Tracy, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tracy, California
City
Flag
Motto(s):  Think Inside the Triangle
Location in San Joaquin County and the state of California
Tracy, California Location in California Show map of California Tracy, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Joaquin
Incorporated	July 22, 1910
Government
• Type	City Manager
Area
• Total	26.03 sq mi (67.42 km2)
• Land	25.90 sq mi (67.07 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.35 km2)  0.61%
Elevation	52 ft (16 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	93,000
• Rank	78th in California
• Density	3,573/sq mi (1,379/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	95304, 95376–95378, 95385, 95391
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-80238
GNIS feature IDs	277621, 2412090

Tracy is a city in California, United States. It's the second largest city in San Joaquin County. In 2020, about 93,000 people lived there. Tracy is special because it's shaped like a triangle by three major highways: Interstate 205 to the north, Interstate 5 to the east, and Interstate 580 to the southwest.

History of Tracy

Tracy started because of the Central Pacific Railroad in the mid-1800s. Train lines were built from Sacramento through Stockton to the San Francisco Bay Area. Many small towns grew along these lines, including Tracy, which was named after a railroad director named Lathrop J. Tracy.

Tracy officially became a city in 1910. It grew quickly and became a successful farming area. Even when trains became less important in the 1950s, Tracy kept growing. In the 1980s, more people moved to Tracy. They were looking for homes that cost less than in the Bay Area. They also wanted a quieter life. Many companies also found Tracy a great place for their distribution centers.

Geography and Climate

Tracy is located in California's Central Valley. It has both rich farmland and some hilly, less fertile areas to the west. Tracy has a Mediterranean climate, which means it has cool, wet winters and very hot, dry summers.

Tracy in 2016, showing large warehouses.

Tracy vineyard

The city is growing, and some of the land around it is being developed. This is because more people are moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1990, Tracy passed "Measure A" to help control and limit how much the city grows.

In 2009, Tracy started the "Emerald Tracy Project." This project aims to make the city more environmentally friendly. If it works, Tracy would be one of the first cities in California to meet the state's goals for sustainable communities.

Tracy's Weather Patterns

Tracy has a semi-arid climate. This means it's like a semi-desert. Winters are cool and moist, while summers are very hot and dry.

• Coolest Months: December and January are the coolest. The average temperature is about 47.1°F (8.4°C).
• Freezing Nights: It freezes about 19 nights a year. The coldest night is usually below 30°F (-1°C).
• Warmest Month: July is the warmest, averaging 76.4°F (24.7°C).
• Hot Days: Tracy usually has 18 days over 100°F (38°C) and 82 days over 90°F (32°C) each year.
• Rainfall: The city gets about 12.5 inches (318 mm) of rain each year.

People Living in Tracy

Tracy's population has grown a lot over the years. Here's how many people have lived there during different census years:

Tracy's Population in 2020

The 2020 census showed that Tracy had 93,000 people. Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Tracy:

Tracy's Population in 2010

In 2010, Tracy had 82,922 people. Most people lived in homes (99.6%).

• Age Groups:

* 32.2% were under 18 years old. * 9.0% were 18 to 24 years old. * 28.7% were 25 to 44 years old. * 23.2% were 45 to 64 years old. * 6.9% were 65 years or older.

• Median Age: The average age was 32.3 years.
• Gender: For every 100 females, there were about 98 males.
• Housing:

* About 66.4% of homes were owned by the people living in them. * About 33.6% of homes were rented. * Most people (65.5%) lived in homes they owned. * About 34.2% of people lived in rented homes.

Arts and Culture in Tracy

Tracy has some interesting historical buildings that show its past.

Historical Buildings to See

• Tracy City Hall and Jail:

* This building was finished in March 1900. * It was built after the first city hall burned down. * It was the center of local government when Tracy was a new city. * The building is made of brick and is 24 by 43 feet. * It's located at 25 West Seventh Street. * It was built by J.F. Hoerl. * This building is considered very important to Tracy's history.

Tracy City Hall

• The Tracy Inn:

* The Tracy Inn first opened in 1927. * It had 60 rooms on its second floor. * You can still find it at 24 West Eleventh Street. * The building mixes old Spanish Colonial style with modern styles from the 1920s. * It was designed by Slocomhe and Tuttle from Oakland. * In 1949, a fire destroyed the original building plans. * However, the owner was able to rebuild it to look like the original. * The famous sign for the Tracy Inn was replaced in 1945.

Education in Tracy

Tracy has three public school districts. They help educate the city's children.

• Tracy Unified School District: This is the biggest district. It includes many elementary and middle schools. It also has five high schools:

* Tracy High School * Merrill F. West High School * Delta Charter High School * Millennium Charter High School * Tracy Independent Study Charter School * John C. Kimball High School

• Willow Community Day School and Tracy One Program help students with special behavioral needs.
• Lammersville Joint Unified School District: This district has six schools for grades K-8:

* Peter Hansen Elementary * Julius Cordes Elementary * Wicklund Elementary * Bethany Elementary * Questa Elementary * Altamont Elementary * It also includes Mountain House High School, which opened in 2014.

• Jefferson School District: This district serves the south side of Tracy. It has four schools:

* Jefferson Middle School * Tom Hawkins Elementary School * Monticello Elementary School * Anthony C. Traina School

News and Media

Tracy has local news sources to keep people informed.

• The main local newspaper is the Tracy Press. It used to come out daily but is now a once-weekly newspaper.
• Bilingual Weekly News provides news for Tracy in both English and Spanish.

Transportation in Tracy

Tracy has many ways for people to get around, both within the city and to other places.

Public Transportation Options

• Tracer Buses: These are local buses that run seven different routes. They connect important places like transit centers, shopping areas, schools, and downtown.
• San Joaquin Regional Transit District (SJRTD): This service has two routes that connect Tracy to other towns in San Joaquin County. It also has one route for commuters that goes to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.

Tracy Transit Station

• Tracy Transit Center: This is a central station built in 2010. You can connect to Greyhound buses, Tracer, and SJRTD here. It also has taxis, bike stations, and parking.
• Amtrak Thruway Buses: These buses offer six daily trips from Tracy to the South Bay and two to San Francisco. They stop at BART stations and job centers in Livermore.
• Altamont Corridor Express (ACE): This train service is available at the Tracy station in South Tracy. It helps people travel to the Bay Area. You can connect to VTA in San Jose and BART via shuttles in Pleasanton and Fremont. You can also connect to Amtrak trains in Santa Clara and San Jose.
• Valley Link: There are plans for a new passenger train service called Valley Link. It would pass through Tracy and connect directly to BART.
• Regular intercity passenger train service to Tracy ended in 1971.

Major Roads and Highways

• Interstate 205 (I-205): This highway runs along the north side of Tracy. It connects to I-580 to the west and I-5 to the east. These three interstates form a triangle around much of the city.
• Business Loop 205: This road goes through the center of Tracy along 11th Street. It used to be part of U.S. Highway 50.
• California State Route 33 (SR 33): This highway starts southeast of Tracy, at South Bird Road and Interstate 5.

Air Travel

• Tracy Municipal Airport: This airport is south of the city. It's used for smaller, private planes. There are no scheduled airline flights from this airport.

Famous People from Tracy

Many interesting people have connections to Tracy:

• Cody Bolton – A baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Keyshia Cole – A well-known American singer, songwriter, and actress.
• Troy Dayak – A soccer player and coach.
• Nick Eddy – A former NFL football player.
• Gilbert Fuentes – A professional soccer player.
• MC Hammer – A famous American rapper and entertainer.
• Rod Lauren – A singer and actor.
• Thia Megia – A singer who was a finalist on American Idol.
• John Moore – A racing car driver.
• Matt Overton – An active NFL football player for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Bubba Paris – A former NFL football star.
• Steve Perry – The lead singer from the band Journey.
• Ryan Philpott – A racing car driver.
• Richard Pombo – A former United States Representative.
• Saweetie - An American rapper and songwriter.
• Keena Turner – A football star.

Sister Cities

Tracy has special friendships with cities in other countries. These are called "sister cities."

• Memuro, Hokkaido, Japan (since 1989)
• Velas, in the Azores (Portugal)

See also

In Spanish: Tracy (California) para niños