EDITOR,

I am writing on behalf of the town Tracy.

I have been in Tracy for 42 years. I came from Stockton, where I raised my family. Then moved to Tracy.

At the time it was 1974 — population about 14,000, 15,000. Nothing really. There were a few taverns along 11th Street — a good night club across from the Tracy Inn, then down a ways was the diner, the Horseshoe. There was other restaurant on MacArthur Drive and 11th Street. Tracy had two grocery stores, Safeway and Fairmart Market.

Nothing along Tracy Boulevard until McDonald’s and Denny’s came along. Then came John Silver’s and gas stations — progress was beginning to start.

Then along came, on 11th Street, our shopping centers.

Then out on Naglee Road, along came our mall.

I’d take a ride out in the country, and what I would see was more houses being built, more grocery stores. Just more progress.

Mountain House — I remember when it was all country, tomato fields, fruit trees. It all is gone now. In their place is a school named after one of our doctors. Yes, as my husband William would have said, that’s progress.

He is no longer here to watch our town keep growing. But he used to tell me many stories of our town that back in his day he called Poker City.

Yes, Tracy has changed. But still, to me, is my town. I will remain here as long as I can.