City of Stockton Official Website|}Stockton is a city in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the 5th largest agricultural county in the United States). According to 2005 estimates by the California Department of Finance, Stockton has a population of 289,800 and is the 13th largest city in California. Stockton is also the fourth largest inland city in California, behind Fresno, Sacramento, and Bakersfield. According to the California State Department of Finance January 6, 2006 estimate, 668,265 people live in the Stockton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Stockton was named after Commodore Robert F. Stockton and was founded in 1849 and incorporated on July 23, 1850. The area now known as Weber Point is the same spot where Captain Charles Maria Weber built the first permanent residence in the San Joaquin Valley after acquiring 49,000 acres through a Spanishland grant. Soon, he established this spot as a stop for 49ers on their way to the Sierra Nevada. It didn't take long for this stop to grow and flourish.
In the past decade, Stockton and the nearby communities of Tracy, Manteca and Lodi have experienced a population boom. This is largely due to thousands of people settling in the area to escape the relatively high cost of living of the San Francisco Bay Area. This influx of new residents, however, resulted in a sharp increase in the cost of living of Stockton, although it is still significantly lower than any Bay Area city of comparable size.
Stockton is located at 37°58' North, 121°18' West; its land area is 52.57 square miles (136 km²); its water area is 0.95 square miles (2.5 km²). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 144.9 km² (56.0 mi²). 141.7 km² (54.7 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (2.22%) is water. It is a valley.
As of the census of 2000, there were 243,771 people, 78,556 households, and 56,167 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,720.4/km² (4,455.7/mi²). There were 82,042 housing units at an average density of 579.0/km² (1,499.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.26% White, 11.25% African American, 1.12% Native American, 19.90% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 17.31% from other races, and 6.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.50% of the population.There were 78,556 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.59.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,453, and the median income for a family was $40,434. Males had a median income of $35,181 versus $26,602 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,405. About 18.9% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
In 2005, Forbes magazine listed it as having 6,570 crimes per 100,000 residents â€" the highest listed; and 0.8% of engineers within total employment â€" the lowest listed. The city had the 7th lowest (of 150) educational attainment (bachelor's degree or higher over the age 25).
Edward J. Chavez was elected mayor of Stockton in 2004 and officially began his term on January 1, 2005. Chavez succeeded Gary Podesto to the mayorship. His term expires December 31, 2008.
Chavez joined the Stockton Police Department in August 1973 as a Patrol Officer. Working his way up, he was appointed Chief of Police in August 1993 and served until his retirement in 2003.
Mark Lewis was appointed City Manager by the City Council in April 2001. Lewis, best known for his economic and developmental policies, successfully served the cities of Monterey Park, Colton, Union City and South San Francisco, California in the same capacity.
Lewis was dismissed by the City Council on January 17, 2006 by a vote of 6-1, with Vice Mayor Gary Giovanetti dissenting.
The Stockton City Council is comprised of six councilmembers, each elected by their respective districts:#Steve J. Bestolarides#Dan J. Chapman#Leslie B. Martin #Clem Lee#Gary S. Giovanetti (Vice Mayor)#Rebecca G. Nabors
Although historically an agriculturally based community, Stockton's economy has diversified into all sectors of industry. Several top-tier companies have chosen to base their operations in Stockton, some of which include: *Bank of Stockton *Diamond of California *Dorfman Pacific Hats *Duraflame, Inc. - firelogs and charcoal *Pac-West Telecommunications *Pacific State Bank *Stagi & Scriven - jumbo sunflower seeds, now owned by Klein Brothers *Sunshine Cement, Inc. *TeleTech Holdings, Inc. *Zacky Farms Chicken - owned by Foster Farms Chicken
In addition, due to readily available land and office space in Stockton, several corporations have either shifted their regional headquarters to the city or are in negotiations with city officials to do so.
Stockton has access to several different modes of transportation:
Land
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 city limits. Also, Stockton is just minutes away from Interstates 205 and 580.
Stockton is also connected to the rest of the nation through an extensive 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. Moreover, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific meet the cargo rail needs of the city. Recently, BNSF Railway opened a much needed $150 million intermodal freight transport facility in southeast Stockton, which satisfies long-haul transportation needs.
Air
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. Domestic carriers such as America West had provided air service to the city as recently as 2003, and domestic service will resume in June 2006 with service to Las Vegas by Allegiant Air. In 2006, Aeromexico will begin to provide round-trips to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Water
The Port of Stockton is a large inland port set on the San Joaquin River, which provides a direct route to the Pacific Ocean and other port cities around the world. The Port of Stockton is the third largest landholder seaport in California and has also been designated a Foreign Trade Zone. The Port of Stockton operates a 2,100 acre (8.5 km²) transportation center with berthing space for 14 vessels. In addition, 6.5 million square feet (600,000 m²) of warehouse storage space is available. The Port of Stockton is currently competing with HSMPS (Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square) for the rights to dock the USS Iowa (BB-61) as a permanent museum and memorial. The Port of Stockton plans to donate 1,000 feet of dock space to make the USS Iowa available to visitors, a 90,000 square foot building to be used as a museum and ten acres of land for parking. The Port of Stockton is also a home for the Stockton Rowing Club. Stockton Rowing can trace its history back more than 100 years. Its modern expansion began in the early 1980s.
Stockton is home to several institutions of higher education. The largest is the University of the Pacific (UOP). The UOP campus has been used in the filming of several Hollywood films, partly due to its aesthetic likeness to East Coast Ivy League universities. UOP's most notable appearance was in Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Stockton used to be the site of a California State Hospital, the oldest in the state system, founded only a few years after statehood. Stockton State Hospital was closed in 1996 and has since been converted into the Stockton branch campus of California State University, Stanislaus.
On January 17, 1989, Patrick Purdy, a mentally ill Stockton man, opened fire on the Cleveland Elementary School playground in Stockton, California with a semi-automatic rifle, killing five children and wounding twenty-nine others and a teacher, before taking his own life. This event received national news coverage and is sometimes referred to as the Stockton Massacre. The shooting helped spark local, statewide, and national efforts to ban semi-automatic military-style rifles.
Then-Mayor Barbara Fass received national attention and acclaim for her efforts on behalf of gun control. "Barbara Fass, the Mayor of Stockton, acknowledges that gun control is politically treacherous but asserts that military assault rifles are 'where we draw the line,'" the New York Times opined on Feb. 9, 1989. "Congress ought to show at least that much common sense."
*Prior to its incorporation in 1850, Stockton had several names, including Tuleburg, Gas City and Mudville - the Stockton Ports played for two seasons under the name Mudville 9. *Captain Charles M. Weber chose to honor Commodore Robert F. Stockton by naming the city in honor of Stockton, who was instrumental in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. *Stockton was twice named an All-America City (1999 & 2004). *The historicBob Hope Theatre (formerly Fox California Theatre) in downtown Stockton is one of several 'movie palaces' in the Central Valley. *With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was thrice named Best Tree City in the western United States by Sunset magazine. *Stockton was the first community in California to have a name not of Spanish or Native American origin. *Several high-profile people have visited Stockton, including President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Indian NationalistLala Hardayal, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, musician Bob Dylan, and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. *The Port of Stockton is the easternmost inland port in California and the largest inland port. George W. Bush Elementary School, located in north Stockton, is the first public school in the nation to be named for a sitting president. *The annual Asparagus Festival held in downtown Stockton draws thousands of attendees. *An article written in 1856 by the Stockton Directory (a paper long since disbanded) told about Stockton's major advantages over all inland California cities::"The City of Stockton is situated on a beautiful prairie at the head of the 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 advantadges over all 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." *The Haggin Museum, Stockton's art and history museum, has been referred to by Sunset magazine as "one of the undersung gems of California." *Portions of several major motion pictures have been filmed in and around Stockton, including All the King's Men, Cool Hand Luke, Fat City, R.P.M. (1970), Oklahoma Crude (1973) and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The new Rob Schneider film, Big Stan (2007), is being filmed in a Stockton prison. Most of the extras were Stocktonians. *A popular 1965 - 1969 television show called The Big Valley starring Barbara Stanwyck was purportedly set in 19th century Stockton, but the story was purely fictional. The interior shots were filmed in studios. The exterior shots, featuring lots of canyons and chaparral plant growth, were obviously filmed in Southern California, which is nowhere near Stockton and does not resemble anything within several hundred miles of Stockton. *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."
Stockton is the home of the Haggin Museum [1] and Children's Museum of Stockton [2]. The Haggin Museum displays historical artifacts from Stockton and San Joaquin County. The Children's Museum of Stockton is housed in a former warehouse on the Downtown Waterfront. It has displays in which children can interact with.
There are a few proposed museums, including the effort to bring the USS Iowa to the Port of Stockton as a naval museum. The Filipino American National Historical Society has 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 once had one of the largest population of Filipinos in the United States. There have also been efforts to convert the San Joaquin Street home of Moses Rogers, a former slave, into a non-profit museum dedicated to Stockton's African-American community.
