VACAVILLE — Vacaville has always prided itself on being a forward-looking town, as evidenced by its biotech industry, family oriented community with a network of parks and youth programs and a record as one of the safest communities for its size.
City leaders have fought to preserve city services and programs despite an increasingly austere budget, something residents approve of according to recent surveys on public confidence.
People take great pride in the system of parks, bicycle and pedestrian trails, sports fields, the downtown and shopping centers such as The Factory Stores, which draw shoppers from throughout the region.
Vacaville was founded in 1851 by pioneer William McDaniel when he bought part of an 1843 Mexican land grant that was held by Manuel Cabeza Vaca with the promise that McDaniel would name the town Vacaville. The city was incorporated in 1892.
The Mediterranean climate with its hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters spurred the creation of large farms and orchards in Vacaville’s rich soil. That turned the town into a major agricultural center by the 1880s with a national reputation for fine fresh fruits, nuts and other produce.
Vacaville’s most famous restaurant, the Nut Tree, was started in the 1920s as a produce stand located under a large oak next to the main road that linked Sacramento with the San Francisco Bay Area. While the Nut Tree closed in 1996, its legacy is continued in the Nut Tree shopping center.
The city has a reputation for taking considerable pride in its community events such as the Christmas Festival of Trees, which raises money for the town’s homeless shelter; Merriment on Main, which packs the downtown every year; and Fiesta Days, which recently celebrated its 55th anniversary.
Vacaville has a population of 92,428, according to the 2010 Census. The city’s median income is $57,667 per household.
The town has a reputation for being environmentally friendly with a growing number of privately and publicly owned solar arrays and the highest concentration of electric cars in the world, giving it the nickname “Voltageville.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is Vacaville’s biggest employer, thanks to California State Prison Solano and the California Medical Facility. The town is also a center of biotech industry, with firms such as Genetech, Alza and Novartis.
For the sizable population of commuters, Vacaville is equidistant from the Sacramento area and the San Francisco Bay Area, connected to both by Interstate 80, which cuts the town in half.
The hills west of town shelter Vacaville, giving it warm summers with average highs in the upper 90s and mild winters with lows that drop into the mid-30s.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ithompsondr.
Vacaville at a glance
- City Hall: 650 Merchant St.
- Website: http://www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/
- City Manager: Laura Kuhn, 449-5100, [email protected]
- Mayor Steve Hardy: [email protected]. (elected 2010, term expires 2014)
- Councilman Mitch Mashburn: [email protected] (elected 2010, term expires 2014)
- Councilman Curtis Hunt: [email protected] (appointed 2007, term expires 2014)
- Councilman Ron Rowlett: [email protected] (elected 2008. term expires 2012)
- Councilman Dilenna Harris: [email protected] (elected 2008, term expires 2012)
