A gift for Tracy Hills residents, our holiday event in early December was a great success, in no small part to a special appearance by the big man himself: Santa Claus.

The holly jolly good time included festive photo ops with Santa and delicious hot cocoa to help keep residents warm.

The vibe was cheerful and helped kick off the holiday season here at Tracy Hills. We hope you had as much fun as we did!

The holiday season is upon us, and that means the time for giving has arrived. And the best gifts are those that support local businesses, allowing you to spread the magic of Tracy’s artisans while keeping the spirit of the community alive.

The only thing that tops good company at this time of year is good food to pair. And Scarlata Farms Cellar has everything you need to create your seasonal spread—whether it’s incredible meats from an exclusive Italian distributor or locally sourced cheeses, handcrafted olive oil and specialty products. It’s exactly what you need to take your Christmas charcuterie to the next level and wow your guests.

When it comes to finding a gift that fits just right, My Best Friend’s Closet has you covered as a unique women’s clothing boutique in Downtown Tracy that offers new clothing along with gently used luxury items at great prices. You can find your friends and family a fashionable staple piece for their winter wardrobe or a purse from a designer they’ve always loved.

And if you’re struggling to find that perfect present, head to The Owl Box. This little boutique has everything from adorable home décor and entertaining sets to knickknacks and bath crystals and bombs. If you’re just looking to have the cutest ornament or festive gift at the white elephant or exchange party, they always have a wide selection of seasonal goodies to browse.

Though it may not be the first pick for your holiday shopping, you don’t want to sleep on the local vendors at the Downtown Tracy Farmers’ Market. Whether it’s macramé home décor, homemade candles, one-of-a-kind jewelry or other artistically crafted goods from your Tracy neighbors, there are always booths worth your visit at this weekly affair.

And if it’s a last-minute hostess gift you’re after, The Market at Tracy Hills has all the grab-and-go items you need just steps from your front door—from wine and beer to rotating featured products from your favorite local shops.

Now that you’ve got the inside scoop on some of the best places around town, skip the long shipping waits of online stores and get a head start on your holiday shopping right here in Tracy.

Stay in the know by joining our interest list and be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop.

When Abbott and his wife, Emily, were searching for a new home, they knew they wanted to be as close as possible to their greatest joy—their family. That’s when Abbott and Emily, together with their daughter and son-in-law, decided to look for homes with the goal of being close to one another. And so it began, over a year of searching alongside their daughter’s family for places that could meet their needs.

That’s when they found Tracy Hills. When they arrived and toured the neighborhood Vente by Shea Homes, ground had yet to be broken, but Abbott knew Shea Homes was the right builder right away. He also had the great instincts to see what Tracy Hills would become.

“From my career in high tech in Silicon Valley, I’m used to the benefits of being a discerning early adopter,” Abbott said. “Back in 2019, people with no vision just saw a bunch of houses out in a field.” But Abbott could see what the future held. “We could see, even when there was only dirt, that this was going to be exactly what Tracy Hills has become…the go-to location in West Tracy, right next to I-580.”

Without question, Abbott and Emily found where they wanted to buy. His daughter and son-in-law were also thrilled and purchased lots on opening day too. And when the couples chose a plan that turned out to be right next door to each other—it couldn’t have been more perfect for their family.

“We knew we wanted to live close to our daughter and son-in-law but were thinking it’d be in the same city, not the same community and literally next door to each other! Now we share a pool—at their house—and are only separated by a buddy gate in the backyard,” says Abbott.

Abbott and Emily purchased Plan 2, as the preferred sun path would highlight the landscaped backyard, and their daughter and son-in-law purchased Plan 3, which came with a multigenerational suite.

“We were looking for a generation room for our kids, and they have one in their home. I’ll be 76 soon, and even though I’m in good shape, I wanted to think of the future. So with the gen suite, my wife and I could move in with them, if needed.”

But for now, they’re both focused on enjoying their home. With Plan 2’s generous 3,311-square-foot floor plan boasting four bedrooms and a three-car garage, they’ve gotten so much more than they could have hoped for.

“At my age, you would normally be buying to downsize, but we did the opposite. We bought a bigger home but at less cost than what we got from the sale of our last house.”

And the community feel they wanted? It found them.

“We love our neighborhod and community. It’s more than just buying a house—it’s a lifestyle. We’re all new here, so we’ve all met each other. No matter where we go, people of all ages are enjoying the neighborhood—from young parents to retired grandparents, like ourselves.”

Now, Abbott and Emily are enjoying their grandkids, ages 3, 5 and 12. They often walk to visit the parks, which the grandkids have adorably nicknamed.

“‘Farm Park’ has animals, ‘Jingle Bell Park’ has things you can ring, ‘Forest Park’ has raccoons in the trees and ‘Ball Park’ is where the bigger kids go to play sports,” explains Abbott.

And as for those grandkids—they’ve made friends with the neighbors and enjoy the perks of living right next door to their grandparents too, making memories that will last a lifetime.

It’s time you finally lived on your level. No matter what your lifestyle calls for—be it a convenient location or a single-story floor plan—Larimar by Lennar was made with all of your needs in mind. And this new neighborhood is now selling at Tracy Hills from the $800,000s.

You said, “Home.” We said, “How big?” The one- and two-story options at Larimar offer up to 2,997 square feet of spacious design with open-concept great rooms and gourmet kitchens for all your get-togethers from birthday celebrations to holiday dinners. And once the festivities are done, there are four bedrooms and first-floor multigenerational suites for the whole family to find their own restful places to relax and recharge.

Having more space is one thing—but every residence at this brand new neighborhood also comes with more perks with Lennar’s Everything’s Included®. It’s a reimagined experience of home with the most desired features at no extra cost to you, whether it’s cutting-edge technology and home automation that keeps your connected or energy-efficient appliances and premier design elements that complement both your home and your wallet.

And the perks go beyond your home at Larimar with the incredible Tracy Hills lifestyle just outside your door. Having more comes standard here, and that means more space to roam and more possibilities to savor—from the modern amenities just around the corner to the shopping and dining scene minutes away in Downtown Tracy.

When you live at Tracy Hills, good times are always in session with plenty of parks, outdoor recreation options and explorable trails for walking, hiking and biking. Live resort style with a refreshing pool at the Resident’s Club and grab-and-go wine, beer, snacks and more at The Market. And there’s always more excitement on the way—from the recently opened Fire Station 95 to the planned future TK-8 school.

With an array of home designs and all the more you get at Tracy Hills, Larimar offers an incredible value that can’t be beat. Take a self-guided tour of the stunning designer-furnished models today, find the one that fits your lifestyle and take advantage of this unrivaled homeownership opportunity.

Stay in the know by joining our interest list and be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop.

In late August, we celebrated the opening of Fire Station 95, the first fire station built by the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority (SSJCFA) in the surrounding area in 20 years—and it’s right here at Tracy Hills!

This fresh facility features the latest equipment and technology, allowing firefighters to provide fire protection and advanced life support paramedic services not only to our community but also all South Tracy residents.

With fun for the whole family, the grand opening event kicked off with a parade of Fire Station 95’s emergency vehicles cruising along Tracy Hills Drive and was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with City of Tracy Mayor Nancy Young. The eventful afternoon was topped off with public guided tours of the brand new facility and a delicious lunch from Smokin’ Yankee’s BBQ.

It was the perfect way to send off summer with a celebration—and it really brought out the firetruck-loving kid in everyone. Now as fall quickly approaches, be sure to be on the lookout for more exciting events to fill your calendar!

Stay in the know and join our interest list. Plus, be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop.

Tracy Hills is a believer in building a strong and safe community—and we were delighted to invite our homeowners to our very own National Night Out on Tuesday, August 3 at the Resident’s Club!

The best way to build a safer community is to know your neighbors and surroundings, and National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie by bringing residents and law enforcement together in celebratory fashion.

For this wholesome event, residents came out and lounged on blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy a delicious pizza meal, a live bubble show and music from a local DJ. We’d like to give a special thank you to the Tracy Police Department and the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority, who came out to join in on the fun and took the time to meet and greet Tracy Hills residents of all ages.

There’s so much excitement coming to Tracy Hills, and you won’t want to miss any future events! Stay in the know by joining our interest list and be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop.

Why rent when you can own? From a convenient location to affordability—no matter what’s first on your dream home checklist, Amber by Lennar has you covered. And this inspired new neighborhood is now selling at Tracy Hills from the $800,000s.

With one- and two-story options and spacious floor plans offering up to 2,654 square feet of open-concept design, Amber is giving any space you’ve ever rented a run for your money. There’s room for everyone in the family with four bedrooms for spreading out and attached two-car garages for parking your cars and kayaks and the kids’ scooters and skateboards.

If it’s not just more space you’re after, every residence at this brand new neighborhood comes with Lennar’s Everything’s Included® features at no extra cost. That means you’ll have the latest smart technology, cutting-edge home automation and energy-efficient appliances built right into your home for ultimate convenience and savings.

But that’s not all. When you live at Amber, you get to revel in the Tracy Hills lifestyle—where having more is the standard. More home. More space to roam. And more amenities to enjoy.

Just minutes from Tracy’s lively downtown scene, Tracy Hills offers resort-style living with plenty of parks, outdoor recreation areas and explorable trails for walking, hiking and biking. Jump in the pool at the Resident’s Club, grab a snack at The Market and enjoy the convenience of a future fire station and planned TK-8 school.

The new homes at Amber offer the lifestyle you’ve been searching for with more space to call your own at a price you can afford. Take a self-guided tour of the stunning designer-furnished models today, find the one that will fit your family just right and take the first step on your path to homeownership today.

Stay in the know by joining our interest list and be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop.

Gerry knows all about checking boxes. As a project manager for a global supply company, he and his wife, Paige, were looking for the perfect mix of location and lifestyle. They had a tall order for a short list: great local restaurants and a neighborhood that would work for his anything-but-typical commute by airplane. That’s when he found Tracy Hills, with its proximity to area airports and the character of downtown Tracy’s food scene.

Life on the road is more glamorous than it sounds, so Gerry needed a home near an airport that he could leave for in the morning and come back to on the same day. That’s because most of the month, he’s traveling for work.

Gerry and Paige looked at moving to cities from Scottsdale to San Diego. Tracy wasn’t even on their radar until a friend told them about all the exciting new developments in the area. That’s when they found Tracy Hills. After visiting, they knew Vente’s Plan 3 was the perfect home for them because of the multigenerational suite option that could grow and change with their needs.

“It also has a great room that’s more efficient and space friendly and a loft upstairs for my office on the days I work from home,” Gerry explains. “We were also able to customize our backyard with pavers, a large outdoor kitchen, California room and a wood-burning oven for pizza or tacos to entertain our friends.”

And when they’re not hanging out in the backyard, Gerry and Paige love to frequent the local food scene in downtown Tracy. Gerry says, “It was a huge selling point to have restaurants, shopping and culture close by.” He continues, “Everything just has so much character. I think downtown Tracy has infrastructure and growth potential to be as good as downtown Livermore.”

Best of all, Gerry can leave for work in the morning and make it home by dinnertime to hang out with their 30-something-year-old box turtle in the backyard, who also enjoys his corridor of serenity.

Now the couple has everything they need to make flights to work and dinner reservations all in the same day with a life well lived at Tracy Hills.

It’s time to glide our way into the next installment of our Talk of the Town series. Meet Deborah Skinner, dancer, choreographer, teacher and owner of the Academy of Performing Arts in downtown Tracy.

When Deborah first moved here from the Bay Area, she had a young family and a passion for dance, with over twenty years of experience studying, performing and honing her craft. That’s when she answered a classified ad placed by the City of Tracy’s Parks and Recreation Program and got the job. This planted the seed that would grow into the Academy, with over 650 dancers.

Since Deborah first started with a few students in 1993, her attention and standards to training are even greater now. With a vision to bring only the best in dance education combined with a passion for the arts, the Academy offers various classes to children, teens and adults of any skill level.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Deborah, “It doesn’t matter if you’re going to be a professional dancer or a mom who wants to learn how to tap. We have space for everyone.”

With classes like ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop, there are plenty of opportunities to get in on the fun. That is until it comes to buying tickets to their fast-selling shows. The Children’s Dance Theater once broke attendance records with multiple nights of sold-out performances of The Nutcracker at The Grand.

If you dream of dancing in bright lights, the first step is to check out the many classes, which not only provide a foundation for dance but a footing for life.

“I find that dance brings so much joy to a lot of people. It’s a way to express yourself when you don’t have words. It’s a way to get rid of anxiety. It’s a way to focus. It’s a way to learn self-discipline—especially during those teenage years. It’s really important to have an outlet…the kids’ dance friends will be their friends for life.”

Check out the video to learn more, then look for Deborah at the Academy of Performing Arts. She’ll be the one doing what it takes, inspiring others to dance, or applauding vigorously before taking a bow at the next curtain call.

Stay tuned by joining our interest list to learn all about the small businesses that make the scene in Tracy go round and earn your title as a local. Be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop on everything Tracy Hills.

Living at Tracy Hills means discovering the best-kept secrets with our Talk of the Town series that uncovers everything from local treasures to the hottest spots around the neighborhood. Up next is Liz Garcia of My Best Friend’s Closet, a unique women’s clothing boutique that offers new clothing along with gently used designer luxury items at great prices.

With fifty percent of Liz’s inventory as new retail and the other fifty percent as consignment, My Best Friend’s Closet was inspired by her group of best friends who were always borrowing each other’s clothes. And in the shop’s early days, Liz sold pieces exclusively from her best friends’ closets because it was the most creative way to obtain inventory.

These days, consigned clothing comes from a regular stream of customers who stop in to offer up their gently used, on-trend clothes with top brands for consideration. But shoppers can also expect excellent one-on-one service that makes shopping feel like an intimate day out with their girlfriends.

Liz believes there’s no reason to sacrifice quality if you can find it at a great price, and that staple piece you’ve been eyeing is closer than you think. But it starts with organizing and taking inventory of what is in your closet, another service that Liz offers, to help you turn your gently used clothes into consignment, then cash in your pocket.

“I come in and help you organize, but I will also take the gently loved and used items you no longer want, and I will take them to my store, and we consign them. Then we pay you out for the items that you are no longer using,” Liz explains. “We call it ‘money in your closet’!”

From your closet to her closet, like real BFFs.

Check out the video for more insider tips. A big thanks to Liz of My Best Friend’s Closet for stopping by to help us get organized.

Stay tuned by joining our interest list to learn all about the small businesses that make the scene in Tracy go round and earn your title as a local. Be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop on everything Tracy Hills.

When Maricela found herself sharing a desk with her five-year-old in their cramped rental home in Redwood City, she and her husband Jose knew it was time to make a change. With the pandemic sending everyone home to work and learn from a distance, they needed more space and fast.

The two set out to see what they could purchase in Redwood City. Maricela and Jose knew that even if they found something they loved, they would waste precious time jumping into frenzied bidding wars that would keep so much out of reach. There had to be a better way.

That’s when Maricela’s employer announced that her company was being acquired and moving to Austin, Texas. The CEO offered her the chance to relocate, citing a better quality of life and an improved cost of living. It was the first time Maricela and Jose seriously considered buying outside of the place they were born and raised. But ultimately, they both agreed that staying close to their extended families was important. So they decided to stay—with a caveat, “If we’re willing to go to Texas, why not be willing to look at the East Bay and beyond?”

With a new expanded plan, the two scoured the area for the perfect blend of location, space and amenities. Tracy was the closest city on the map and Tracy Hills hit the trifecta. Maricela and Jose went to see models the very next weekend and it was love at first sight.

“A dream come true,” said Maricela of the community’s wide-open spaces and homes to spread out in. When they walked into the suite in Topaz’s Residence 2 model, they both got the feeling instantly that this is where they were meant to be.

Now, Maricela has plenty of elbow room with a retreat in the master bedroom, where they’re putting her Peloton® and desk. The kids have big enough bedrooms to play and learn from home until they change schools in the fall. The good-sized backyard is Jose’s dream come true as an oasis for their family with plenty of room for their two dogs to play, a luxury they would have had to give up if they had stayed in the Bay Area.

And while they never thought they would leave Redwood City, they love that Tracy is full of new adventures, like hunting and jet skiing and exploring new regions together. They also now live an hour closer to their favorite vacation spot in South Lake Tahoe. Plus, with the neighborhood amenities like the parks, pool and clubhouse, they have more than they ever imagined possible in their first home purchase with the space they need while being close to their loved ones.

And the fantastic ice machine in the kitchen. Which they’re really excited about, “As silly as it sounds,” laughed Maricela.

Life at Tracy Hills is full of hidden gems that make our Talk of the Town series shine. Covering everything from local treasures and the hottest spots that have residents discovering gold, up next is Nobu Endu of My Puppy Rocks and The Dog Walker, voted the Best of Tracy for 14 years thanks to excellence in dog training, dog walking and pet services.

Ask anyone who knows him and they’ll tell you that Nobu is on a mission to help Tracy’s four-legged neighbors live a totally paw-some life. Nobu’s philosophy is honey over vinegar, preferring a positive reinforcement dog training, making a pup more likely to want to repeat their behavior. This approach, paired with a pack leader calm, is what has earned Nobu fans and loyal customers all around Tracy.

That’s why Phina, a Tracy Hills High Senior, turned to Nobu for a unique project—helping her train a diabetic service dog for her senior project. She chose to train a dog to support this cause because the illness impacts her family.

“I wanted to do something [new] and that touched me on a personal level, so I got Rey,” said Phina.

With My Puppy Rocks dog training, Nobu can tailor his sessions to a dog’s specific needs, including one uniquely positioned to serve as Rey. Watch as Nobu works to train Rey with Phina on core skills like sitting, staying, and waiting, utilizing the three “D’s”: duration, distraction, and distance.

“Distance is the final test for the dog because the further you move away, things happen in the environment that will make her want to get up,” explains Nobu to Phina, treating us all to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how everyday heroes are made.

Living at Tracy Hills means neighbors looking out for each other, and that includes man’s best friend. Nobu offers personalized training for your dog’s individual goals, in addition to providing daily walks for your pet-sitting needs.

And a hearty thank-you to Tracy residents Nobu, Phina and Rey, who remind us all that love is paw you need—and yes, maybe a treat or two.

Stay tuned by joining our interest list to learn all about the small businesses that make the scene in Tracy go’round and earn your title as a local. Be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to be kept in the loop on everything Tracy Hills.