Vernalis, California

{{Short description|Unincorporated United States community}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}

{{Infobox settlement

|official_name = Vernalis, California

|settlement_type = Unincorporated community

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|image_skyline = Former Newman station building (1), May 2022.JPG

|imagesize = 300px

|image_caption = The former Newman station in Vernalis in 2022

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|pushpin_map = California#USA

|pushpin_label = Vernalis

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = California

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = San Joaquin

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|timezone = Pacific (PST)

|utc_offset = -8

|timezone_DST = PDT

|utc_offset_DST = -7

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|elevation_ft = 105

|coordinates = {{coord|37|37|51|N|121|17|14|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}

|postal_code_type = ZIP code

|postal_code = 95385

|area_code = 209

|blank_name = GNIS feature ID

|blank_info = 252823{{gnis|252823}}

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Vernalis is an unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California, United States. Vernalis is located on California State Route 33 {{convert|10.5|mi|km}} southeast of Tracy. The first post office in the area opened in San Joaquin City in 1851; that post office closed in 1852, reopened in 1874, and was moved {{convert|3|mi|km}} southwest in 1888, after which its name was changed to Vernalis.{{cite book|last=Durham|first=David L. |title=California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State|publisher=Quill Driver Books|year=1998|pages=842|isbn=1-884995-14-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yfa0hmE7yocC}}

According to local historian Earle E. Williams, Vernalis, Latin for springlike, related to the spring, was named after two daughters of local ranchers, Verna Carpenter and Alice Hamilton.{{cite magazine| author-link = Earle E. Williams| author1 = Earle E. Williams| title = Tales of Old San Joaquin City| url = http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/documents/HistorianOS9-4.pdf| work = San Joaquin Historian| publisher = San Joaquin County Historical Society| volume = IX| issue = 4| page = 30| date = October 1973|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190326133942/http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/documents/HistorianOS9-4.pdf| archive-date = 2019-03-26| access-date = 2020-12-04}} Vernalis has a post office with ZIP code 95385.[http://www.zipinfo.com/cgi-local/zipsrch.exe?cnty=cnty&zip=95385&Go=Go ZIP Code Lookup]

During World War II, Vernalis was the site of Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis, Vernalis Reconditioning Center and Vernalis Prisoner of War Branch Camp.