Manteca-Lathrop when it comes to commerce and housing growth are the dynamic duo.
The two cities are at the crossroads of the 18 million consumer strong Northern California metroplex triangle anchored by San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
Lathrop with 32,000 residents was California’s fastest growing city in 2021 while Manteca with 90,000 residents was the third fastest growing city.
Given the fact the two cities a common municipal boundary, the same school district, and have overlapping economic interests it is understandable that the Manteca Chamber of Commerce has stepped up its efforts to promote business, tourism and community opportunities in Lathrop as s=well as Manteca.
The just released 2023 Business, Visitors, & Community Resource Guide features the new Manteca chamber logo that added the working “Serving Manteca, Lathrop & Surrounding Communities.”
The chamber is now 320 members strong.
The new business guide lists the advantages of doing business, locating distribution centers, living, and visiting the two cities:
*Manteca and Lathrop, have a combined population of 120,000.
*Manteca-Lathrop has 22,000 housing units in various stages pf the development pipeline. Last year, the two cities added 1,500 housing units
*River Islands at Lathrop is the largest planned community in Northern California with almost a fifth of the planned 15,001 housing units already built.
*The 500-room Great Wolf Resort in Manteca features the largest hotel in the Central Valley as well as the largest indoor water park between Anaheim and Seattle.
*Manteca is home to a 1,407-home Del Webb community. Ground breaks in 2023 on the 900-home Del Webb community at River Islands at Lathrop.
*Manteca-Lathrop sits at the crossroads of the Northern California Metroplex with 18 million plus consumers within a 100-mile radius.
“Manteca-Lathrop is 73 miles by freeway to San Jose.
*Manteca-Lathrop is 76 miles by freeway to San Francisco
*Manteca-Lathrop is 59 miles by freeway to Sacramento
*Manteca-Lathrop is 111 miles by freeway to Fresno.
*Manteca-Lathrop is 90 miles to Yosemite National Park.
*Union Pacific’s Northern California intermodal yard is sandwiched between Manteca and Lathrop.
*Santa Fe Railroad’s Northern California intermodal yard is 10 miles northeast of Manteca.
*Stockton Metro Airport — that has six Amazon prime flights daily as well as connecting passenger air service to Los Angeles International among other carriers — is a 10-minute drive from Manteca and Lathrop via Airport Way.
*The Port of Stockton — California’s eastern most seaport — is 30 minutes away from Manteca-Lathrop.
*Interstate 5 — the only Mexico to Canada intestate in the nation — passes through Lathrop-Manteca and allows access to a Pacific Coast market in excess of 55 million consumers within 20 hours.
*Highway 99 — California’s freeway of commerce moving farm products and other goods to markets nationally — passes through Manteca-Lathrop.
*Interstate 5-Highhay 99 are connected by the six-mile 120 Bypass that has its entire route through Manteca-Lathrop.
*Interstate 205 — the main route to the Bay Area for the movement of goods and commuters — starts on Interstate 5 in Lathrop.
*Altamont Corridor Express commuter trains run from Lathrop-Manteca to San Jose. ACE service starts in 2023 fromdowntown Manteca as well to Sacramento and San Jose.
*Lathrop is targeted to be the NorCal passenger rail transfer point for ACE, Valley Link expected to connect Lathrop-Manteca with BART in Dublin-Pleasanton starting in 2028.
*Manteca Unified School District that serves Manteca and Lathrop north of the San Joaquin River is in the process of a $300 million plus modernization and expansion of its campuses.
*Banta Unified is in the process of building a high school at River Islands at Lathrop.
You will find a wide variety of firms that have located in the two communities including Tesla, Ford Motor Parts, In-n-Out Burger, Home Depot, Penske Logistics/Lowe’s Home Improvement, 5.11 Tactical, Medline, Amazon, Wayfair, Millard Refrigeration Services, Ghirardelli Chocolate, United Parcel Service, and many other concerns.
Between the two there is more than 4 million square feet of distribution style business park space either under construction, just completed, or moving toward groundbreaking including several projects deigned for specific tenants that have already been lined up.
It’s little wonder given the location of Manteca-Lathrop not just to the megaregion consumers but to an unparalleled transportation system that includes two intermodal railroad yards — Union Pacific sandwiched between the two cities and Santa Fe just to the northeast of Manteca — Stockton Metro Airport, Port of Stockton, Interstate 5, Highway 99, Interstate 205 and Highway 120.
And that transportation system is about to get better.
Work is now underway adding an interchange on the 120 Bypass at McKinley Avenue that gives access to the two cities — Manteca’s growing family entertainment zone bookended by the Big League Dreams Sports Complex and the 500-room Great Wolf Indoor Water Park as well as major business park now being built in Lathrop.
In fall of 2023, work is starting on a three-phase $157 million upgrade of the Highway 99/120 Bypass interchange that will also include a new Austin Road interchange to open up access to a future 1,080-acre business park project.
Altamont Corridor Express commuter train service is expanding in 2023.
ACE trains, that have run for years to San Jose from Lathrop/Manteca will start running from as far south as Ceres including new stops in downtown Manteca and nearby Ripon with added commuter train service to Sacramento.
Work is going forward on a major transfer point for ACE as well as the Valley Link system moving toward 2028 service to connect Lathrop with the Pleasanton/Dublin BART station. That transfer station is in eastern Lathrop with a half mile of its city limits with Manteca.
Manteca was chosen for the original Northern California Bass Pro Shops due to its ideal location to snag consumers willing to travel up to 100 miles for specialty shopping. Manteca is also ideally situated for the submarket of the growing Northern San Joaquin Valley region which is why Living Spaces opened up a massive showroom in Manteca last year.
The location is also what drew Big League Dreams as well as Great Wolf to Manteca.
That said, Manteca-Lathrop are coming into their own.
Lathrop is home to the largest planned community in Northern California — River Islands at Lathrop. It ultimately will nave 15,001 housing units ringed by an 18-mile greenbelt that will provide unmatched recreational opportunities along the San Joaquín River and adding waterways. Some 3,000 homes have been sold so far.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
