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Stockton, California

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Stockton is a city in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the fifth largest agricultural county in the United States). According to 2007 estimates by the California Department of Finance, Stockton has a population of 289,789 and is the 13th largest city in California. Stockton is also the fifth largest inland city in California, behind Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield, and Riverside.

Encompassing Interstate 5, State Route 99 and State Route 4, Stockton is strategically located about east of the San Francisco Bay Area and south of Sacramento, the capital of California. Stockton is surrounded by the rich and fertile lands of the California Central Valley and is home to the largest inland seaport in California. In and around Stockton are thousands of miles of waterways, canals, and rivers that make up the California Delta.

Over 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.

History

The first human beings to settle along the streams and riverbanks in and around what is now Stockton were countless generations of Native Americans, including members of the Yokuts and Valley and Sierra Miwok tribes, who lived in the delta's waterways, using them for food and transportation. The northern San Joaquin Valley was also the southern end of the Siskiyou Trail, a centuries-old footpath leading through the Sacramento Valley, over the Cascades, and onward to Oregon.

When Captain Charles Maria Weber, a German immigrant, decided to try his hand at gold mining in late 1848, he soon discovered that serving the needs of gold-seekers was a more profitable opportunity. It was for this reason that he founded Stockton in 1849 when he purchased over 49,000 acres (200 km²) of land through a Spanish land grant. The area now known as Weber Point is the same spot where Captain Weber built the first permanent residence in the San Joaquin Valley.

During its early years, Stockton was known by several names, including "Tuleburg," "Gas City" and "Mudville." Captain Weber decided on "Stockton" in honor of Commodore Robert F. Stockton. Stockton was the first community in California to have an English name; every other community up until that point was Spanish or Native American in origin.

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.

Geography and climate

Stockton is located at 37°58' North, 121°18' West; its land area is 60.9 square miles (136 km²); its water area is 1.02 square miles (2.5 km²). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.1 square miles (144.9 km²), of which, 60.9 square miles (141.7 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²) of it (2.22%) is water. The city lies at the nadir of the San Joaquin Valley.

Demographics

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 4,455.7 people per square mile (1,720.4/km²). There were 82,042 housing units at an average density of 1,499.6/sq mi (579.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.26% White, 15.25% 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 — the highest listed; and 0.8% of engineers within total employment — the lowest listed. The city had the 7th lowest (of 150) educational attainment (bachelor's degree or higher over the age 25).

Central Connecticut State University surveys from 2005 and 2006 ranked the city as the most illiterate of all U.S. cities with a population of more than 250,000.

Government

Local

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 an undercover officer. Working his way up, he was appointed Chief of Police in August 1993 and served until his retirement in 2003.

J. Gordon Palmer, Jr. was named City Manager on March 7, 2006. Palmer had served as Deputy City Manager since 2004. Prior to working for the City, he served as Deputy Port Director with the Port of Stockton from 2000 to 2004, and Manager of Master Planning at the Port of Long Beach from 1989 to 2000. From 1977 to 1989, he was a regional planner and then principal economist with the Southern California Association of Governments.

State and Federal

In the state legislature Stockton is located in the 5th Senate District, represented by Democrat Michael Machado, and in the 15th and 17th Assembly District, represented by Republican Guy S. Houston and Democrat Cathleen Galgiani. Federally, Stockton is located in California's 11th and 18th congressional districts, which have Cook PVIs of R +3 and D +3 respectively and are represented by Democrats Jerry McNerney and Dennis Cardoza respectively.

Industry

Although historically an agriculturally based community, Stockton's economy has since diversified into many other areas. These include telecommunications and manufacturing among others.

Stockton is in a unique position vis-a-vis its proximity to both the San Francisco and Sacramento markets. Partly due to this and the availability of relatively inexpensive land, several companies have chosen to base their regional operations in Stockton. These include Duraflame, Pac-West Telecommunications, Golden State Lumber Company and several others.

Real estate crash

Stockton was disproportionately affected by the collapse of the sub-prime lending market in 2007, and led the United States in foreclosures for that year, with one out of every thirty homes posted for foreclosure..

Stockton's Weston Ranch neighborhood, a 15-year-old subdivision of modest tract homes, has the worst foreclosure rate in the area according to ACORN, a national advocacy group for low and moderate-income families.

On September 19, 2007, CNN reported that Stockton led the nation in the 100 largest metro areas that are forecast to witness a decline in the median existing single-family house price.

Media

Television stations

As part of the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto television market, Stockton is primarily served by stations based in Sacramento. These are listed below, with the city of license in bold:

Radio broadcast stations

FM Stations

  • KJOY 99.3: Adult Contemporary
  • KMIX 100.9: Regional Mexican
  • KQOD 100.1: Rhythmic Oldies
  • KSTN-FM 107.3: Regional Mexican
  • KUOP 91.3: News/Talk and Jazz
  • KWIN 97.7: Rhythmic Top 40
  • KYCC 90.1: Christian
  • KLOVE 90.7: Christian
  • KRXQ 98.5: Alternative Rock
  • The Hawk 104.1: Classic Rock

AM Stations

  • KCVR 1570: Spanish Adult Hits
  • KSTN 1420: Classic Hits
  • KWG 1230: Catholic
  • KWSX 1280: Spanish Oldies simulcast of KMRQ 96.7 Manteca

In addition, several radio stations from nearby San Francisco, Sacramento and Modesto are receivable in Stockton.

Print media

  • The Record a daily newspaper
  • Vida en el Valle a weekly bi-lingual newspaper
  • La Voz a weekly newspaper (Spanish language)
  • 209Vibe is an alternative monthly newspaper covering music, entertainment and culture.

Sister cities

Stockton has seven sister cities worldwide:

Transportation

Stockton has access to several different modes of regional and international 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. In addition, Stockton is minutes away from Interstate 80, Interstate 205 and Interstate 580.

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. Moreover, Union Pacific meets 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. Since airline deregulation, passenger service has come and gone several times. Most recently, domestic service resumed in June 2006 with service to Las Vegas by Allegiant Air, and the days of service/number of flights were expanded a few months later due to demand. Also in 2006, Aeromexico had planned to provide service 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. Air service to Phoenix began in September 2007.

Water

The Port of Stockton is a fully operating seaport approximately 75 nautical miles (120 km²) east of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Set on the San Joaquin River, the port operates a 2,000 acre (8.5 km²) transportation center with berthing space for 17 vessels. The port also includes 1.1 million square feet (102,000 m²) of dockside transit sheds and and shipside rail trackage 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 as a result of BRAC 1995.

Education

Primary and Secondary

Stockton is home to three public school districts, Stockton Unified School District,Lodi Unified School district and Lincoln Unified School District, and over 30 private schools.

Post-Secondary

Stockton is home to several institutions of higher education. The largest is the University of the Pacific (UOP), which moved to Stockton in 1924 from San Jose. The UOP campus has been used in the filming of several Hollywood films (see below), 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.

Also located in Stockton are National University (the second largest private university in the state), Maric College of Stockton, San Joaquin Delta College, Humphreys College and School of Law, Heald College, MTI Business College, and University of Phoenix.

California State University, Stanislaus established its Stockton campus on the grounds of the former Stockton State Hospital, which was founded in 1853 and closed in 1996.

Events of historical significance

Completion of port and deepwater channel

The extensive network of waterways in and around Stockton were fished and navigated by Native Americans for centuries. Even prior to the California Gold Rush, the San Joaquin River was navigable by ocean-going vessels, making Stockton a natural inland seaport. From the mid 19th century onward, Stockton was the region's transportation hub, dealing mainly with agricultural products. Modernization of the port and deepening of the Stockton Deepwater Channel to San Francisco Bay were completed in 1933, giving rise to commercial opportunities that have fueled the city's growth ever since, and paving the way for the Rough and Ready Island naval base which placed Stockton in a strategic position during the Cold War.

Charles Manson Family Members Living in Stockton

Lynette Fromme, Also knowen as "Squeaky Fromme", moved to Stockton, California, with friends Nancy Pitman and Priscilla Copper, a pair of ex-convicts named Michael Monfort and James Craig, and a couple, James and Lauren Willett. When the Willetts died within days of each other in 1972, the housemates were taken into custody on suspicion of murder. However, she was released due to a lack of evidence.

The 1989 Cleveland Elementary School shooting

On January 17, 1989, the Stockton Police Department received a threat against Cleveland Elementary School from an unknown person. Later that day Patrick Purdy, a mentally ill resident, opened fire on the school's playground with a semi-automatic rifle, killing five children, all Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, 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.

Then-Mayor Barbara Fass' subsequent work on gun control received national attention and sparked nationwide efforts that sought to ban semi-automatic military-style rifles like the one used in the shooting.

Closure of Stockton's naval reserve center

In September 1996, the Base Closure and Realignment Commission announced the final closure of Stockton's Naval Reserve Center on Rough and Ready Island, which had served as a major communications outpost for submarine activities in the Pacific during the Cold War. While many other base closures in the region were seen as largely negative due to job loss, Stockton residents welcomed the newsfact. The site is currently being considered for commercial development.

Awards and Honors

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 boasts 49 city, state, and national historical landmarks, dating as far back as 1855.

Downtown revitalization

Beginning in the late 1990's under the mayorship of Gary Podesto, Stockton's downtown has experienced a dramatic turnaround and revitalization. Although much work yet remains, over the past decade downtown Stockton has, without question, transformed from a crime-ridden eyesore to a family-friendly destination. Newly built or renovated buildings include:

Projects currently under consideration by the city council inlcude a marina, south-shore housing, the revitalization of the Robert J. Cabral neighborhood, bridges across the Stockton Deep Water Channel, and a high-rise building that may include condominiums.

Professional sports

Stockton is home to several minor league franchises:

The Stockton Ports play their home games at Banner Island Ballpark, a new 5,000 seat facility built for the team in downtown Stockton. A new 10,000 seat arena, the Stockton Arena, has recently been completed in downtown Stockton, which houses the California Cougars, Stockton Thunder and Stockton Lightning.

Entertainment and Culture

Music

  • The 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 alum 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 comprised 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 comprised of Delta and Pacific students & faculty.
  • The Apollo Night talent show draws about 1,500 people to the Stockton Civic Auditorium annually to watch performances by aspiring Northern California musicians.
  • Stockton-based producers Hallway Productionz have created beats for well-known musicians, including Blackalicious. The duo produced several tracks on Ice Cube's 2007 album "Laugh Now, Cry Later" as well as T-Bone's "Bone-A-Fide," which was nominated for a Grammy in 2007. Hallway Productionz-produced tracks also appeared in the movies "The Fighting Temptations" and "XXX: State of the Union.
  • R&B singers Bear and Erin Jennae appeared on the Billboard charts in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
  • In 2006 Tim Sovinec, a Stockton youth pastor and guitarist for the Christian rock band everybodyduck, became the first local resident to perform at the arena.
  • In 2006 Latin Magic Band became the first local act to perform at both the arena and the 2,000-seat Bob Hope Theatre.
  • Rapper Okwerdz received an Australian Gold record in 2008 for his work with the Hilltop Hoods.

Auditoriums and concert halls

Stockton boasts several concert halls, including the following:

Visual art

Here are some facts pertaining to visual arts in Stockton:

  • The Stockton Arts Commission, a city organization, offers grants to local visual and performing artists. The commission also hosts an annual arts awards program and open studios tours.

  • Stockton has an extensive public art program. Public art projects include 'Stockton Rising," a sculpture by Scott Donahue located outside of the Stockton Arena. Nearby, a work by Napa artist Gordon Huether features 30,000 Mattell cars attached to the west side of the Stockton Arena parking garage. Several downtown manhole covers also were designed by local artists.

  • Murals depicting the city's history decorate the exteriors of many downtown buildings.

  • While primarily a history museum, the Haggin Museum, located in Victory Park, occasionally hosts touring art exhibitions. It also features work by some late 19th- and early 20th-century artists.

  • In 2005, the Downtown Stockton Alliance began sponsoring a monthly art walk during the summer. The event features local artists exhibiting their work at downtown businesses and galleries as well as in some otherwise vacant storefronts. Musicians also perform throughout downtown as part of the event.

  • Critically-acclaimed silhouette artist Kara Walker was born in 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."

Museums

Stockton is home to several museums. These are:

  • The Haggin Museum features collections and exhibits related to local history and California history, and 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.
  • The Tidewater Art Gallery features the work of local artists.
  • The Elsie May Goodwin Gallery is maintained by the Stockton Art League.

  • The University of the Pacific’s Reynolds Gallery and San Joaquin Delta College’s Horton Gallery feature contemporary work by students and local and nationally-known artists.
  • The Children's Museum of Stockton is housed in a former warehouse on the Downtown waterfront, and boasts many interactive displays.

  • 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.

Performing arts

Founded in 1951, 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 Bravo awards for the local performing arts.

Festivals

Stockton hosts several annual festivals celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the city. These include:

  • The Stockton Asparagus Festival (April)
  • Black Family Day (Sept)
  • The Brubeck Festival (April)
  • The Earth Day Festival (April)
  • Cambodian New Year (April)
  • The Filipino Barrio Fiesta (August)
  • The Greek Festival (September)
  • The Jewish Food Fair (June)
  • The Stockton Festival of Lights and Boat Parade (December)
  • The Stockton Obon Bazaar (July)
  • The Record's Family Day at the Park
  • San Joaquin Film Festival (Opening June 2008)
  • The Chapman Family Days Picnic (September)
  • Lunar New Year (Jan or Feb)
  • Hmong New Year (November)

Motion Pictures

A surprisingly large number of major 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 UOP's picturesque campus as an Ivy League college. Some of the movies filmed in Stockton include:

Stockton was also the setting of the 1960s Western TV series The Big Valley which starred Barbara Stanwyck..

Notable Stocktonians

References

External links



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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 13:23:11 PDT (GMT -0700)
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