Lathrop, California
Lathrop is a city located south of Stockton in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The 2010 United States Census reported Lathrop's population was 18,023. The city is located in the San Joaquin Valley in Northern California at the intersection of Interstate 5 and SR 120.
History
Lathrop was platted when the transcontinental railroad was extended to that point around 1868. A post office has been in operation at Lathrop since 1871. The city was named for Jane Stanford, née Lathrop, wife of Leland Stanford.On September 6, 1869, four months after the golden spike ceremony of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, the San Joaquin River Bridge at Mossdale crossing at Lathrop was finished by Western Pacific. This actually completed the last link of the transcontinental railroad to the Pacific coast with the first through train from Sacramento arriving that evening at the Alameda Wharf in San Francisco Bay.
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, 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.
Geography
Lathrop is located at . The San Joaquin River is on the west side of Lathrop and has elevation of 20 feet.Neighboring towns include Manteca, Ripon, French Camp, and Tracy.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of, of it land, and of it water.
Government
The mayor of Lathrop is Sonny Dhaliwal. The current city council consists of Mayor Dhaliwal, Vice-Mayor Paul Akinjo, Councilmember Martha Salcedo, Councilmember Steve Dresser, and Councilmember Mark Elliot.Lathrop is represented in the California State Assembly by Assemblymember.
Public transportation
The City of Lathrop is served by The San Joaquin Regional Transit District and the Altamont Commuter Express commuter rail train at Lathrop/Manteca station.Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Lathrop had a population of 18,023. The population density was 782.5 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Lathrop was 7,410 White, 1,300 African American, 231 Native American, 3,968 Asian, 144 Pacific Islander, 3,735 from other races, and 1,235 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,674 persons.The Census reported that 18,011 people lived in households, 6 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6 were institutionalized.
There were 4,782 households, out of which 2,738 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,973 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 719 had a female householder with no husband present, 379 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 376 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 35 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 484 households were made up of individuals, and 128 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.77. There were 4,071 families ; the average family size was 3.99.
The population was spread out, with 5,819 people under the age of 18, 1,814 people aged 18 to 24, 5,324 people aged 25 to 44, 3,897 people aged 45 to 64, and 1,169 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
There were 5,261 housing units at an average density of 228.4 per square mile, of which 3,604 were owner-occupied, and 1,178 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 13,191 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,820 people lived in rental housing units.
Sister city
Lathrop participates in the Sister City program and is tied to Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.Economy
According to the City's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of employees |
| 1 | California Natural Products | 500 |
| 2 | Super Store Industries | 500 |
| 3 | Diamond Pet Foods Inc | 500 |
| 4 | Swiss American Sausage Co | 250 |
| 5 | J R Simplot Co | 250 |
| 6 | Pilkington North America Inc | 250 |
| 7 | CBC Steel Buildings | 250 |
| 8 | The Home Depot | 250 |
| 9 | Food 4 Less | 250 |
| 10 | Target | 250 |
| 11 | Smart Refrigerated Transport | 250 |
| 12 | Engeo Inc | 250 |
| 13 | Pflug packaging | 250 |
| 14 | In-N-Out Burger | 250 |
| 15 | Boral Roofing | 100 |
Economic potential
The City of Lathrop has a seven-mile 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 radius.
In April 2014, electric car maker Tesla Motors announced that it would be opening a factory in Lathrop, in a 430,000 sq-ft facility that was once a DaimlerChrysler distribution center. The Tesla website showed 34 positions it was looking to fill to start.