]

Tracy has been a sister city of Memuro, Hokkaido since 1989. The city is also a sister city of Velas in the Azores.[25]

In popular culture[]

  • Tracy was mentioned in Hunter S. Thompson's book Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, because of the events at Altamont. The concert was the subject of the 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter.
  • Tracy was mentioned in Jack Kerouac's book On the Road.
  • The parade scene in the film The Candidate, starring Robert Redford, was filmed in Tracy.
  • The 1975 Academy Award-nominated documentary The California Reich depicts members of the American Nazi Party living in Tracy.
  • The Tracy High School football field and MVP trophy are named after Peter B. Kyne, a novelist from San Francisco whose Bohemian Club friends orchestrated the naming in 1927, even though Kyne had very little to do with Tracy. It was renamed for long time Tracy High football coach Wayne Schneider in 2012 after the field was completely rebuilt.
  • Kathy Griffin recorded her CD Kathy Griffin: For Your Consideration live on February 17, 2008, at the ETK Theatre at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy.
  • In 2009, the city made national headlines because of a brutal crime, the body of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu was found during routine draining of an irrigation pond. An autopsy established that Cantu had been beaten and sexually abused with a foreign object before being smothered, while toxicology results showed that she had ingested Alprazolam. Melissa Huckaby, a 28-year-old Sunday school teacher, was found guilty of her murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[26]

Notable people[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "City of Tracy: Residents". Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "Tracing Tracy Territory: Celebrating 100 years of Tracy". Tracy Press. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "City of Tracy Government Structure". City of Tracy. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Nancy Young, Mayor". City of Tracy. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tracy". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  7. ^ "Tracy (city) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  10. ^ "California's 10th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  11. ^ Tracy History tracymuseum.org
  12. ^ "The New Railroad Branch". cdnc.ucr.edu. Morning Union, Volume 23, Number 3557. August 31, 1878. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Tide Level Branch of the Central Pacific Railroad, between Oakland and Sacramento, will be started into operation about the 1st of September. This route leaves the Western Division at Tracey, a new station located about half-way between Ellis and Bantas; thence it runs to Martinez, and follows the edge of San Pablo and San Francisco bays to Oakland wharf. Ellis Station will be abandoned after Sunday, September 1st, and all the buildings at that point are to be moved up to Tracey. ... Sacramento Bee
  13. ^ "How Tracy Got To Be Tracy". TracyRail.org. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Rubber Threat: Tracy tire fire highlights old problem. Lodi News-Sentinel. August 18, 1998.
  15. ^ Breitler, Alex. "Byproducts from 1998 tire fire found in water". Record. December 20, 2005.
  16. ^ California Integrated Waste Management Board. "Removal Action Summary Report, pp.28–29" (PDF). California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  17. ^ Team, National Weather Service Corporate Image Web. "National Weather Service – NWS Sacramento". w2.weather.gov. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "Climatography of the United States No. 20: Tracy Pumping Plant, CA 1971–2000" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  19. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  20. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Tracy city". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  21. ^ "TRACY Post Office". United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "TRACY CARRIER ANNEX". United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  23. ^ "Deuel Vocational Institution." California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved June 6, 2011. "23500 Kasson Road Tracy, CA 95376"
  24. ^ "Tracy city, California Archived February 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  25. ^ Matthews, Sam (March 14, 2014). "Japanese visitors celebrate sister city". Tracy Press. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  26. ^ Ferran, Lee; NETTER, SARAH (May 10, 2010). "Melissa Huckaby Pleads Guilty to Sandra Cantu's Murder". ABC News.

External links[]

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