Lathrop has the Mossdale bridge.

Ripon has its almond blossoms and twin water towers.

Modesto has its arch.

Manteca has its. . . .

It’s what?

Manteca’s elected leaders, off and on, for the past 30 years or so have been looking for something that represents Manteca.

An iconic point of community pride, if you will.

Would that be pumpkins? Watermelons?

Some say the water tower.

With all due respect, the Manteca water tower adorned with its plain Jane black lettering isn’t in the same league as the Kingsburg water tower modified to look like a giant teapot. Heck, it doesn’t have the appeal of the gigantic Ripon water towers.

At one point a few years back, Manteca’s leaders discussed an idea then Mayor Ben Cantu floated about exploring public art in the form of statues around Manteca to serve as a community focal point.

One particular statue suggestion was a “nuclear” family walking together.

The rationale was clear. Manteca touts itself as the Family City, so therefore it would serve as a rallying point for the community and symbolize Manteca to the world.

Long story short, the idea imploded.

It was attacked by some as being non-inclusive.

It was dismissed as excluding families headed by same-sex parents, marginalizing singles, and not representing ethnic diversity for starters.

Now let’s get to what might be called Manteca’s Wizard of Oz moment.

Take a closer look at downtown.

There are three dozen stunning pieces of public art called murals.

There is an iconic brick and steel transit center with a clock tower that channels Grand Central Station, Manteca style. It includes the city’s largest American flag.

There is a unique water play feature depicting Manteca’s culture and history that — if the city bothered to fix it — is a unique gem in its one-of-a-kind design.

Manteca has stylish street light standards with touches such as pavers and street furniture.

There is an elegant event center complete with stylish rooftop terrace dining.

And there is more. Ethnic stores, a comedy club, and a brewery for starters.

You can also toss in the placement of 2,400 flags along the city’s two main streets that cross in the heart of downtown.

Add in the Gulliver’s Travelers style Adirondack chair, a community garden that is rapidly becoming a community park, Library Park with its stately sycamore trees plus the other things in the works including flower pots hanging from the Tidewater-style street lights that are in the way,

Close your eyes, click your heels together, and repeat three times, “there is no place like home, there is no place like to home, there is no place like home.”

Manteca’s iconic identify is downtown.

Yes, Manteca’s much maligned downtown.

It isn’t Livermore. It isn’t Lodi. It’s isn’t Pleasanton. It isn’t Turlock.

It’s Manteca.

And that is the point.

It is Manteca.

And there are plenty of iconic buildings that are over, or approaching, a century in age. That includes the likes of the IOOF Hall (Bedquarters), Tipton’s Stationary, the Legion Hall. The Veranda, the Old City Hall, and the two-story building on the northeast corner of Yosemite and Main.

It’s time Manteca drew more attention to downtown and what it is on its way to becoming as the community grows.

It is why the proposed arch might make sense as the unifying factor to make it downtown.

Keep in mind downtown is also where Manteca’s biggest community celebrations take place: The twilight Christmas parade, the Watermelon Festival, and the Pumpkin Fair.

The arch is touted as an entry arch.

But it is more than that.

It’s location to the south of the train tracks in South Main Street to the animal shelter is a two-way mirror.

Heading north, you enter what has been the heart of Manteca for the last 100 years.

Heading south, you enter what will be an expansion of that heart as the city takes steps to develop the largest remaining parcel in the central district.

The 600 block of South Main Street is where the new police department is being built. And on the remaining land is where the city may pursue a library/performing arts venue/community center.

The area between that parcel and the tracks includes parts of the Manteca Industrial Park that as the city grows stands as a likely candidate for revitalization to expand the city’s core.

The arch is also within a half block of where Moffat T-intersects with Main Street with the transit center on the corner.

Within a quarter mile of that point will be the platform to serve Manteca’s coming passenger service to San Jose and Sacramento.

Moffat also serves as the front of Manteca High that is in the midst an $80 million transformation.

Main Street is still the premier north-south corridor.

Just a block away is the Yosemite corridor that ties Manteca’s commercial centers on the east and west together by passing through downtown.

And Moffat, with the work now underway in connection with the 120 Bypass/99 connector project, will become the clear southern entrance to the city once again and the main connection for downtown with Manteca’s existing and future growth in the southeast portion of the city.

The added touch of various LED color lighting options can allow the arch to dovetail into the placement of the flags on the 11 days they are placed out to mark days that are uniquely American on the calendar.

It could be orange for the Pumpkin Fair, red and green for Christmas, red and white for Valentine’ Day — you get the picture.

Is it worth the investment?

It is if it finally helps people realize there is a here in Manteca and it’s in downtown.

It can, if done right, be a source of community pride by shining lights — as colorful as they may be — on what is unique about Manteca.

We have a downtown that has never gone to the wayside, still is a vibrant commercial center based on no less than seven banking and financial institutions, and is slowly but surely creating a place to meet, celebrate, and socialize that reflects the mid-21st century lifestyle

Symbols are important.

An arch — done right — could serve as a sign to visitors and residents how vibrant downtown is.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com