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Stockton, California
City of Stockton
Hotel Stockton - Stockton, CA (cropped).JPG
Commercial & Savings Bank - Stockton, CA.jpg
Fox California Theater - Stockton, CA.jpg
Downtown Stockton California.jpg
UOP-burnstower.jpg
Clockwise: Hotel Stockton; Fox Theatre; University of the Pacific; Downtown Stockton; Commercial & Savings Bank
Flag of Stockton, California
Flag
Official seal of Stockton, California
Seal
Nickname(s): 
'"Tuleburg", "Mudville", "California's Sunrise Seaport". "Port City". "Asparagus Capital of America",
Motto(s): 
"Stockton: All American City"
Location within San Joaquin County and the state of California
Location within San Joaquin County and the state of California
Stockton, California is located in California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Location in California
Stockton, California is located in the United States
Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Location in the United States
Stockton, California is located in North America
Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Location in North America
Country United States
State California
Region San Joaquin Valley
County San Joaquin
Incorporated July 23, 1850
Named for Robert F. Stockton
Government
 • Type City Manager-Council
Area
 • City 65.25 sq mi (169.01 km2)
 • Land 62.17 sq mi (161.02 km2)
 • Water 3.08 sq mi (7.99 km2)  4.76%
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 320,804
 • Rank 1st in San Joaquin County
13th in California
62nd in the United States
 • Density 4,916.5/sq mi (1,898.14/km2)
 • Metro
726,126
Demonym(s) Stocktonian
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95201–95213, 95215, 95219, 95267, 95269, 95296–95297
Area code 209
FIPS code 06-75000
GNIS feature IDs 1659872, 2411987

Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after Robert F. Stockton, and it was the first community in California to have a name not of Spanish or Native American origin. The city is located on the San Joaquin River in the northern San Joaquin Valley. Stockton is the 11th largest city in California and the 58th largest city in the United States. It was named an All-America City in 1999, 2004, 2015 and again in 2017.

Built during the California Gold Rush, Stockton's seaport serves as a gateway to the Central Valley and beyond. It provided easy access for trade and transportation to the southern gold mines. The University of the Pacific (UOP), chartered in 1851, is the oldest university in California, and has been located in Stockton since 1923. In 2012, Stockton filed for what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history – which had multiple causes, including financial mismanagement in the 1990s, generous fringe benefits to unionized city employees, and the 2008 financial crisis. Stockton successfully exited bankruptcy in February 2015.

Geography

Stockton is situated amidst the farmland of California's San Joaquin Valley, a subregion of the Central Valley. In and around Stockton are thousands of miles of waterways, which make up the California Delta.

Interstate 5 and State Route 99, inland California's major north-south highways, pass through the city. State Route 4 and the dredged San Joaquin River connect the city with the San Francisco Bay Area to its west. Stockton and Sacramento are California's only inland sea ports.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city occupies a total area of 64.8 square miles (168 km2), of which 61.7 square miles (160 km2) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) (4.76%) is water.

History

When Europeans first visited the Stockton area, the Yatchicumne, a branch of the Northern Valley Yokuts Indians, occupied the Stockton area. They built their villages on low mounds to keep their homes above regular floods. A Yokuts village named Pasasimas was located on a mound between Edison and Harrison Streets on what is now the Stockton Channel in downtown Stockton.

The Siskiyou Trail began in the northern San Joaquin Valley. It was a centuries-old Native American footpath that lead through the Sacramento Valley over the Cascades and into present-day Oregon.

19th century

Europeans and Americans started to arrive in the area after gold was found in northern California, starting with the California Gold Rush in 1848. When Captain Charles Maria Weber, a German immigrant, decided to try his hand at gold mining in late 1848, he soon found selling supplies to gold-seekers was more profitable. As an alien, Weber could not secure a land grant directly, so he formed a partnership with William Gulnae. Born in New York, Gulnae had married a Mexican woman and sworn allegiance to Mexico, which then ruled California. He applied in Weber's place for a land grant of eleven square leagues on the east side of the San Joaquin River.

Weber acquired the Rancho Campo de los Franceses Mexican land grant and founded Stockton in 1849. Weber built the first permanent residence in the San Joaquin Valley on a piece of land now known as Weber Point.

During the California Gold Rush, Stockton developed as a river port, the hub of roads to the gold settlements in the San Joaquin Valley and northern terminus of the Stockton - Los Angeles Road. During its early years, Stockton was known by several names, including "Tuleburg," "Fat City," "Mudville," and "California's Sunrise Seaport." Weber decided on "Stockton" in honor of Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Stockton was the first community in California to have a name that was neither Spanish nor Native American in origin.

Thousands of Chinese came to Stockton from the Kwangtung province of China during the 1850s due to a combination of political and economic unrest in China and the discovery of gold in California. After the gold rush, many worked for the railroads and land reclamation projects in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and remained in Stockton. By 1880, Stockton was home to the third-largest Chinese community in California. Discriminatory laws, in particular the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, restricted immigration and prevented the Chinese from buying property. The Lincoln Hotel, built in 1920 by the Wong brothers on South El Dorado Street, was considered one of Stockton's finest hotels of the time. Only after the Magnuson Act was repealed in 1962, were American-born Chinese were allowed to buy property and own buildings.

Stockton California circa 1860
Stockton, circa 1860.

The city was officially incorporated on July 23, 1850, by the county court, and the first city election was held on July 31, 1850. In 1851, the City of Stockton received its charter from the State of California. Early settlers included gold seekers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Canada. The historical population diversity is reflected in Stockton street names, architecture, numerous ethnic festivals, and in the faces and heritage of a majority of its citizens. In 1870, the Census Bureau reported Stockton's population as 87.6% white and 10.7% Asian. Many Chinese were immigrating to California as workers in these years, especially for the Transcontinental Railroad.

Benjamin Holt settled in Stockton in 1883 and with his three brothers founded the Stockton Wheel Co., and later the Holt Manufacturing Company. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1904, Holt successfully tested the first workable track-laying machine, plowing soggy San Joaquin Valley Delta farmland. Company photographer Charles Clements was reported to have observed that the tractor crawled like a caterpillar, and Holt seized on the metaphor. "Caterpillar it is. That's the name for it."

20th century

Swinton-holt-stockton-1918
Benjamin Holt (left) with British Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton in Stockton, April 1918. The vehicle on the right is a Holt tractor; on the left is a miniature replica of a British tank.

On April 22, 1918 British Army officer Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton visited Stockton while on a tour of the United States. The British and French armies were using many hundreds of Holt tractors to haul heavy guns and supplies during World War I, and Swinton publicly thanked Holt and his workforce for their contribution to the war effort. During 1914 and 1915, Swinton had advocated basing some sort of armored fighting vehicle on Holt's caterpillar tractors, but without success. (Although Britain did develop tanks, they came from a separate source and were not directly derived from Holt machines). After the appearance of tanks on the battlefield, Holt built a prototype, the gas-electric tank, but it did not enter production.

Main Street, Stockton, California, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views
Main Street, Stockton, California, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, ca. 1870.
Stockton CA Sikh Temple Est 1912
First Sikh temple in United States, Stockton, California, 1912.

The extensive network of waterways in and around Stockton was fished and navigated by Miwok Indians for centuries. During the California Gold Rush, the San Joaquin River was navigable by ocean-going vessels, making Stockton a natural inland seaport and point of supply and departure for prospective gold-miners. From the mid-19th century onward, Stockton became the region's transportation hub, dealing mainly with agricultural products. By 1931 the Stockton Electric Railroad Company operated forty streetcars over 28 miles of track.

Stockton is the site of the first Sikh temple in the United States; Stockton Gurdwara Sahib opened on October 24, 1912. It was founded by Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh, successful Punjabi immigrants who farmed and owned 500 acres (202 ha) on the Holt River.

In 1933, the port was modernized, and the Stockton Deepwater Channel, which improved water passage to San Francisco Bay, was deepened and completed. This created commercial opportunities that fueled the city's growth. Ruff and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot was established, placing Stockton in a strategic position during the Cold War. During the Great Depression, the town's canning industry became the battleground of a labor dispute resulting in the Spinach Riot of 1937.

Stockton, California. Part of the Stockton Assembly center as seen at noon on a hot day. This cent . . . - NARA - 537725
Partial view of the Stockton Assembly Center.

During World War II, the Stockton Assembly Center was built on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, a few blocks from what was then the city center. One of fifteen temporary detention sites run by the Wartime Civilian Control Administration, the center held some 4,200 Japanese Americans removed from their West Coast homes under Executive Order 9066, while they waited for transfer to more permanent and isolated camps in the interior of the country. The center opened on May 10, 1942 and operated until October 17, when the majority of its population was sent to Rohwer, Arkansas. The former incarceration site was named a California Historical Landmark in 1980, and in 1984 a marker was erected at the entrance to the fairgrounds.

In September 1996, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced the final closure of Stockton's Naval Reserve Center on Rough and Ready Island. Formerly known as Ruff and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot, the island's facilities had served as a major communications outpost for submarine activities in the Pacific during the Cold War. The site is slowly being redeveloped as commercial property.

Economy

Commercial & Savings Bank - Stockton, CA
The historic Commercial & Savings Bank building, Stockton

Historically an agricultural community, Stockton's economy has since diversified into other industries, which include telecommunications and manufacturing.

Stockton's central location, relative to both San Francisco and Sacramento, as well as its proximity to the state and interstate freeway system, together with its comparatively inexpensive land costs, have prompted several companies to base their regional operations in the city.

Shopping

The city of Stockton has two shopping malls, located adjacent to each other: Weberstown Mall and Sherwood Mall. It has the only Dillard's in the Northern California region at the Weberstown Mall, as well as one of the three Sears stores still operating in the Northern California region.

Construction and public spending

Kluft-photo-Stockton-Metro-Airport-July-2009-Img 0085c

Beginning in the late 1990s, Stockton had commenced some revitalization projects. Newly built or renovated buildings include the Bob Hope Theater, Regal City Centre Cinemas and IMAX, San Joaquin RTD Downtown Transit Center, Lexington Plaza Waterfront Hotel, Hotel Stockton, Stockton Arena, the San Joaquin County Administration Building, and the Stockton Ballpark.

A new downtown marina and adjacent Joan Darah Promenade were added along the south shore of the Stockton Deep Water Channel during 2009. Various public art projects were also installed throughout the area (see Stockton's public art section).

Real estate bubble

StocktonCalifornia 2012
Stockton 2012 aerial view

The Stockton real estate market was disproportionately affected by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis, and the city led the United States in foreclosures for that year, with one of every 30 homes posted for foreclosure. From September 2006 to September 2007, the value of a median-priced house in Stockton declined by 44%.

Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood, a subdivision of modest tract homes built in the mid-1990s, had the worst foreclosure rate in the area according to ACORN, a now defunct national advocacy group for low and moderate-income families. Stockton found itself squarely at the center of the 2000s' speculative housing bubble. Real estate in Stockton more than tripled in value between 1998 and 2005, but when the bubble burst in 2007, the ensuing financial crisis made Stockton one of the hardest-hit cities in United States.

Stockton housing prices fell 39% in the 2008 fiscal year, and the city had the country's highest foreclosure rate (9.5%) as well. Stockton also had an unemployment rate of 13.3% in 2008, one of the highest in the United States. Stockton was rated by Forbes in 2009 as America's fifth most dangerous city because of its crime rate. In 2010, mainly due to the aforementioned factors, Forbes named it one of the three worst places to live in the United States.

City bankruptcy

Following the 2008 financial crisis, in June 2012 Stockton became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy protection. It was surpassed by Detroit in July 2013. The city approved a plan to exit bankruptcy in October 2013, and voters approved a sales tax on November 5, 2013, to help fund the exit.

The collapse in real estate valuations had a negative effect on the city's revenue base. On June 28, 2012, Stockton filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. On April 1, 2013, the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of California ruled that Stockton was eligible for bankruptcy protection.

The Stockton bankruptcy case lasted longer than two years and received nationwide attention. On October 4, 2013, Stockton City Council approved a bankruptcy exit plan by a 6–0 vote to be filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento. Voters approved a 34-cent sales tax on November 5, 2013, to help fund the bankruptcy exit.

On October 30, 2014, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the city's bankruptcy recovery plan, thus allowing the city to continue with the planned pension payments to retired workers. The city exited from Chapter 9 bankruptcy on February 25, 2015.

Experiment in Guaranteed Basic Income

As part of a privately funded experiment in Universal Basic Income in 2019, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (S.E.E.D.) conducted a pilot project that gave a $500 stipend to 125 randomly selected residents for an 24-month period with “no strings attached." It was made possible by the Economic Security Project, an advocacy group chaired by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, which provided the first $1 million for the program, and a dozen other Silicon Valley organizations and private donors who funded the rest of its $3 million budget. The positive benefits of the program during the first year were described in an interim report published in March 2021.

Climate

Wpdms usgs photo sacramento delta 2
Stockton in relation to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.

Stockton has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa), with hot, dry summers and mild winters. In an average year, about 80% of the 13.8 inches (351 mm) of precipitation falls from October through April. Located in the Central Valley, the temperatures range is much greater than in the nearby Bay Area. Tule fog blankets the area during some winter days. Stockton lies in the fertile heart of the California Mediterranean climate prairie delta, about equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada.

At the airport, the highest recorded temperature was 115 °F (46 °C) on July 23, 2006, and the lowest was 16 °F (−9 °C) on Jan. 11, 1949. There are an average of 82 days annually with high temperatures of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher, and 18 of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or above; 19 days see low temperatures at or below freezing. The wettest year was 1983 with 26.65 inches (677 mm) and the lowest year was 1976 with 5.6 inches (140 mm).

The most rainfall in one month was 8.22 inches (209 mm) in February 1998 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.01 inches (76 mm) on Jan. 21, 1967. There are an average of 55 days with measurable precipitation. Only light amounts of snow have been recorded; the most was 0.3 inches (7.6 mm) in February 1976.

Climate data for Stockton, California (Stockton Metropolitan Airport), 1981–2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 53.9
(12.2)
60.7
(15.9)
66.3
(19.1)
72.6
(22.6)
81.1
(27.3)
88.1
(31.2)
93.4
(34.1)
92.2
(33.4)
87.9
(31.1)
77.9
(25.5)
64.1
(17.8)
53.9
(12.2)
74.3
(23.5)
Average low °F (°C) 37.7
(3.2)
40.2
(4.6)
42.8
(6.0)
45.9
(7.7)
51.6
(10.9)
56.8
(13.8)
60.0
(15.6)
59.2
(15.1)
56.5
(13.6)
49.7
(9.8)
41.9
(5.5)
37.2
(2.9)
48.3
(9.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.74
(70)
2.54
(65)
2.12
(54)
0.98
(25)
0.53
(13)
0.08
(2.0)
0
(0)
0.01
(0.25)
0.29
(7.4)
0.81
(21)
1.69
(43)
2.22
(56)
14.03
(356)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.5 9.2 8.9 5.0 2.7 1.0 0.2 0.2 1.1 3.3 6.8 9.0 56.9
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 3,679
1870 10,066 173.6%
1880 10,282 2.1%
1890 14,424 40.3%
1900 17,506 21.4%
1910 23,253 32.8%
1920 40,296 73.3%
1930 47,963 19.0%
1940 54,714 14.1%
1950 70,853 29.5%
1960 86,321 21.8%
1970 109,963 27.4%
1980 148,283 34.8%
1990 210,943 42.3%
2000 243,771 15.6%
2010 291,707 19.7%
2020 320,804 10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020
Ethnic composition 2010 1990 1970 1940
White 37.0% 57.5% 79.5% 90.7%
Non-Hispanic whites 22.1% 43.6% 63.3% n/a
Black or African American 12.2% 9.6% 11.0% 1.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 40.3% 25.0% 17.5% n/a
Asian 21.5% 22.8% 7.9% 7.6%

2010 US Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that Stockton had a population of 291,707. The population density was 4,505.0 people per square mile (1,739.4/km2). The racial makeup of Stockton was 108,044 (37.0%) white (22.1% non-Hispanic white), 35,548 (12.2%) African American, 3,086 (1.1%) Native American, 62,716 (21.5%) Asian (7.2% Filipino, 3.5% Cambodian, 2.1% Vietnamese, 2.0% Hmong, 1.8% Chinese, 1.6% Indian, 1.0% Laotian, 0.6% Pakistani, 0.5% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Thai), 1,822 (0.6%) Pacific Islander (0.2% Samoan, 0.1% Tongan, 0.1% Guamanian), 60,332 (20.7%) from other races, and 20,159 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 117,590 persons (40.3%). 35.7% of Stockton's population was of Mexican descent, and 0.6% Puerto Rican.

The 2010 census reported that 285,973 people (98.0% of the population) lived in households, 3,896 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,838 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 90,605 households, out of which 41,033 (45.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41,481 (45.8%) were heterosexual married couples living together, 17,140 (18.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7,157 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7,123 (7.9%) unmarried heterosexual partnerships, and 720 (0.8%) same-sex married or registered domestic partnerships. 19,484 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals, and 7,185 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16. There were 65,778 families (72.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.69.

The population was spread out, with 87,338 people (29.9%) under the age of 18, 34,126 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 76,691 people (26.3%) aged 25 to 44, 64,300 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 29,252 people (10.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

There were 99,637 housing units at an average density of 1,538.7 per square mile (594.1/km2), of which 46,738 (51.6%) were owner-occupied, and 43,867 (48.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%. 146,235 people (50.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 139,738 people (47.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Rankings

  • In 2020, US News named Stockton as America's most diverse city.

Due to a number of socio-economic problems, Stockton has been subject to a series of negative national rankings:

  • In a 2010 Gallup poll, Stockton was tied with Montgomery, Alabama for the most obese metro area in the US with an obesity rate of 34.6 percent.
  • In the February 2012 issue of Forbes, the magazine ranked Stockton the eighth most miserable US city, largely as a result of the steep drop in home values and high unemployment.
  • In 2012, Stockton was ranked as the tenth most dangerous city in America and the second most dangerous in California (behind Oakland).
  • In 2013, Stockton was ranked as the third least literate city in the U.S. in a study by Central Connecticut State University, with less than 17% of adults holding a college degree, and ABC.com ranked the city as the third least literate of all U.S. cities with a population of more than 250,000 behind Bakersfield, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Top employers

According to the city's 2020 comprehensive annual financial report, the top employers in the city were:

No. Employer No. of employees
1 St. Joseph's Medical Center 4,600
2 Stockton Unified School District 3,894
3 City of Stockton 2,099
4 Amazon 2,000
5 Kaiser Permanente 1,065
6 University of the Pacific 1,029
7 San Joaquin Delta College 1,007
8 Lincoln Unified School District 857
9 Dameron Hospital 800
10 O'Reilly Auto Parts 600
a.San Joaquin County employers both within and outside the city. Details of the split were not available, and San Joaquin County has been excluded from the list.

Culture

Performing arts

Fox California Theater - Stockton, CA
The Fox California Theater.

Music

  • Stockton Symphony is the third-oldest professional orchestra in California (founded in 1926), after the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
  • University of the Pacific is known for its music conservatory and for being the home of the Brubeck Institute, named after Dave Brubeck, a Pacific alumnus and jazz piano legend. The institute maintains an archive of Brubeck's work and offers a fellowship program for young musicians. The Brubeck Institute Jazz Quartet is composed of Pacific students and tours widely.
  • San Joaquin Delta College has a growing jazz program and is home to several official and unofficial jazz bands composed of Delta and Pacific students and faculty. Christian Life College offers Associate and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Christian Music.
  • Stockton is the birthplace of Chris Isaak.

Stockton hosts several live music venues, including:

  • Stockton Arena, which is home to several sports teams, and has hosted nationally known entertainers such as Gwen Stefani, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood and Bob Dylan. The annual Apollo Night talent show draws about 1,500 people to the Stockton Civic Memorial Auditorium (1925) to watch performances by aspiring Northern California musicians.

Theatre

The Bob Hope Theatre, formerly known as the Fox California Theatre in downtown Stockton, built in 1930, is one of several movie palaces in the Central Valley. Bob Hope often came to Stockton to visit close friend and billionaire tycoon Alex Spanos, who donated much of the money to revitalize the theater after Hope's death. The University of the Pacific Faye Spanos Concert Hall often hosts public performances, as does the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium. The Warren Atherton Auditorium at the Delta Center for the Arts on the campus of the San Joaquin Delta College is a 1,456-seat theater with a 60-foot (18 m) proscenium and full grid system. The Stockton Empire Theater is an art deco movie theater that has been revitalized as a venue for live music.

Founded in 1951, the Stockton Civic Theatre offers an annual series of musicals, comedies and dramas. It maintains a 300-seat theater in the Venetian Bridges neighborhood. The company also hosts the annual Willie awards for the local performing arts.

Other performing arts organizations and venues include:

  • Stockton Opera
  • Faye Spanos Concert Hall at the University of the Pacific
  • Tillie Lewis Theatre at the Community Delta College
  • KUDOS Children's Theatre
  • Stockton School of Performing Arts
  • Stockton Ballet School
  • New Dance Company
  • Jagged Lines of Imagination Academy
  • Stockton Bukkyo Taiko (a Japanese drumming group affiliated with the Stockton Buddhist Temple)

Visual arts

Museums and galleries

Stockton is home to several museums.

  • Haggin Museum — the private, non-profit fine arts and history museum was built in Victory Park in 1931. The museum displays 19th and 20th-century works of art and houses local historical exhibits. Stockton boomed as one of the largest cities in California, the third-largest during the years of the Gold Rush and latter 19th century. The Haggin Museum features collections and exhibits related to local Valley history and California history.

In addition to its history galleries, the Haggin Museum displays fine art of late 19th and early 20th century artists such as Jean Béraud, Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, William Bouguereau, Paul Gauguin, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Childe Hassam, George Inness, Daniel Ridgway Knight, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jehan-Georges Vibert, and Jules Worms. It also hosts temporary touring exhibitions and owns important works by late 19th and early 20th century artists. Notable among them are paintings by Albert Bierstadt, whose interpretations of the natural grandeur of the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Valley, and other California landscapes are internationally renowned .

  • Reynolds Gallery, and Horton Gallery — the University of the Pacific Reynolds Gallery, and the San Joaquin Delta College Horton Gallery, both feature contemporary work by students and local and nationally known artists.
  • Children's Museum of Stockton — housed in a former warehouse in the Downtown Waterfront District, featuring many interactive displays.
  • Elsie May Goodwin Gallery — operated by the Stockton Art League.
  • Filipino American National Historical Society had proposed the construction of the National Pinoy Museum in the Little Manila district. The museum would be dedicated to the history of Filipino Americans. Stockton historically had one of the largest populations of Filipino immigrants and U.S. citizens in the United States. In 2015, the museum opened after two decades of planning.
  • Tidewater Art Gallery — featuring the works of local artists
  • Murals — depicting the city's history decorate the exteriors of many downtown buildings.

Stockton Arts Commission

The Stockton Arts Commission, an advisory body to the City Council, oversees a city endowment fund that provides grants to local artists and arts and cultural organizations. It sponsors the annual arts awards. The commission also serves as an advocate and information clearinghouse for the arts and cultural community.

Stockton public art projects include:

  • Kinetic sculptures on the South and North Shores of the Stockton Channel, Downtown (2008–2009); "Airbourne"—a 32-foot-high (9.8 m) kinetic sculpture, brushed stainless steel, at the North Point by Moto Ohtake, Santa Cruz; A group of five stainless steel and aluminum kinetic sculptures on the South Point by Mark White, Santa Fe, NM.
  • Stainless steel and bronze images imbedded in the Downtown Stockton walkways (2004–2009)—designed and installed by Dan Snyder, Berkeley. Stockton's first public/private public art partnership commissioned by Guaranty Bank, Weber Avenue, Hunter Street, San Joaquin Street, and Downtown Marina.
  • Water creature elements incorporated in stair railings, bicycle racks, and light poles (2009)—designed by Wayne Chabre, Walla Walla, WA, Downtown Marina.
  • Stockton Rising (2006)—a concrete with bronze sculpture by Scott Donahue between the Stockton Arena and the Lexington Plaza Hotel.
  • Stockton Arena parking garage entryway feature (2005)—a collage by Napa artist Gordon Huether featuring 22,000 Mattell toy cars, Fremont Street.
  • Ed Coy Garage Installation (2005)—medallions and a LED lit column by David Griggs on the Edward "Ed" Coy Garage, N. Hunter Street.
  • Downtown's Maintenance Hole Covers (2004)—by local artist Molly Toberer. The covers depict 17 unique designs representing topics such as Work, Taste Grow, Invent and others. The designs carry unique aesthetic legacy of the American 1930s style.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Statue (2004)—a bronze statue by Rafael Arrieta-Eskarzaga on the east side of the MLK Square, El Dorado Street.
  • Memorial to Mexican Braceros (2002)—bronze, cement and masonry sculpture by Rafael Arrieta-Eskarzaga, McLeods Park, Fremont Street.
  • Fire Fighter Memorial (1998)—a bronze sculpture, McLeods Park, Fremont Street.
  • Ethnic Diversity Sculpture (1989)—a sculpted concrete post by Eric Lee on the corner of San Joaquin Street and Weber Avenue.
  • Confucius Monument—13 and a half foot high pagoda-like monument of red and green tile was a gift to the City of Stockton from the Chinese Community for the bi-centennial celebration.

With over 77,000 trees, the City of Stockton has been labeled Tree City USA some 30 times according to Arborday.org.

Stockton has over 275 restaurants ranging in variety reflective to the population demographics. A mix of American, African American, BBQ, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Italian, Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants are abundant in the community reflecting the cities' diverse culture. Cantonese restaurant On Lock Sam still exists and dates back to 1895.

Festivals

Stockton hosts many annual festivals celebrating the cultural heritage of the city, including:

  • San Joaquin Children's Film Festival
  • San Joaquin International Film Festival (February)
  • Chinese New Year's Parade and Festival (First Sunday in March)
  • St. Patrick's Day and Shamrock Run (March)
  • Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out (April)
  • Stockton Asparagus Festival — annual Asparagus food festival (April)
  • Brubeck Jazz Festival (April)
  • Earth Day Festival (April)
  • Cambodian New Year (April)
  • Annual Nagar Kirtan, Sikh Parade (April)
  • Boat Parade for the Opening of Yachting Season (April)
  • Cinco de Mayo Parade and Festival (May)
  • Zion Academy's Reclaim (May)
  • Jewish Food Fair (June)
  • Juneteenth Day Celebration (June)
  • Stockton Obon Bazaar (July)
  • Colombian Independence Day Festival (July)
  • Taste of San Joaquin and West Coast BBQ Championships
  • Filipino Barrio Fiesta (August)
  • Stockton Beer Week (August)
  • Stockton Pride (August)
  • Christian Spirit Festival (September)
  • The Record's Family Day at the Park (Sept)
  • Stockton Restaurant Week (September)
  • Black Family Day (September)
  • San Joaquin County Coastal Cleanup Day (September)
  • Greek Festival (September) First weekend after Labor Day
  • Festa Italiana: Tutti In Piazza (September)
  • Stocktoberfest, Beer and Brats Festival on the Waterfront (October)
  • Hmong New Year (November)
  • Stockton Festival of Lights and Boat Parade (December)

Shopping

The city of Stockton has two shopping malls, located adjacent to each other: Weberstown Mall and Sherwood Mall.

Sports

Stockton is home to two minor league franchises:

The Stockton Ports Baseball Team play their home games at Banner Island Ballpark, a 5,000 seat facility built for the team in downtown Stockton. The Ports played their home games at Billy Hebert Field from 1953-2004. The Ports have been a single A team in Stockton since 1946 in the California Minor Leagues. Stockton has minor league baseball dating back to 1886. The Ports have produced 244 Major League players including Gary Sheffield, Dan Plesac, Doug Jones, Pat Listach, and Stockton's own Dallas Braden among others. The Ports have eleven championships and are currently the A class team for the Oakland Athletics. The Ports had the best win-loss percentage in all Minor League Baseball in the 1980s.

A 10,000 seat arena, Stockton Arena, located in Downtown Stockton, opened in December 2005 and was the home of the Stockton Thunder professional hockey team (ECHL) for 10 years. The team has moved to the East Coast in a realignment of the American Hockey League and the Arena is now the home of the Stockton Heat, a venture and affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.

Stockton is home to the oldest NASCAR certified race track West of the Mississippi. The Stockton 99 Speedway opened in 1947 and is a quarter mile oval paved track with grandstands that can accommodate 5,000 spectators.

Stockton's designation for Little League Baseball is District 8, which has 12 leagues of teams within the city. Stockton also has several softball leagues including Stockton Girls Softball Association, and Port City Softball League, each having several hundred members.

Rowing Regatta featuring Junior, Collegiate and Master Level Rowing & Sculling Competition is organized by the University of the Pacific annually on the Stockton's Deep Water Channel. Teams from throughout Northern California compete in this Olympic sport which is also the oldest collegiate sport in the United States.

Stockton hosts a wide variety of sports events every year: from resident hockey, baseball and soccer games through basketball at the University of the Pacific and at the Stockton Arena; golf championships at two 18-hole courses and a Par 3 Executive Course; rowing, sailing and fishing on the Delta and the Stockton Channel; martial arts and cage fighting. There are four public golf courses open year-round, Van Buskirk, Swenson, and The Reserve at Spanos Park and Elkhorn Golf Course. Private courses include The Stockton Golf & Country Club, Oakmoore, and Brookside Golf & Country Club.

Stockton is one of a handful of cities that lays claim to being the inspiration for Casey at the Bat. The University of the Pacific was the summer home of the San Francisco 49ers Summer Training Camp from 1998 through 2002.

Stockton is also the base of UFC fighters Nick and Nate Diaz. Nick, a middleweight in the UFC, is the former WEC and Strikeforce Welterweight champion, while Nate is one of the top 5 ranked UFC lightweights and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Both brothers are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts under Cesar Gracie and operate a school in Stockton which teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu to children and youth.

Parks

PixieWoods
Pixie Woods

The City of Stockton has a small children's amusement park, Pixie Woods. Pixie Woods opened in 1954 and has since received more than one million visitors.

Transportation

Stockton is centrally located with access to:

Roads and railways

Stockton San Joaquin Street 1
An Amtrak station in Stockton.

Due to its location at the "crossroads" of the Central Valley and a relatively extensive highway system, Stockton is easily accessible from virtually anywhere in California. Interstate 5 and State Route 99, California's major north-south thoroughfares, pass through the city limits. The east-west highway State Route 4 also passes through the city, providing access to the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the Sierra Nevada and its foothills. Stockton is the western terminus of State Route 26 and State Route 88, which extends to the Nevada border. In addition, Stockton is within an hour of Interstate 80, Interstate 205 and Interstate 580.

Stockton is served by San Joaquin Regional Transit District

Stockton is also connected to the rest of the nation through a network of railways. Amtrak and Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) both make stops in Stockton, with Amtrak providing passenger access to the rest of the nation. Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, the two largest railroad networks in North America both service Stockton and its port via connections with the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad and Central California Traction Company, who provide local and interconnecting services between the various rail lines. Recently, BNSF Railway opened a much needed $150 million intermodal freight transport facility in southeast Stockton, which satisfies long-haul transportation needs.

Air

Stockton Airport terminal, Jan 2016
Passenger terminal of Stockton Metropolitan Airport

Stockton is served by Stockton Metropolitan Airport, located on county land just south of city limits. The airport has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone and is mainly used by manufacturing and agricultural companies for shipping purposes. Since airline deregulation, passenger service has come and gone several times. Domestic service resumed on June 16, 2006, with service to Las Vegas by Allegiant Air. The days of service/number of flights were expanded a few months later due to demand. Air service to Phoenix began in September 2007.

On July 1, 2010, Allegiant Air implemented non-stop service to and from Long Beach, California. With respect to international service, in 2006 Aeromexico had plans to provide flights to and from Guadalajara, Mexico, but the airport's plan to build a customs station at the airport was initially rejected by the customs service. However, the possibility of building this station is currently a continuing matter of negotiation between the airport and the customs service, and Aeromexico has indicated a continuing interest in eventually providing service. Ground transportation is available from Hertz, Enterprise, Yellow Cab and Aurora Limousine.

Seaport

The Port of Stockton is a fully operating seaport approximately 75 nautical miles (86 mi; 139 km) east of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Set on the San Joaquin River, the port operates a 4,200 acres (17 km2) transportation center with berthing space for 17 vessels up to 900 ft in length. As of 2014, the Port of Stockton had 136 tenants and is served by BNSF & UP Railroads. The port also includes 1.1 million square feet (102,000 m²) of dockside transit sheds and shipside rail track and 7.7 million square feet (715,000 m²) of warehousing.

Adjacent to the port is Rough and Ready Island, which served as a World War II–era naval supply base until it was decommissioned during the Base Realignment and Closure process in 1995.

In popular culture

Comics

  • Stan Lee named Stockton the birthplace of the Fantastic Four in 1986, after Joe Field successfully petitioned Marvel Comics to change it from the fictional "Central City".

Films

A number of motion pictures have been filmed in Stockton. Over the years, filmmakers have used Stockton's waterways to stand in for the Mississippi delta, the surrounding farmland as the American plains and Midwest, and Pacific's campus as an Ivy League college. Some of the movies filmed in Stockton include:

  • All the King's Men (1949)
  • Always (1989)
  • Are We There Yet (1985 film) (1985)
  • Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
  • The Big Country (1958)
  • Big Stan (2007)
  • Bird (1988)
  • Blind Man Sees First
  • Blood Alley (1955)
  • Bound for Glory (1976)
  • BroadCasting Sunshine: Am in the Am (2010)
  • Cape Fear (1962)
  • Coast to Coast (1980)
  • Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  • Coyote (1997)
  • Day of Independence (2003)
  • Dead Man on Campus (1998)
  • Death Machines (1976)
  • Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974).
  • Dreamscape (1984)
  • Fat City (1972), based on Leonard Gardner's acclaimed 1969 novel Fat City. It is set in Stockton in the late 1950s, and was filmed by director John Huston.
  • Flubber (1997)
  • Friendly Fire (1979)
  • Funky Fresh
  • Glory Days (1988)
  • God's Little Acre (1958)
  • High Time (1960)
  • Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  • Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
  • More American Graffiti (1979)
  • Oklahoma Crude (1973)
  • Porgy and Bess (1959)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • Rampage (1988)
  • Return Fire/Jungle Wolf II (1988)
  • R.P.M. (1970)

Television

  • The 1960s Western TV series The Big Valley was set just outside Stockton.
  • The hit FX T.V. show Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014), is set in and outside of Stockton.
  • The animated TV show American Dad S9E6 the character Snot's dad dies. Resulting with Steve and friends taking a road trip to the funeral in Stockton.

Awards and recognition

Stockton received an All-America City award from the National Civic League twice, in 1999 and 2004. 2004's award was based on a 60-member delegation's presentation titled "The Dream Lives On!", and featured three community-driven projects: Community Partnership for Families, Downtown Alliance, and the Peace Keeper Program. The 1999 award recognized the Apollo Night Talent and Performing Series, the conversion of the Stockton Developmental Center into an off-campus center for the California State University at Stanislaus, and the LEAP (Let Education Attack Pollution) program.

Sunset magazine named Stockton Best Tree City in the western United States in March 2002, and "Best of the West Food Fest" in March 2000. Stockton contains 49 city, state, and national historical landmarks, dating as far back as 1855.

In February 2009, and again in February 2011, Stockton was named "America's Most Miserable City" by Forbes, reflecting the city's issues with commuting times, violent crime rates, income tax levels, and unemployment rates. Stockton had placed second in this listing in 2008.

Sister cities

Stockton has seven sister cities:

Country City Year of Partnership
Japan Japan Shizuoka March 9, 1959
Philippines Philippines Iloilo City August 2, 1965
Mexico Mexico Empalme September 4, 1973
China People's Republic of China Foshan April 11, 1988
Italy Italy Parma January 13, 1998
Cambodia Cambodia Battambang October 19, 2004
Nigeria Nigeria Asaba June 6, 2006

Transportation

Stockton is centrally located with access to:

Roads and railways

Stockton San Joaquin Street 1
The San Joaquin Street Amtrak station in Stockton

Due to its location at the "crossroads" of the Central Valley and a relatively extensive highway system, Stockton is easily accessible from virtually anywhere in California. Interstate 5 and State Route 99, California's major north–south thoroughfares, pass through the city limits. The east–west highway State Route 4 also passes through the city, providing access to the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the Sierra Nevada and its foothills. Stockton is the western terminus of State Route 26 and State Route 88, which extends to the Nevada border. In addition, Stockton is within an hour of Interstate 80, Interstate 205 and Interstate 580.

Stockton is served by San Joaquin Regional Transit District.

Stockton is also connected to the rest of the nation through a network of railways. Stockton has two passenger rail stations. Robert J. Cabral Station, which provides service to Sacramento on Amtrak's San Joaquins route, and also serves as the northern terminus of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service to San Jose. San Joaquin Street station provides service to Oakland via the San Joaquins route.

Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, the two largest railroad networks in North America both service Stockton and its port via connections with the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad and Central California Traction Company, who provide local and interconnecting services between the various rail lines. The Stockton Diamond was the busiest interchange point in the state by 2020; a grade separation project to elevate the Union Pacific over the BNSF line is planned to be completed by 2026.

Air

Stockton Airport terminal, Jan 2016
Passenger terminal of Stockton Metropolitan Airport

Stockton is served by Stockton Metropolitan Airport, located on county land just south of city limits. The airport has been designated a Foreign Trade Zone and is mainly used by manufacturing and agricultural companies for shipping purposes. Since airline deregulation, passenger service has come and gone several times. Domestic service resumed on June 16, 2006, with service to Las Vegas by Allegiant Air. The days of service and number of flights were expanded a few months later due to demand. Air service to Phoenix began in September 2007.

On July 1, 2010, Allegiant Air implemented non-stop service to and from Long Beach. In 2006 Aeromexico had plans to provide flights to and from Guadalajara, Mexico, but the airport's plan to build a customs station at the airport was initially rejected by the customs service. However, the possibility of building this station is currently a continuing matter of negotiation between the airport and the customs service, and Aeromexico has indicated a continuing interest in eventually providing service. Ground transportation is available from Hertz, Enterprise, Yellow Cab and Aurora Limousine.

Seaport

The Port of Stockton is a fully operating seaport approximately 75 nautical miles (86 mi; 139 km) east of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Set on the San Joaquin River, the port operates a 4,200-acre (17 km2) transportation center with berthing space for 17 vessels up to 900 feet (270 m) in length. As of 2014, the Port of Stockton had 136 tenants and is served by BNSF & UP Railroads. The port also includes 1.1 million square feet (102,000 m2) of dockside transit sheds and shipside rail track and 7.7 million square feet (715,000 m2) of warehousing.

Adjacent to the port is Rough and Ready Island, which served as a World War II–era naval supply base until it was decommissioned during the Base Realignment and Closure process in 1995.

Notable people

Stockton was home to the world's first radio disc jockey, Ray Newby. In 1909, at 16 years of age, Newby began regularly playing records on a small transmitter while a student at Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless, located in San Jose, under the authority of radio pioneer Charles "Doc" Herrold.

The indie rock band Pavement was formed in Stockton in 1989 by two local musicians, Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, known originally only as "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs".

Jose M. Hernandez, a famous NASA astronaut and engineer, also refers to Stockton as his hometown. Akiko Billings, a notable engineer and women's advocate born in Fiji, considers Stockton her American home. Chi Cheng, bass player for the Deftones, was born and raised in Stockton and attended Tokay High School. Reagan Maui'a, a former NFL fullback, originally played for Tokay High School. Musician Chris Isaak was born in Stockton.

Images for kids

See also

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