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History · Tracy

Tracy dates to 1872

Most of Tracy was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1900.

1872founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Tracy began

When was Tracy founded?

1872

Tracy dates its founding to 1872 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 209 in 19002020 census: 269154 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tracy’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Tracy are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19104 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1975. Watch Tracy change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tracy’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tracy’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Tracy on the map, 1910 to 1975

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tracy. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tracy on the 1910 USGS mapTracy on the 1951 USGS mapTracy on the 1961 USGS mapTracy on the 1975 USGS map1910Leavenworth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tracy.

The story

How Tracy came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tracy.

Read it all →

Tracy was laid out in 1872, and named for J. W. Tracey, a superintendent of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. A post office called Tracy has been in operation since 1882.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tracy, 1872 to 1978

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872
    FoundingTracy is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Tracy post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1916Born hereMurry Dickson is born here
  7. 1978Post officeThe Tracy post office closes
By decade

Tracy, decade by decade

Today2 recent
TracyMo2025TracyMoMOMap-doton-Tracy2004MOMap-doton-Tracy
People over time

Tracy, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 310

Between 169 and 310 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tracy’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Tracy had its own post office from 1882 to 1978.

Tracy
1882–1978
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Tracy’s history

What year was Tracy founded?

In 1872, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Tracy’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1900 counted 209 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.