San Joaquin County is a county in the state of California, USA. It is often called "Sanwa" and its motto is "Greatness grows here." The county is named after the San Joaquin River, which flows through it. As of 2020, about 779,233 people live here. The main city and county seat is Stockton.

San Joaquin County is part of a larger area that includes Stockton, Lodi, and Tracy. It is located in Northern California's Central Valley. It sits just east of the busy San Francisco Bay Area and is separated by the Diablo Range. You can get to the Bay Area through the Altamont Pass. Even though it's one of California's smaller counties in size, many people live here. Its population is growing fast because people are moving from the Bay Area.

It's interesting to note that the City of San Joaquin is not in San Joaquin County. It is actually located in Fresno County.

History of San Joaquin County

San Joaquin County was one of the very first counties in California. It was created in 1850 when California officially became a state.

The county got its name from the San Joaquin River. In the early 1800s, an explorer named Gabriel Moraga named the river "San Joaquin." This name means "St. Joachim." The first permanent home in the San Joaquin Valley was built in this county.

Before 1850, the Yokuts and Miwok native peoples lived here. They had villages and ate foods like acorns, salmon from the rivers, and Tule Elk. Sadly, many native people died in 1828 from a sickness. After that, there was a rebellion led by Chief Estanislao.

Between 1843 and 1846, when California was part of Mexico, five large land grants were given out. One of the biggest was Rancho Campos de los Franceses. This land later became the city of Stockton. It was developed by Charles Maria Weber.

When the Gold Rush started, many miners came to California. Stockton became a very important place for supplies and trade. This helped the city and county grow quickly between 1850 and 1870. After the Gold Rush slowed down, San Joaquin County became a major farming area. It is still important for agriculture today.

Local companies like Holt Manufacturing became famous. Benjamin Holt from Holt Manufacturing helped create the first successful track-type tractor. Later, R. G. LeTourneau invented the bulldozer here in 1926.

Railroads and Transportation Growth

The Central Pacific Railroad built a train line through San Joaquin County in the 1860s. This line connected Sacramento to Stockton and then to the San Francisco Bay Area. The county's flat land made it easy to build tracks. Later, other railroads like the Western Pacific and the Santa Fe Railroad also built lines here. These railroads helped farms and ranches in the county grow.

Tracy Tire Fire Event

On August 7, 1998, a large tire fire started near Tracy. Millions of tires were stored illegally at a dump. The fire burned for over two years. Experts decided it was better to let it burn to avoid polluting the groundwater. Even so, the cleanup cost $19 million, and some groundwater was still affected.

Geography of San Joaquin County

San Joaquin County covers about 1,426 square miles. Most of this is land, with about 35 square miles of water. The county has a very low elevation and flat land, especially around the San Joaquin River. Because of this, the area can be marshy and swampy. It sometimes floods in the spring when snow melts from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The center of San Joaquin County is near Stockton.

Protected Natural Areas

San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (part of it is in the county)

Population and People

The number of people living in San Joaquin County has grown a lot over the years.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,647	—
1860	9,435	158.7%
1870	21,050	123.1%
1880	24,349	15.7%
1890	28,629	17.6%
1900	35,452	23.8%
1910	50,731	43.1%
1920	79,905	57.5%
1930	102,940	28.8%
1940	134,207	30.4%
1950	200,750	49.6%
1960	249,989	24.5%
1970	290,208	16.1%
1980	347,342	19.7%
1990	480,628	38.4%
2000	563,598	17.3%
2010	685,306	21.6%
2020	779,233	13.7%
2023 (est.)	800,965	16.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

In 2020, the county's population was 779,233. Many different groups of people live here. About 27.7% of the people were White (not Hispanic). About 7.3% were Black or African American. Asian people made up about 17.3% of the population. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up the largest group, at about 41.8%.

Economy and Jobs

San Joaquin County has a strong economy, especially in farming.

Agriculture in the County

In 2018, the value of farm products grown in the county was $2.6 billion. The most important crop was almonds. Grapes, milk, and walnuts were also very important. San Joaquin County is home to one of the world's biggest walnut processing factories, DeRuosi Nut.

Businesses and Industries

Many large companies have their operations in San Joaquin County. These include businesses in manufacturing, services, and agriculture. Some well-known companies are Archer Daniels Midland, Blue Shield of California, and Kubota Tractors.

In 2019, about 260,000 people worked in the county. Most of these jobs were in private companies. About 44,500 people worked for the government. The movement of goods is also a big part of the local economy. For example, there is an Amazon center in Tracy and the Port of Stockton.

Education in San Joaquin County

San Joaquin County has many schools for students of all ages. There are 18 public school districts and many private schools.

K-12 (Kindergarten to 12th Grade) school districts include:

Escalon Unified School District
Lammersville Joint Unified School District
Lincoln Unified School District
Linden Unified School District
Lodi Unified School District
Manteca Unified School District
Ripon Unified School District
Stockton Unified School District
Tracy Unified School District

There are also school districts just for high school or elementary school.

For high school: Galt Joint Union High School District and Oakdale Joint Unified School District.
For elementary school: Banta Elementary School District, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District, Jefferson Elementary School District, New Hope Elementary School District, New Jerusalem Elementary School District, Oak View Union Elementary School District, and Valley Home Joint Elementary School District.

The San Joaquin Delta Community College District serves the county. Its main campus is San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. For higher education, the University of the Pacific is a private university with its main campus in Stockton.

Media and News

San Joaquin County is part of the Sacramento television market. This means people here watch TV channels from Sacramento.

There are several daily newspapers: The Record, The Manteca Bulletin, and The Lodi News-Sentinel. The Bilingual Weekly News publishes a newspaper each week in both Spanish and English. The Tracy Press also publishes a weekly newspaper.

Several magazines cover the area, like San Joaquin Magazine. There are also local publications about arts, events, and business.

Transportation in San Joaquin County

Getting around San Joaquin County is easy with many roads and public transport options.

Major Roads and Highways

Interstate 5
Interstate 205
Interstate 580
State Route 4
State Route 12
State Route 26
State Route 33
State Route 88
State Route 99
State Route 120
State Route 132

Public Transportation Options

The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) offers bus service within Stockton. RTD also has bus routes that connect different cities in the county. They even have special routes for people who commute to places like Livermore, Pleasanton, and Sacramento.

Smaller cities like Lodi, Escalon, Manteca, Tracy, and Ripon have their own bus systems.

Train and Bus Services

Both Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains serve Stockton. Amtrak's San Joaquins trains stop at two stations in Stockton. One station is for trains going to Oakland, and the other is for trains going to Sacramento. The Altamont Corridor Express trains to San Jose also start in Stockton. The RTD Hopper is a public bus service that connects Stockton to other nearby cities.

Airports in the County

The Stockton Metropolitan Airport offers flights to cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix. It also handles cargo and private planes. Other airports for private planes include Lodi Airport, Tracy Municipal Airport, and New Jerusalem Airport.

The Port of Stockton

The Port of Stockton is a very important inland port. It is located on the San Joaquin River, about 80 miles inland from the ocean. The port is a key part of the county's economy, helping to move goods in and out of the region.

Cities and Towns

San Joaquin County has several cities and smaller communities.

Cities in San Joaquin County

Escalon
Lathrop
Lodi
Manteca
Mountain House
Ripon
Stockton (This is the county seat, where the county government is located)
Tracy

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

Other Communities (Unincorporated)

These are smaller communities that are not part of any city or CDP.

Population Ranking of Communities (2010 Census)

This table shows the largest cities and towns in San Joaquin County based on the 2010 census. † county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Stockton	City	291,707
2	Tracy	City	82,922
3	Manteca	City	67,096
4	Lodi	City	62,134
5	Lathrop	City	18,023
6	Ripon	City	14,297
7	Garden Acres	CDP	10,468
8	Mountain House	City	9,675
9	Country Club	CDP	9,379
10	August	CDP	8,390
11	Escalon	City	7,132
12	Lincoln Village	CDP	4,381
13	Woodbridge	CDP	3,984
14	Morada	CDP	3,828
15	French Camp	CDP	3,376
16	Kennedy	CDP	3,254
17	Lockeford	CDP	3,233
18	Dogtown	CDP	2,506
19	Collierville	CDP	1,934
20	Linden	CDP	1,784
21	Taft Mosswood	CDP	1,530
22	Thornton	CDP	1,131
23	Peters	CDP	672
24	Waterloo	CDP	572
25	Terminous	CDP	381
26	Acampo	CDP	341
27	Victor	CDP	293
28	Farmington	CDP	207

Images for kids

Downtown Stockton waterfront
Stanislaus River at Caswell Memorial State Park
Seal of San Joaquin County, California
Location of San Joaquin County in California

San Joaquin County, California facts for kids

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