About Tracy

In 1869 the Central Pacific Railroad (now Southern Pacific) completed a rail line through the area which is now known as Tracy. The rail line ran from Sacramento through Stockton then over the Altamont Pass and then by ferry service to San Francisco. Shortly after the line was built, a new town sprung up nine miles from Stockton and became known as Lathrop Junction. Lathrop consisted of a roundhouse, railroad shop, yards and hotels for feeding railroad employees. The community became the center of railroad business and the headquarters for the Central Pacific Railroad in the San Joaquin Valley.

The railroad found it necessary to build a coaling station at the base of the Altamont Pass, just fourteen miles to the west of Lathrop. The new station was called Ellis and by 1870 it had about 45 buildings serving the needs of the railroad and its employees and their families.

In 1878 construction of a new rail line was started from Oakland around the shores of San Francisco Bay, through Martinez to connect to the Central Pacific at a point three miles to the east of Ellis. The line had been built to make possible greater efficiency by avoiding hills and to eliminate the expense of helper engines. The result of the new rail line was the founding of Tracy on September 8, 1878, named for Lathrop J. Tracy, a grain merchant and railroad director in Mansfield, Ohio.

Soon after the establishment of the new line connecting in Tracy, the railroad discontinued the coaling station at Ellis and employees and their families were moved to Lathrop and to the new Tracy station. The town of Ellis moved bag and baggage to Tracy including moving two hotels.

Tracy continued to grow as a railroad center. A new line through Los Banos was the fastest and least expensive way to Los Angeles. In March of 1894 railroad headquarters at Lathrop were moved to Tracy. All of the railroad equipment including engines and buildings were moved. Thus, Tracy's beginning is in fact the story of a railroad.

Tracy was incorporated in 1910 and it grew rapidly after the first irrigation district was established in 1915. Although railroad operations began to decline in the 1950s, Tracy continued to prosper as an agricultural area. Today, the City seal reflects this history of railroads and agriculture.

The City of Tracy has six (6) elected officials. The City Council consists of the Mayor and four (4) Council members and is the City's governing body having primary responsibility for enacting legislation and policies. The City also has an elected City Treasurer.

At the General Municipal Election held on June 5, 1984, two ballot measures were adopted making the office of the Mayor an elective office and setting the term of office at two years.

At the General Municipal Election held on November 4, 2008, a ballot measure was adopted amending the Tracy Municipal Code to add Section 2.04.040 setting a two-term maximum limit for holding office as a City Council Member and a two-term maximum limit for holding office as Mayor. If a person is appointed or elected to fill the remaining term of a Council Member or Mayor, the resulting partial term would count as a full term for the purposes of determining the two year limit. The term limits apply to candidates elected in and after November 2, 2010. The terms held prior to the November 2, 2010 election by Council Members and Mayors shall not be counted in determining the number of terms served.

At the General Municipal Election held on November 2, 2010, a ballot measure was adopted making the office of the City Clerk an appointed rather than an elected office effective in December of 2012.

Mission

We provide the community of Tracy with basic and extended services that offer opportunities for individuals, families and businesses to prosper as they live, work and play in Tracy.

Purpose & Vision

Our purpose is to preserve and improve the quality of life for Tracy so that we become the most prosperous community in California.

Values

The values we operate by daily include:

• Customer Service – We serve our community by providing superior customer service as we work collaboratively to support our common values and vision as we strive to achieve shared goals of our departments and the City of Tracy as a whole.
• Honesty – We nurture an atmosphere of openness, honesty and integrity in our communication and action throughout our organization and with the greater public who we serve.
• Excellence – We meet expectations in the performance of our professional duties and delivery of our services through leadership, innovation, efficiency and follow-through to excellent results and accomplishments.
• Respect – We respect our colleagues and each individual or business of Tracy that we serve in our communications and through the delivery of our services.
• Innovation – We participate in and cultivate a creative and learning environment where each employee has access to continuing education, training and technology to excel in the delivery of outstanding services to the community.
• Stewardship – We utilize the resources entrusted to the City for the benefit of the community of Tracy and in consideration of the environment we wish to preserve for Tracy’s future.
• Hospitality – We maintain a positive and welcoming atmosphere and offer excellent customer service for the diverse community members and businesses that interact with the City of Tracy.

Community Overview

With a population of over 98,000, the City of Tracy is strategically located within a triangle formed by the major interstates I-580, I-205, and I-5. This central location offers easy access to Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose, all just an hour away, and is only a few hours from Los Angeles. Tracy is also well-connected to popular destinations like the Delta, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and the San Francisco Bay.

As one of the fastest growing suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, Tracy has become a key hub for small businesses, national retailers, and restaurants. The city remains committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective services to its residents while fostering future growth in commercial, office, and industrial development. Tracy is poised for continued expansion and success in the years ahead.

View the City of Tracy Fact Sheet(PDF, 1MB)

Visit the City of Tracy Economic Development website

Population

Area