Area Information
Trends & Growth

Location

Manteca is located in the San Joaquin Valley (part of California's Great Central Valley) one hour east of the San Francisco Bay Area and one hour south of Sacramento, the state capitol.  Three freeways traverse the City:  Interstate 5 spanning from Mexico to Canada, Highway 120 linking the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada and foothills to the San Joaquin Valley, and Highway 99 running the entire length of the Great Central Valley.

Historically the attraction to Manteca was influenced by agribusiness.  A combination of great soil, excellent climate and reasonably priced water resulted in a prosperous agricultural center.  The rural lifestyle, abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, thriving community, and quality of life all contributed to Manteca’s attractiveness.  Although agricultural activities and small town flavor are still prevalent, the City is now also recognized for its attraction of new and emerging growth industries.

Population


63,703 people live within the city limits of Manteca as of 1/1/06.  The City’s population growth is significantly outpacing the State of California, as is the growth of other San Joaquin County cities.  The influx of population is primarily the result of choice of lifestyle.

According to a Metropolitan Transportation Commission report, of the over 62,000 San Joaquin County commuters in 2000, almost 50,000 (79.9%) were commuting to a San Francisco Bay Area county for work.  Several surveys have been conducted to determine the characteristics of this commuting population.  The findings indicate that this commuting labor force is highly skilled, educated and willing to work in San Joaquin County and would stop commuting if similar skilled positions were available locally (over 84% according to the Altamont Pass Commuter Survey, 10/00).  These commuters have moved to the San Joaquin Valley for quality of life issues and would prefer to work as well as live here.

The opportunity for communities such as Manteca is to take advantage of the jobs-housing imbalance that exists in the San Francisco Bay Area by promoting business diversity and expanding industrial development opportunities that emphasize improved quality of jobs and pay.  The commuter workforce combined with the existing local workforce creates a labor supply mix that covers the full spectrum of job classifications.  In addition to the local and commuter workforces living in Manteca, the City's central location draws from an even greater labor pool by being only 15 miles from Stockton (1/1/06 pop. 286,041), 15 miles from Tracy (1/1/06 pop. 80,461) and 18 miles from Modesto (1/1/06 pop. 208,107).

Housing

Residential growth in Manteca is both strong and occurring throughout the community in many new housing developments.  The City of Manteca issued 2,926 single-family residential building permits during the last five years (2001-2005).  The newest homes being built generally range from 1,750 to 3,500 square feet and typically cost between $400,000 and $550,000.  There were 1,740 sales of new and existing homes in 2005 with an overall median price of $411,250 and an overall average sales price of $418,645.  The Central Valley has the second lowest median home price of the 20 housing regions in California.  The Central Valley ranks as the fourth most affordable housing region in the state.


Higher Education

There are numerous post-secondary educational opportunities nearby, including Andon College (Stockton), California State University Stanislaus (Stockton campus & main campus in Turlock), Chapman University (Modesto), Heald College (Stockton), Humphreys College & School of Law (Stockton), ITT Technical Institute (Lathrop), Modesto Junior College (Modesto), MTI Business College (Stockton), National University (Stockton), San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton), University of the Pacific (Stockton), and University of Phoenix (Lathrop).  Construction of the newest University of California campus continues in Merced, which is about an hour south of Manteca.  This campus opened in the fall of 2005 to primarily serve Central Valley residents.

Business

With 2,250 acres zoned for industrial uses and a rapidly growing population demanding commercial development, Manteca has become a magnet for industrial and commercial activity.  The City is quickly being discovered by companies looking to relocate or expand their operations by taking advantage of lower operating costs, quality of life amenities, and easy access to all modes of transportation.  Additionally, due to the expanding growth and close proximity of Manteca and the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, companies don't have to sacrifice their market positions when they relocate or expand here.  

Opportunities range from existing industrial facilities, facilities currently under construction, acreage ready to be developed now, and acreage ready to be developed in the future.  Manteca's central and strategic location offers close and convenient access to Interstate 5, Highway 99, Highway 120, Stockton Airport, Port of Stockton, and industrial sites with rail.

In addition to the large amount of land that is readily available for business development, the City of Manteca offers financial incentives to industrial and commercial development projects that create head-of-household jobs, high density of jobs, generation of local tax revenues, and/or superior quality of life amenities.  Up to 100% of the development fees associated with sewer collection, water distribution, storm drainage, and transportation may be reduced under the Manteca Redevelopment Agency's Development Fee Reduction Program.

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