Joann Beattie makes no apologies.
There are a lot of great things happening in Manteca.
The nearly 2,000 people who move here each year and the private sector that has invested more than $250 million in Manteca since the start of the year in commercial and industrial projects seem to agree as well.
It is why the Manteca Chamber of Commerce that Beattie serves as executive director chose to name their 2020-2021 Manteca Business, Visitors & Community Resources Guide “Great Things are in Manteca.”
The guide is designed to help existing and new residents make the most out of living in Manteca. It also is made available to potential commercial and employment concerns that are looking to expand into areas such as Manteca that have strong growth.
The guide underscores how Manteca is at the epicenter of 1.2 million consumers between Modesto, Stockton, Tracy as well as Manteca, Lathrop and Ripon within a 30-minute drive. It also points out how Manteca has easy access to rail, freeway, air, and even cargo ships that puts it at the heart of the key distribution center for the 18 million strong NorCal Metroplex anchored by San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento.
And the biggest “great” thing to happen to Manteca this year is the 500-room Great Wolf Resort indoor waterpark scheduled to open Dec. 17.
“It is going to have a tremendous impact on Manteca,” Beattie said of Great Wolf.
The $180 million project — the biggest private sector investment in city history — will provide 550 jobs.
Based on 70 percent occupancy, it will bring 500,000 visitors annually to Manteca whose arrival and departure times will be during non-peak commute hours.
The project is generating interest from other concerns such as a brew pub exploring locating in the 120-acre family entertainment zone bookended by Great Wolf and the Big League Dreams sports complex.
Given it is the largest hotel every built in the Great Central Valley that stretches from Redding to Bakersfield, its high-profile location on the 120 Bypass leading to Yosemite National Park is likely to give the city significantly more name recognition that the Manteca Waterslides did in their heyday.
In terms of great things, the guide touches on:
*The 116,641-square-foot Living Spaces furniture showroom under construction at Union Road and Atherton Drive.
*Next Wednesday’s opening of California’s first diverging diamond interchange at Union Road and the 120 Bypass.
*Big League Dreams sports complex that has consistently drawn 500,000 people a year with tournaments booked every weekend before the pandemic hit.
*The city’s innovative food waste to fuel program now in its first full year of operation powering solid waste collection trucks.
*The face Manteca is now among a handful of cities under 200,000 with two Tesla Supercharging stations after the Target location on Spreckels Avenue joined the location near Bass Pro Shops along the 120 Bypass.
*Ground breaking next fall on a major upgrade to the 120 Bypass and Highway 99 interchange along with a new Austin Road interchange.
*Manteca preparing to start work on building an interchange at McKinley Avenue and the 120 Bypass.
*Altamont Corridor Express service on track to launch passenger service from the downtown Manteca transit center in 2023 to San Jose and Sacramento.
The guide also touches on Manteca’s “great” central location to use as a base to reach popular Northern California destinations such as Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Old Sacramento, the Gold Country, the Delta, San Jose and thee wine countries including the fabled Napa Valley.
It lists local attractions such as the city’s 18-hole golf course, Bass Pro Shops, the Spreckels Park BMX Park, the 48-lane Bowlero Bowling Center, well-drained and lighted soccer fields that also host numerous NorCal tournaments, BLD, and Caswell State Park.
Manteca’s unparalleled transportation system for distribution centers and manufacturers is also described. Making Manteca and nearby communities such Lathrop, Tracy, and Stockton appealing for employment centers are:
*The Union Pacific Railroad intermodal yard on Manteca’s western border with Lathrop.
*Santa Fe Railroad’s intermodal facility 10 miles northeast of Manteca.
*Stockton Metro Airport 10 miles north of Manteca.
*Port of Stockton 14 miles northwest of Manteca.
*The seven-mile 120 Bypass that connects Interstate 5 and Highway 99.
*Interstate 205 — with a junction just three miles southwest of Manteca on Interstate 5 — that is a major Bay Area connector.
Additional guides are available at the chamber’s office at 183 W. North St, Suite 6. Call (209) 823-6121 for more details.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
