Stockton, California
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| City nickname: "California's Sunshine Seaport" | |||||
| Missing image CAMap-doton-Stockton.png Stockton, California | |||||
| County: | San Joaquin | ||||
| Area: - Total - Water | 144.9 km² (56.0 mi²) 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) 2.22% | ||||
| Population: |
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| Time zone: | Pacific: UTC-8 | ||||
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Latitude
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37°58' N | ||||
| Mayor: | Edward Chavez | ||||
| City of Stockton Official Website (http://www.stocktongov.com/) | |||||
Stockton is a city in California and the county seat of San Joaquin County. According to the California Department of Finance (January 2005), Stockton has a population of 279,513 and ranks 12th in size amongst California cities. Stockton is also the fourth largest inland city in California, after Fresno, Sacramento, and Bakersfield.
Situated in a strategic area which encompasses Interstate 5 and State Route 99, Stockton is located about 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay Area and 45 miles south of Sacramento, the capital of California. Stockton is surrounded by the rich agricultural areas of the California Central Valley, and is home to the largest inland seaport in California. In and around Stockton are numerous waterways that comprise the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Recently, Stockton and the nearby communities of Tracy and Manteca 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 in 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 Bay Area cities of comparable size.
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Geography
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 is water. The total area is 2.22% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 243,771 people, 78,556 households, and 56,167 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,720.4/km² (4,455.7/mi²). There are 82,042 housing units at an average density of 579.0/km² (1,499.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 32.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 78,556 households out of which 40.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% are married couples living together, 17.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% are non-families. 22.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.04 and the average family size is 3.59.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,453, and the median income for a family is $40,434. Males have a median income of $35,181 versus $26,602 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,405. 23.9% of the population and 18.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 32.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Government
Edward J. Chavez was elected mayor of Stockton in 2004 and officially began his term on January 1, 2005. Chavez succeeded the popular 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.
The Stockton City Council is comprised of six councilmembers, elected by their respective districts. These are:
- Councilmember Steve J. Bestolarides (District 1)
- Councilmember Dan J. Chapman (District 2)
- Councilmember Leslie B. Martin (District 3)
- Councilmember Clem Lee (District 4)
- Councilmember Gary S. Giovanetti (District 5; Vice Mayor)
- Councilmember Rebecca G. Nabors (District 6)
Sister cities
Stockton has 6 sister cities worldwide:
- Parma, Italy
- Foshan, China
- Empalme, Mexico
- Shimizu, Japan
- Battambag, Cambodia
- Ililo City, Phillipines
Colleges and universities
Stockton is home to several institutions of higher education. These include San Joaquin Delta Community College, Humphrey's College and School of Law, and the University of the Pacific (UOP).
University of the Pacific is a famous institution and has been used to film several Hollywood films, partly due to its aesthetic likeness to East Coast Ivy League universities. Its most famous such appearance is probably 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 Campus of California State University, Stanislaus.
Professional sports
Stockton is home to a High-A California League (minor league) baseball team, the Stockton Ports, affiliated with MLB's Oakland Athletics. After playing for several years at Billy Hebert Field, a new 5,000 seat facility, Stockton Ballpark, was built for the Ports in downtown Stockton on Banner Island.
A new 10,000 seat arena is also under construction in downtown Stockton, which will be home to the California Cougars (a MISL soccer team) as well as the Stockton Thunder (an ECHL Ice Hockey team). City officials are aggressively pursuing an Arena Football League (AF2) team which would also play at the arena.
Famous Stocktonians
- Maxine Hong Kingston - Author
- Daniel Goleman - Psychologist
- Alex Spanos[1] (http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/54/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=54&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=CJLF&datatype=Person) - Billionaire tycoon
- Janet Leigh - Actress
- Benjamin Holt - Inventor
- Dave Brubeck - Jazz Musician
- Chris Isaak - Singer
- Pavement - Renowned indie rock band
Interesting facts
- Stockton was originally named 'Tuleburg' due to the large quantity of tules (a plant) in the area at one time.
- Stockton was twice named an All-America City (1999 & 2004).
- With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was named 'best tree city' in the western United States by Sunset magazine.
- Several high-profile people have visited Stockton, including former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani and President George W. Bush.
- The Port of Stockton is the furthest east inland seaport in California.
- On January 17, 1989, a mentally ill Stockton man, Patrick Purdy, opened fire onto an elementary school field with an AK-47 assault 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.
External links
- City of Stockton (http://www.stocktonet.com/)
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