# Lathrop, California

Lathrop (/ˈleɪθrəp/, LAY-thrəp) is a city located 10 miles (16 km) south of Stockton in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The 2020 census reported that Lathrop's population was 28,701. The city is located in Northern California at the intersection of Interstate 5 and California State Route 120, in the San Joaquin Valley.

## History

Lathrop was developed around railroad interests. The town was founded around 1868 when the first transcontinental railroad was extended to the area after a dispute between the president of the Central Pacific Railroad, Leland Stanford, and the City of Stockton. The two parties had struck a right-of-way agreement to build a railroad through Stockton, but when city officials delayed in deciding where the alignment should go, Stanford decided to instead build the railroad around Stockton and set up a new town along the route.
The new town was platted into 16 subdivisions around the site of a train depot named Wilson's Station at a wye built for switching train cars. A merchant store and schoolhouse were built soon after. In 1869, the area was renamed in honor of the family of Leland Stanford's wife, Jane Stanford (née Lathrop), and her brother, Charles Lathrop, who worked for Leland as an engineer at Central Pacific.
On September 6, 1869, four months after the golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, the San Joaquin Railroad Bridge at Mossdale Crossing in Lathrop was finished by Western Pacific. This completed the last westbound link of the transcontinental railroad to the Pacific coast, with the first through train arriving that evening, making Lathrop an important division point and rail stop. In 1871, a post office opened in Lathrop. That same year, the railroad built a hotel for $50,000 called Hotel Lathrop, said to be one of the largest in the state of California at the time.
Throughout the 1870s, Lathrop was an important rail stop for the transcontinental railroad. This generated steady growth in the area, with the population increasing to about 600 by 1879.
In February 1886, the railroad's hotel caught fire and was destroyed. That, along with the railroad deciding to move its roundhouse and machine shops to nearby Tracy, California around the same time, caused Lathrop to enter into a period of economic and population decline until World War I.
On August 14, 1889, former Chief Justice of California David S. Terry assaulted United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field, at the train station in Lathrop. Field's bodyguard, United States Marshal David Neagle (formerly assigned to Tombstone, Arizona), shot and killed Terry. The events led to the United States Supreme Court decision In re Neagle, which granted immunity from state prosecution to federal officers acting within the scope of their federal authority.
During the 1940s, Lathrop expanded from its original townsite to an area of about five square miles. Following World War II, housing tracts were built and several large industrial employers moved there. Residential growth slowed during the 1950s and 1960s, but picked up again in the subsequent decades, doubling in population to 2,137 in 1970 and reaching 6,841 by 1990.
Lathrop was incorporated in 1989, and its first General Plan adopted in 1991.

## Geography

The San Joaquin River cuts through the middle of Lathrop, the Old River (California) on the west side, and has elevation of 20 feet (7 m).
Neighboring cities and towns include Stockton, Manteca, Ripon, French Camp, and Tracy.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 23.0 square miles (60 km$^2$) of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km$^2$) (4.79%) is covered by water.

## Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Lathrop had a population of 18,023. The population density was 782.5 inhabitants per square mile (302.1/km$^2$). The racial makeup of Lathrop was 7,410 (41.1%) White, 1,300 (7.2%) African American, 231 (1.3%) Native American, 3,968 (22.0%) Asian (mostly Filipino), 144 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 3,735 (20.7%) from other races, and 1,235 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7,674 persons (42.6%).
The census reported that 18,011 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 6 (<0.1%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 6 (<0.1%) were institutionalized.
Of the 4,782 households, 2,738 (57.3%) had children under 18 living in them, 2,973 (62.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 719 (15.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 379 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present; 376 (7.9%) were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 35 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 10.1% of households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.77. The average family size was 3.99.
The age distribution was 5,819 people (32.3%) under 18, 1,814 people (10.1%) 18 to 24, 5,324 people (29.5%) 25 to 44, 3,897 people (21.6%) 45 to 64, and 1,169 people (6.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The 5,261 housing units had an average density of 228.4/sq mi (88.2/km$^2$), of which 3,604 (75.4%) were owner-occupied, and 1,178 (24.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%, and 13,191 people (73.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units with 4,820 people (26.7%) in rental housing units.

## Economy

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of employees |
| 1 | Tesla, Inc. | 3,000 |
| 2 | United Parcel Service | 1,500 |
| 3 | Pflug Packaging | 450 |
| 4 | Army & Air Force Exchange Service | 400 |
| 5 | Wayfair | 400 |
| 6 | Super Store Industries | 375 |
| 7 | California Natural Products | 375 |
| 8 | Simwon America | 336 |
| 9 | Manteca Unified School District | 333 |
| 10 | CBC Steel Buildings | 203 |

### Economic potential

The City of Lathrop has a seven-mile (11 km) radius population of 105,893 with an average household income of $63,072.
Lathrop is centered between the Stockton and Tracy submarkets – both within a 20-mile (32 km) radius.
In April 2014, electric car maker Tesla announced that it would be opening a warehouse in Lathrop, in a 430,000 sq ft (40,000 m$^2$) building that was once a Chrysler distribution center. The company also operates a factory assembling Tesla Megapack lithium-ion battery containers in the former J.C. Penney distribution center, and has become Lathrop’s largest employer.

### Large developments

Mossdale Village, located west of I-5 and east of the San Joaquin River, consists of 2375 units and has historical significance. The development abuts, and is named after, the site of the San Joaquin Railroad Bridge at Mossdale crossing, which was the final link to the Pacific coast for the Transcontinental Railroad, actually completed on September 6, 1869, four months after the official celebration and driving of the golden spike at Promontory Utah. California State Historical Marker number 781-7 is at Mossdale Crossing Park.
Stanford Crossing, located west of the I-5 freeway and east of the San Joaquin River, is a master planned community consisting of 2167 lots. It was conceived as part of the Central Lathrop Specific Plan (CLSP), adopted on November 9, 2004, to develop “a vibrant and livable community” across approximately 1,521 acres (616 ha) in Central Lathrop. The community’s name pays homage to Leland Stanford, and his role in the completion of the transcontinental railroad at nearby Mossdale Crossing. A 4.13-acre park (1.67 ha) developed in the neighborhood was also subsequently named Leland and Jane Stanford Park, after the family who helped found Lathrop.
In addition to the residential, parks and other community allotments, the CLSP also designated land usage near to Stanford Crossing for what became the Lathrop Generations Center and Lathrop High School.

## Government

The Mayor of Lathrop is Paul Akinjo. The current city council consists of Mayor Paul Akinjo, Vice-Mayor Jennifer Torres-O'Callaghan, Councilmember Diane Lazard, Councilmember Minnie Diallo, and Councilmember Steve Dresser.
Lathrop is represented in the California State Assembly by Assemblymember Damon Connolly and California State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman.

## Education

Manteca Unified School District serves the City of Lathrop with the exception of the River Islands development on the west side of Interstate 5, which is served by Public Charter Schools under Banta Unified School District.

### Elementary schools

Manteca Unified School District serves the Lathrop community with three elementary schools, Joseph Widmer Jr, Lathrop School, and Mossdale School. Residents of the River Islands development are served by three public chartered elementary schools under Banta Unified School District.

### High schools

Lathrop High School, under Manteca Unified School District, was the first secondary school in Lathrop; it opened in 2008. Lathrop High features the Spartan band which has performed at Cal Band Day at Cal Berkeley. The Spartan music program includes concert band, symphonic band, marching band, and drum line.
A second high school, River Islands High School, opened in 2024 as part of the Banta Unified School District.

## Transportation

The City of Lathrop is served by the San Joaquin Regional Transit District and the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail train at Lathrop/Manteca station.

## Sister cities

* Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines