Until the 1760s, the area that became the city of Tracy was long populated by the Yokuts ethnic group of loosely associated bands of Native Americans and their ancestors.

[12] A number of small communities sprang up along these lines at designated station sites, including one at the junction named for railroad director J. J.

[13] Incorporated in 1911, Tracy grew rapidly and prospered as the center of an agricultural area, even when larger railroad operations began to decline in the 1950s.

An estimated 300,000 people gathered at the speedway infield in an event that was plagued by violence among attendees, many of whom were drunk or drugged.

Artists featured included the British Rolling Stones and the California bands Santana, Jefferson Airplane, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Increased activity was reported by the media in 1972, with the appearance of graffiti spray-painted Nazi swastikas and the words "White Power".

Members handed out flyers printed with "Join the National Socialist White People’s Party" and a Tracy-based post office box mailing address.

The television program 60 Minutes aired a report in 1978 titled "The California Reich" with an interview of a Tracy resident who was a neo-Nazi leader.

Some of this land (in the east and mostly north of Tracy because of the moist Delta river system) has come under increasing development pressure.

[citation needed] Tracy features a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with cool, moist winters and very hot and dry summers, displaying Mediterranean characteristics.

The structure is made of a simple brick building that is 24 by 43 feet in dimension located on 25 West Seventh Street, and was built by J.F.

In the historical resources inventory, the Tracy City Hall and Jail was one of only fourteen buildings to receive and "exceptional" rating.

[26] The Tracy Inn was originally opened in 1927 with a total of 60 rooms on the second floor and is still located on 24 West Eleventh Street.

In 1949, after the ownership changed, the Tracy Inn suffered with a fire that burned the only original blue prints of the building.

[29] The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the Deuel Vocational Institution, a state prison, in unincorporated San Joaquin County, near Tracy.

Amtrak Thruway buses serve the city's bus station to connect the area with six daily trips to the South Bay and two to San Francisco, all of which stop at BART and job centers in Livermore.

South Tracy offers the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) service at Tracy (ACE station), which provides commuter rail transportation to the Bay Area and connects with VTA in San Jose, BART via shuttle in Pleasanton and Fremont, in addition to Amtrak train in Santa Clara and San Jose.

Valley Link is planned to pass through Tracy and provide a passenger rail service connecting directly to BART.

In addition, the northern terminus of State Highway 33 is located at South Bird Road and Interstate 5 southeast of Tracy.