City of Tracy Overview

Named after railroad director J.J. Tracy, the second most populated town in San Joaquin County started up as a Central Pacific Railroad stop between from Stockton to the San Francisco Bay. Today, it’s defined by another mode of transportation, located inside the “triangle” formed by three interstate freeways: the 205, 5 and 580. The city’s Economic Development Division fully embraces this geography with ThinkInsideTheTriangle.com, which pitches the benefits of living, working and learning in this town of 93,000. Sprawl is the issue that dominates the political landscape in Tracy, where even pro-growth politicians argue that construction of huge warehouse complexes and sprawling residential developments has outstripped spending on transportation infrastructure and amenities for residents. This growth contributed to a contentious climate at City Hall, with a revolving door for city managers and a council that was chided by the 2018-2019 San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury for an “open disregard” for Tracy’s council-manager form of government. There has been significant turnover on the council since that report, but notably there was a tussle over firing a city manager as recently as May of 2023.