Manteca’s growing attraction as a retirement destination for active seniors played a big role in pushing the city’s population mark to 68,136 in 2011.

The city has forwarded information to the Department of Finance noting that 340 net additional housing units were built last year in Manteca. That includes 294 single family homes and 52 apartment units that were built and six single family homes that were demolished.

Almost one out of every three new homes sold in Manteca in 2011 were in Del Webb at Woodbridge. The active retirement community caters to those 55 and older. Several new home builders – especially Atherton Homes at the adjacent Union Ranch – report a large chunk of their sales are to those initially interested in Del Webb but end up buying homes in other new neighborhood projects.

City officials use the historic housing yield of three people per dwelling to project that Manteca’s population grew by 1,040 residents in 2011. Added to the 2010 Census figure of 67,096 that means Manteca now has 68,136 residents.

Manteca’s population has expanded by 38.3 percent since April 2010 when the city had 49,258 residents.

For the past three years Manteca has grown an average of 1,000 residents a year. That means by 2013 Manteca could reach 70,000 residents.

Manteca has been adding more than 300 homes a year since 2009 despite the housing crisis.

The city has also led all Northern San Joaquin Valley jurisdictions with the most new homes built and sold annually for the last three years.

In 2009, as an example, Manteca built and sold 304 new homes. That compared to 120 in Stockton, eight in Modesto and six in Tracy.