"The City of Stockton is situated on a beautiful prairie at the head of Stockton Slough, a wide and deep arm of the San Joaquin River, which extends eastward some three miles from the river into the plain. … As a harbor, in point of capacity, Stockton possesses advantages over all other inland cities of California [in that] there is sufficient depth and breadth of water, at all seasons of the year, for all purposes of moorage and navigation."
Thus begins an 1856 narrative of the history of Stockton, California. Its location at the head of a navigable channel, approximately 90 miles inland from San Francisco Bay, enables the city to continue to serve as a major shipping point for many of the agricultural and manufactured products of Northern California.
Stockton was founded in 1849 by a German immigrant, Charles M. Weber, who acquired over 49,000 acres of land through a Spanish land grant. Captain Weber tried his hand at gold mining in late 1848, but by the next spring, realized that the true wealth lay in providing for the rush of gold-seekers from all over the world, and established his town to serve those needs. As J. H. Carson, in his LIFE IN CALIFORNIA described it in 1849: "A rush and whirl of noisy human beings were continually before the eye. The magic wand of gold had been shaken over a desolate place, and on it a vast city had arisen at the bidding."
A colorful note: several names have been attributed to Stockton, including Tuleburg, Gas City and Mudville. But Captain Weber chose to honor Commodore Robert F. Stockton by bestowing his name on the fledgling community. Stockton was the first community in California to have an American name, all others being of Spanish or Native American origin.
On July 23, 1850, the County Court granted incorporation of the City of Stockton, and eight days later a city election was held. Stockton's charter from the State of California dates from 1851. The current form of government is that of City Manager-Council; the mayor and representatives from the six councilmanic districts are chosen by city-wide election. Stockton is the county seat of San Joaquin County with a projected population of 254,000 by the year 2000.
Rich peat soil and a temperate climate have combined to make the area around Stockton one of the richest agricultural and dairy regions in California. Throughout the 150 years of Stockton's history almost every major fruit, nut and field crop has been grown, some with greater success than others. Current major crops include asparagus, cherries, tomatoes, walnuts and almonds plus many other smaller-production orchard, row and feed crops. Grapes amount to forty percent of the fruit and nut harvest and contribute 18% to the county's agricultural dollar. Prize-winning wines are produced from vineyards north of Stockton, contributing to the international reputation of fine quality California wines.
Stockton has been the home of the University of the Pacific since 1924, after moving from San Jose. UOP's longtime emphasis has been on music education, but now supports fine engineering, pharmacy, and business schools as well as highly-regarded offsite dental and law schools. UOP's ivy-league ambiance complete with lovely old brick buildings and wide shady lawns have made it a movie location in many a feature film.
San Joaquin Delta College and an off-site campus for California University-Stanislaus provide excellent public education.
The legendary Delta, created by the confluence of several rivers and many man-made channels-popularly known as 1,000 miles of waterways-is what in many ways defines Stockton and surrounding communities. Wildlife, irrigation, transportation and recreation all owe their existence and success to the muddy waters of the San Joaquin Delta. Interestingly enough, so do many movies, such as COOL HAND LUKE, BLOOD ALLEY, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN and many others, some not so notable. Stockton and environs have long been known in the entertainment industry as location-rich, both as fore and background.
Stockton supports very active and world-renown civic theater, symphony, ballet and chorale groups. The Haggin Museum, small but rich in collections and exhibits related to local history and California history owns important works by late 19th and early 20th century artists. Notable among them is Albert Bierstadt, who was most well-known for interpreting the towering grandeur of Yosemite and much of California's magnificent Sierra Nevada mountains.
Stockton has been culturally and ethnically diverse since its beginning as a muddy-street gold-rush camp. Gold seekers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Canada all converged into the great melting pot that became California society. Today's diversity is reflected in Stockton street names, architecture and in the faces and heritage of a majority of its citizens. Throughout the year ethnic festivals reflect that diversity in the microcosm that Stockton has become for the world.
The City of Stockton is one of California's fastest growing communities. Stockton is currently the 13th largest city in California with a dynamic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural population of over 260,000. It is situated along the San Joaquin Delta waterway which connects to the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Stockton is located 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay Area, 83 miles east of San Francisco, and 45 miles south of Sacramento, the capital of California.
The City is undergoing a tremendous economic expansion and is aggressively revitalizing its downtown. Projects in the downtown area along the waterfront include an indoor arena, baseball stadium, hotel, apartments, retail, and housing. The arena hosts four major sports teams: California Cougars Soccer, Stockton Thunder Hockey, Stockton Lightning Arena2 Football, and the Stockton Ports Minor Baseball Team. Stockton is also constructing retail and entertainment centers at the gateways of the city. The 16-screen City Centre Cinemas was completed in December 2003.
Stockton offers an excellent quality of life for its residents. The City has a number of beautiful residential communities along waterways, with single-family homes costing about one-third the price of homes in the Bay Area. With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was recently recognized by Sunset Magazine as the "Best Tree City" in the western United States. In 1999 and 2004, Stockton was designated an All-America City by the National Civic League.
Stockton also has outstanding recreational opportunities. Stockton is within close proximity to world famous scenic attractions including the California Coast, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The community offers many local recreational opportunities such as professional sports teams , an olympic size ice rink, and the Delta, which provides thousands of miles of waterways for water skiing, sailing and other water activities. There are also many opportunities to enjoy music, theater, dance, literary events, and other cultural and entertainment activities throughout the year. The City has its own symphony and opera company and hosts the popular Asparagus Festival annually.
The City is home to several well known higher educational institutions including the University of the Pacific, California State University Stanislaus-Stockton, San Joaquin Delta Community College, Humphreys College and School of Law, as well as a variety of private and vocational schools.
Learn more about STOCKTON , CALIFORNIA
City of STOCKTON , CA official website
County of SAN JOAQUIN, CA official website
City of STOCKTON , CA general information
City of STOCKTON , CA chamber of commerce
City of STOCKTON , CA yellow pages
City of STOCKTON , CA newspaper