Vacaville, California, United States

🇺🇸 Vacaville is a city located in Solano County, California. Sitting about 35 miles (56 km) from Sacramento and 55 miles (89 km) from San Francisco, it is on the edge of the Sacramento Valley in Northern California. The city was founded in 1851 and is named after Juan Manuel Vaca.

Vacaville is the third-largest city in Solano County. Other nearby cities include Fairfield, Suisun City, Dixon, Rio Vista, Vallejo, Benicia, and Napa.

History Prior to European contact, the indigenous Patwin tribe lived in the area with the Ululato tribelet establishing a chiefdom around the Ululato village in what is now downtown Vacaville along the Ulatis Creek.

The early settler pioneers of the land were Juan Manuel Cabeza Vaca and Juan Felipe Peña, who were awarded a 44,000-acre (18,000 ha) Mexican land grant in 1842. The same year, Vaca and Peña's families settled in the area of Lagoon Valley. Peña's Adobe home is the oldest standing building, built in 1842.

Discussions for the sale of a portion of land to William McDaniel began in August 1850. A written agreement was signed on December 13, 1851, forming a township, nine square miles of land were deeded to William McDaniel for $3,000, and the original city plans were laid out from that. In the agreement, McDaniel's would name the new town after Juan Manuel Cabeza Vaca.

In 1880, Leonard Buck created the California Fruit Shipping Association, and the L.W. and F.H. Buck Company, an early company auctioning fruit in the state, and Vacaville was soon home to many large produce companies and local farms, which flourished due to the Vaca Valley's rich soil.

It officially became a city in 1892.

In 1885, the first grade school built was Ulatis School. In 1898, the town's first high school was built, Vacaville Union High School.

In 1968, the Vacaville Heritage Council was established.

In August 2020, parts of Vacaville were evacuated due to the Hennessey Fire, which resulted in the burning of over 315,000 acres (127,476 ha) in five counties, including in Vacaville, where farms and homes were destroyed.

On August 29, 2022, a truck transporting tomatoes crashed on Interstate 80 in Vacaville, injuring four, splattering over 150,000 of the tomatoes onto the eastbound section of the freeway, and significantly delaying eastbound traffic for hours. The peculiarity of the freeway accident subsequently resulted in international news coverage.

Geography Vacaville is surrounded by the Vaca Mountains to the south and to the west and the Sacramento Valley to the north and to the east.

A number of rare and endangered species occur in the Vacaville area. Endangered plants, which have historically occurred in the vernal pool areas in and around Vacaville include Legenre limosa, Plagiobothrys hystriculus, Downingia humilis, Contra Costa goldfields (Lasthenia conjugens), and showy Indian clover (Trifolium amoenum). To this day Trifolium amoenum can still be found in Lagoon Valley Regional Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.6 square miles (74 km²), of which 0.74% is covered by water. Excluding the Putah South Canal and minor local creeks, the only significant body of water within the city is the 105-acre (0.42 km²) Lagoon Valley Lake.

The unincorporated communities of Allendale and Elmira are generally considered to be part of "greater" Vacaville.

Economy According to the city of Vacaville, in 2019/2020, median household income was $82,513, which was 39% above the national average and 19% higher than the state average.

In 2007, the median income for a family was $63,950. Also in 2007, males had a median income of $43,527 versus $31,748 for females and per capita income for the city was $21,557. About 6.1% of the population and 4.3% of families lived below the poverty line. Of the total population, 7.4% of those under 18 and 4.8% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line.

Economy: Industry Biotechnology/pharmaceutical facilities are operated by Genentech, ALZA Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, and Novartis International AG. On May 14, 2014, ICON Aircraft announced they would consolidate all company functions in a new 140,000-square-foot facility in Vacaville. Two state prisons are located in Vacaville: California State Prison, Solano and California Medical Facility. The latter houses inmates undergoing medical treatments. On June 1, 2023, Roche announced that it was looking to sell its 800-employee drug manufacturing plant in Vacaville, California, or shut down the factory by 2029.

Economy: Top employers According to a recent Financial Report, the top employers in Vacaville (excluding government agencies) are: 1 Kaiser Permanente; 2 Amazon; 3 Genentech; 4 Blue Mountain Construction Services, Inc.; 5 Mariani Packing Co., Inc.; 6 Simonton Windows; 7 M&G Duravent, Inc.; 8 Costco; 9 Alza; 10 Walmart.

Public agencies also constitute major employers; however, the city does not include them in its financial reports because they do not collect employee information through the business license renewal process. Major public employers in Vacaville include the California State Department of Corrections, Vacaville Unified School District, the State Compensation Insurance Fund, and the City of Vacaville.

Arts and culture Between 1992 and 1995, local artist Guillermo Wagner Granizo installed 20 outdoor ceramic-tile murals, set into three freestanding walls near City Hall, entitled, "Vacaville Centennial". The murals depict various aspects of the history of the city of Vacaville, including the early pioneers Juan Manuel Vaca, Juan Felipe Peña, and William McDaniel, the early fruit industry, the first schools, Peña Adobe Park, the Nut Tree (a 1920s roadside fruit and nut stand), various parades, the annual tree lighting ceremony, "Hamburger Hill", and the factory outlet stores, among others.

The city includes several historic buildings and places, including Peña Adobe, Will H. Buck House, Pleasants Ranch, and Vacaville Town Hall.

The Vacaville Cultural Center, located at the south-east corner of Allison Drive and Ulatis Drive, houses a regional library, the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, an outdoor garden, and rentable event space.

The city's libraries are operated by Solano County Library. The Vacaville Town Square Library is located within downtown, north of Main Street and east of Dobbins Road. The Vacaville Cultural Center Library is located within the Cultural Center facility at the south-east corner of Allison Drive and Ulatis Drive.

The Vacaville Art Gallery, located north of Andrews Park along East Monte Vista Avenue, provides exhibitions for local artists and community members.

Tourist Industry The city holds an annual Vacaville Fiesta Days celebration downtown, including a parade that features the public-school marching bands, gymnasts, and an electric car showcase, among other things. Other sites for tourists include the Vacaville Premium Outlets and the Nut Tree, which is home to a train for children, a carousel, and a life-size chessboard, as well as numerous stores and dining establishments. Every Friday during the summer, the city holds the CreekWalk Concert Series in downtown Vacaville. Every December, the city holds a Festival of Trees in the ice skating rink and the Tree Lighting Ceremony, in which residents gather downtown to see a 50-foot (15 m) tree illuminate and enjoy festive music played by the Jepson Band, hot chocolate, and horse-drawn carriage rides. The Jimmy Doolittle Center at the Nut Tree Airport displays aircraft from as early as 1912 and is home to the Jimmy Doolittle Shell Lockheed Vega. Displays also include personal items of General Doolittle and items related to the Doolittle Raid of 1942.

Centennial Park Centennial Park is a 265-acre community park located at the intersection of Allison Drive and Browns Valley Parkway in northern Vacaville. Currently, the park includes four baseball fields; four tennis courts; five soccer fields used by the Vacaville United Soccer Club (VUSC); trails for walking, running, hiking, and biking; and off-leash areas for dogs. The city, in collaboration with the Solano Resource Conservation District, also provides an interpretive walk in both English and Spanish within the park. The Centennial Park Interpretive Walk is divided into ten panels: wetlands and beavers; park history; reptiles and amphibians; native shrubs; riparian corridors and riparian trees; bird boxes; naturally-occurring wildflowers; off-leash dogs; birds; and native understory plants.

The southern portion of the park formerly served as the city's dump, sewer treatment plant, and evaporation ponds throughout the 1900s. The northern portion of the park was used for farming. In 1980, the Vacaville Redevelopment Agency purchased the northern portion of the park for additional parkland. Due to the area's historical land uses, much of the park was in need of restoration to support vegetation and recreation. Amenities, including ballfields, tennis courts, soccer fields, and trails, were added at the southern portion of the park in the late 1990s. With the help of CalFire grants and the Solano Resource Conservation District, riparian and wetland vegetation has been restored in parts of the park.

The city is currently working on the Centennial Park Master Plan to plan for the future of the park. The draft master plan envisions three activity zones: (1) the active recreation zone; (2) the creekside discovery zone; and (3) the nature exploration zone. Future amenities in the park could include a new community recreation centre, a playground, an event pavilion, community orchards, pickleball courts, basketball courts, a splash pad, a skate park, an RC car track, a bike skills course, picnic areas, and expanded trails.

Graham Aquatic Center The Graham Aquatic Center, located at the Three Oaks Community Center along Alamo Drive, is a community aquatics facility. The facility houses two waterslides, diving boards, lap lanes, barbecue areas, a playground, and a children's activity area.

L

agoon Valley Park Lagoon Valley Park is a 306-acre regional park located in south-western Vacaville within Lagoon Valley. The park is centered around a 100-acre lagoon, which can be used for non-motorized boating. Amenities within the park include a 27-hole disc golf course; trails for walking, hiking, and biking; an outdoor archery range; an electric model flying field; a 30,000 square foot dog park; horseshoe pits; and picnic tables. Restroom facilities are available.

The park also houses the Peña Adobe Historical Area, which includes the historic Peña Adobe home and the Mowers-Goheen Museum.

Neighborhood parks The city also has a number of neighborhood parks, as listed below: • Al Patch Park • Alamo Creek Park • Andrews Park • Arbor Oaks Park • Arlington Park • Beelard Park • Browns Valley Park • Cambridge Park • Canon Station Park • City Hall Park • Cooper School Park • Corderos Park • Creekside Park • Dreamers Park • Hawkins Park • Keating Park • Larsen Park • Little Oak Park • Magnolia Park • Meadowlands Park • Nashe Mesto Park • Nelson Park • Normandy Meadows • North Orchard Park • Padan Park • Patwin Park • Pheasant Country Park • Play-4-All Park • Ridgeview Park • Southwood Park • Stonegate Park • Trower Park • Willows Park

Future parks The city has a number of new public parks planned as the result of approving new development proposals. These include: • Greentree Specific Plan - Greentree north neighborhood park • Greentree Specific Plan - Greentree south neighborhood park • Lower Lagoon Valley Policy Plan - Community park • North Village Specific Plan - Area Plan 2 neighborhood park • Roberts' Ranch Specific Plan - Eastern open space park • The Farm at Alamo Creek Specific Plan - Community park • Vanden Meadows Specific Plan - Neighborhood park

Trails Trails in Vacaville include: • Alamo Creek Trail • Southside Bikeway • Ulatis Creek Trail

Education: Universities Vacaville is within the Solano Community College District. The Vacaville campus, located along North Village Parkway, features a 70-seat lecture hall, classrooms, science and computer laboratories, and a multipurpose room for theater arts and physical education. As part of the college's Bachelor's of Biomanufacturing degree program, the campus also contains the Biotechnology and Science Building, which houses four biotech labs, two chemistry labs, two biology labs, and a wet and dry anatomy lab. Among others, it offers an associate degree in biotechnology, which could lead to employment with local industries.

Other colleges and universities nearby include: • California Maritime Academy (CSU) • UC Berkeley • UC Davis • Sacramento State • CSU East Bay • Sonoma State • St. Mary's College • Touro University California • InterCoast College (Fairfield campus) • UMASS Global (Fairfield campus) • Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (at Travis AFB)

Media Radio station KUIC is based in Vacaville.

The Vacaville Reporter is a local daily newspaper. The Daily Republic, based in Fairfield, also provides local news coverage on Vacaville.

Transport Interstate 80 passes through Vacaville, connecting San Francisco to the south-west and Sacramento to the northeast. Interstate 505 branches off Interstate 80, connecting Vacaville to Winters before eventually reaching Interstate 5 to the north.

The Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan railroad station, located east of Peabody Road in neighboring Fairfield, serves Vacaville and Fairfield. The station opened in November 2017. The station is served by Capitol Corridor trains operated by Amtrak California.

The Vacaville Transportation Center, located along Allison Drive and adjacent to Interstate 80, is the main hub for commuters via bus as well as vanpools and park-and-ride to the Sacramento area and the San Francisco Bay Area. Vacaville City Coach provides local bus service. SolanoExpress, which is operated by SolTrans, provides intercity connections to Fairfield, Benicia, Davis, Walnut Creek BART, and Sacramento.

The Nut Tree Airport is located in Vacaville and is operated by the Solano County General Services Department.

Infrastructure The city includes two hospitals, NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, a 50-bed facility whose campus also includes the NorthBay Cancer Center and HealthSpring Fitness Center, and the Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center, a hospital and trauma center.