Stockton, the county seat of San
Joaquin County, is currently the 13th largest city in the U.S. state of
California
in terms of population and one of the largest in
terms of area in the Central Valley
. Stockton is located in Northern California south of Sacramento
and north of Modesto
.
Stockton's population estimate for January 1, 2009 according to the
California Department of Finance, is 290,409.
Surrounding
Interstate 5,
State Route 99 and
State Route 4, Stockton is
surrounded by the
farmland of the
California Central Valley.
Stockton is connected westward with San Francisco
Bay
by the river’s 78-mile channel, and is, with
Sacramento, one of the state’s two inland sea
ports. In and around Stockton are thousands of miles
of waterways and rivers that make up the California Delta
. It is also a rail center and a processing
and distribution point for
farm products and
wines from the Central Valley.
Over the
past decade, Stockton and the nearby cities of Tracy
and Manteca
have experienced a population boom, due in large part to
thousands of people settling in the area in an effort to escape the
San Francisco
Bay Area
's relatively high cost of
living. 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).
As a result of the population increase, Stockton found itself
squarely at the center of the United States' speculative
housing bubble in the
2000s. Real estate in Stockton more than
tripled in value between 1998 and 2005, but when the bubble burst
in 2007, the ensuing financial crisis arguably hit Stockton harder
than any other city in America. Stockton housing prices fell 39% in
the 2008 fiscal year, and the city had the country's highest
foreclosure rate (9.5%) as well. Because
of the shrinking economy, Stockton also had an
unemployment rate of 13.3% in 2008, one of the
highest marks in the U.S. Stockton has also been rated by
Forbes in 2009 as America's fifth most
dangerous city because of its
crime rate.
History
The first
human beings to settle along the streams and riverbanks in and
around what is now Stockton were indian 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 venture.
Weber acquired the Rancho Campo
de los Franceses
Mexican land grant, and founded Stockton in
1849. 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, "Crapton," and "Mudville". Captain
Weber decided on "Stockton" in honor of
Commodore Robert F. Stockton.
Stockton was the first community in
California
to have a name not of Spanish or Native American
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
.
Stockton has a
Mediterranean
climate, with hot, dry summers, and cool, wet winters. In an
average year, about 80% of the 16.6 inches of precipitation
falls during the rainy season from October through April.
Being
located in the Central Valley
, the range of temperatures here is much greater
than in the nearby Bay
Area
. Tule fog usually
covers Stockton during winter.
At Stockton Fire Station #4, where records have been kept since
March 3, 1906, the highest recorded temperature was 112°F on July
15, 1972, and the lowest recorded temperature was 13°F on February
7, 1989. Annually, there are an average of 73.2 days with high
temperatures of 90°F (32°C) or higher and an average of 29.3 days
with low temperatures of 32°F (0°C) or lower. The wettest year was
1983 with 31.37 inches and the dryest year was 1929 with
5.92 inches. The most rainfall in one month was
9.93 inches in February 1998 and the most rainfall in 24 hours
was 3.20 inches on February 1, 1963. There are an average of
55 days with measurable precipitation. Measurable snowfall has been
recorded on several occasions; the most snow was 2.0 inches in
January, 1930.
At the airport, the highest recorded temperature was 115°F on July
23, 2006, and the lowest recorded temperature was 16°F on January
11, 1949. Annually, there are an average of 81.3 days with high
temperatures of 90°F (32°C) or higher and an average of 22.2 days
with low temperatures of 32°F (0°C) or lower. The wettest year was
1983 with 26.65 inches and the lowest year was 1976 with
5.60 inches. The most rainfall in one month was
8.22 inches in February 1998 and the most rainfall in 24 hours
was 3.01 inches on January 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 in February
1976.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 243,771
people; 78,556 occupied housing units; and 82,042 housing units.
The racial makeup of the city was 43.3%
White, 11.2% Black or
African American, 1.1%
Native American and
Alaska Native, 19.9%
Asian, 0.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other
Pacific Islander, 17.3% from
other races, and 6.8%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 32.5% of the
population.
The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was
3.59. The median age was 29.8 years. The median
income for a household in the city was $35,453, and
the median income for a family was $40,434. 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.
As of January 1, 2009 estimates place it as 290,409 residents.
Since it has a booming population growth it has grown about 268
residents in just a year. Projections estimate it to be at least
290,784 in 2010 and 291,054 in 2011.
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). However, in 2009, Forbes reported Stockton was no longer the
most dangerous city, moving to number five.
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 Government
Ann Johnston is the mayor of Stockton as of
January 1, 2009 Johnston succeeded Ed Chavez, who succeeded Gary
Podesto.
The City Council consists of the following members as of January 1,
2009;
Elbert Holman - District 1
Katherine Miller - District 2
Leslie Martin - District 3
Diana Lowery - District 4
Susan Talamantes Eggman - District 5
Dale Fritchen - District 6
According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report, the city’s various funds had $443.9 million in Revenues,
$485.4million in expenditures, $1,903.5 million in total assets,
$679.9 million in total liabilities, and $203.5 million in cash and
investments.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services
is:
J.Gordon Palmer, Jr.was named
City Manager on March 7, 2006 September 25, 2009. Palmer announced
his retirement from the City of Stockton that would become
effective September 25, 2009. Former Fairfield, CA City Manager
Kevin O'Rouke has assumed the position as "Interim City Manager"
until the Stockton City Council finds a permanent replacement
sometime by the Spring of 2010.
Economy
According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,
the top employers in the city are:
| City Department |
Director |
| City Manager |
Vacant: Interim City Manager: Kevin O'Rouke |
| Deputy City Manager |
Laurie K. Montes |
| Administrative Director/CFO Financial Management |
Mark L. Moses |
|
| Director Community Development |
Michael M. Niblock |
| Director Human Resources |
Dianna R. Garcia |
| Director Municipal Utilities |
Mark J. Madison |
| Director Parks & Recreation/Library Services |
Pamela J. Sloan |
| Director Public Works |
Vacant: Interim Director Bob Murdoch |
| Fire Chief |
Ronald L. Hittle |
| Police Chief |
Blair Ulring |
| Director of Revitalization |
David Harzoff |
|
|
|
| # |
Employer |
# of Employees |
| 1 |
San Joaquin County |
6,700 |
| 2 |
Stockton Unified School District |
4,100 |
| 3 |
St. Joseph’s Medical Center |
2,650 |
| 4 |
City of Stockton |
1,754 |
| 5 |
Dameron Hospital |
1,200 |
| 6 |
Kaiser Permanente |
1,060 |
| 7 |
University of the Pacific |
1,000 |
| 8 |
Diamond Walnut |
1,000 |
| 9 |
California Department of Transportation |
750 |
| 10 |
Washington Mutual |
650 |
|
Although historically an
agriculturally
based community, Stockton's economy has since diversified into many
other areas. These include
telecommunications and
manufacturing among others. Because of the new
focus on renewable energy, the proximity to agriculture will become
even more important in the future as research and development
combine agriculture with alternative fuels.
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.
Stockton is rapidly becoming the community of choice for companies
looking for an area to move or expand industries related to
renewable energy. The Port of Stockton is one of the largest
receivers of wind turbines in the world. Stockton’s rail capacity
makes distribution from the Port seamless. The sun and wind
potential in Stockton is among some of the best in the country and
with available, the Port is already home to biodiesel and ethanol
plants. The City of Stockton and the Port have worked in
partnership to focus resources on developing green sustainable
industry. The City of Stockton has been leading the way with their
own policies for supporting green and renewable
technologies.Stockton is working with local educational
institutions, including high schools, community colleges, and four
year universities, to educate the workforce for the booming
renewable energy industry.
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, but may
carry some San Francisco Bay area television stations' airwaves.
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, switched formats to News/talk. One of California's
oldest running AM radio stations.
- 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 from Fresno,
CA
- Bilingual Weekly is a bi-weekly newspaper
(Spanish & English) based in Stockton, serving San Joaquin and
Stanislaus counties
- Caravan is a local community arts and
events monthly newspaper.
- 209Vibe is an alternative monthly
newspaper covering music, entertainment and culture.
- San_Joaquin_Magazine Regional
lifestyle magazine covering Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Manteca and
more
- The Downtowner is a free monthly
guide to Downtown Stockton's events, commerce, real estate, and
other cultural and community happenings.
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 served by San Joquian Regional Transit DistrictStockton
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
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 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 feeds into four public school districts,
Stockton Unified School
District,
Lincoln
Unified School District, Lodi Unified School District, and
Manteca Unified School District. There are more than 30 private
elementary and secondary schools, which include Saint Mary's High
School, Presentation Catholic School, and Annunciation Catholic
School.
Post-Secondary
Stockton is home to several institutions of higher education.
The
largest is the University of the Pacific
, which moved to Stockton in 1924 from San
Jose. The university 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.
Also located in Stockton are
National University (the second largest
private university in the state), Kaplan College of Stockton,
San Joaquin Delta College,
Humphreys College and School of Law (which has its main campus in
Stockton and a branch campus in Modesto, CA),
Heald College, MTI Business College, and
University of Phoenix.
San Joaquin Delta College is currently expanding and features
Distance Learning Education and Internet Classes. Additional sites
are being set up to expand access to education in distant
locations.
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. The hospital was the first state
mental institution in California.
Crime
Stockton has had a reputation for high crime rates relative to
other cities in the region.
The city has made efforts to reduce this
rate, including improvements to public venues, using a "broken
windows" strategy of linking city repairs to reduced rates, as
modeled in Los Angeles
. In 2009, Forbes magazine reported Stockton
to be on their list of the nation's most dangerous cities, at
number five.
According to the City of Stockton District Attorney, the city of
Stockton has the "second most violent crime rate in the state,"
while
San Joaquin
County is the fifth-most dangerous
metropolitan area in the United States.
This is because of Stockton's proximity to Interstate 5 in the
center of California, making it "a hub for the
drug cartel between Mexico, Seattle and
Vancouver, British Columbia."
Events of historical significance
Development of the Caterpillar Tractor and the Caterpillar
Company
Benjamin Holt, who settled in Stockton
in the 1880s, founded Holt Manufacturing Company in Stockton and
was one of the most important early developers in the United States
of the "caterpillar"-type tractor, which he began developing
shortly after 1900. After his death, Holt's company merged with the
C.L.
Best
Tractor Co. of San
Leandro
, California to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co.,
which eventually became Caterpillar,
Inc..
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 known 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. 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.
The Stockton Fire Department has held a Class 1 ISO rating since
1971.
In February 2009, Stockton was named "America's Most Miserable
City" by Forbes, reflecting Stockton's issues with commuting times,
violent crime rates, income tax levels, and unemployment rates.
Stockton was placed second in this listing in 2008.
Downtown revitalization
Beginning in the late 1990s under the mayorship of
Gary
Podesto, Stockton's downtown has attempted a dramatic
turnaround and revitalization. Over the past decade downtown
Stockton has tried to transform itself from a crime-ridden eyesore
to a family-friendly destination. Most local residents are still
extremely wary of the area, though, and most of the newly-built
facilities are already having trouble making ends meet. . Newly
built or renovated buildings include:
A new Downtown Marina and adjacent promenade (as of January 1,
2009) are under construction along the South Shore of the Stockton
Deep Water Channel.
Projects (as of January 1, 2009) either in the planning stages or
under consideration by the
city council
include South Shore housing, the revitalization of the Robert J.
Cabral neighborhood, a museum honoring Stockton's history of gang
warfare, 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 5,000 seat facility built for the team in
downtown Stockton. A 10,000 seat arena, the Stockton
Arena
, located in downtown Stockton, is the home of the
Stockton Cougars, Stockton Thunder and Stockton
Lightning.
The
University of the Pacific
was the summer home of the San Francisco 49ers Summer Training Camp
from 1998 through 2002.
Mixed martial artist
Nick Diaz, who has
been the WEC and IFC welterweight champion, was born and raised in
Stockton along with his brother
Nate
Diaz.
Entertainment and Culture
Music schools and orchestras
- 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
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.
Musicians, bands, and producers with origins in Stockton
- Indie-rock band Pavement was
formed in Stockton in 1989 by Stephen
Malkmus and Scott Kannberg. Much
of their early material was recorded in Stockton.
- Singer Chris Isaak was born in
Stockton in 1956.
- Stockton-based producers Hallway Productionz have created beats
for well-known musicians, including Blackalicious, Ice
Cube and WC.
- 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 Stockton 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.
- Local rapper Okwerdz received an Australian Gold record in 2008
for his work with the Hilltop
Hoods.
- Erik Kristan Mallory, born and raised in Stockton, is the
guitarist for the Rock N Roll band Endeverafter (Razor And Tie Records)
- Izzy Gallegos, former member of
the band US5, was born in Stockton.
- Nathan Parrish, born and raised in Stockton, is a guitarist in
the Christian Worship/Rock band Worth
Dying For (Integrity Music).
- Shad Harris, musician, songwriter,
producer and teacher, manages Other People Productions a musicians
service company originally formed in Stockton(Dahs Music).
Auditoriums and concert halls
Stockton boasts several concert halls, including the following:
Visual art
- The Stockton Arts Commission, a division of city government,
oversees a city endowment fund that provides grants to local
artists and arts and cultural organizations. It sponsors the annual
arts awards, a writing contest and the arts and crafts show at the
Asparagus Festival. SAC also serves as an advocate and information
clearinghouse for the arts and cultural community.
- 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. Approximately 15 downtown
manhole covers also were designed by local artist Molly
Toberer.
- Murals depicting the city's history decorate the exteriors of
many downtown buildings.
- In addition to its history galleries, The Haggin Museum, located in Victory
Park, displays fine art of late 19th and early 20th century artists
such as Jean Beraud, Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, William
Bouguereau, Paul Gauguin, Jean-Leon Gerome, Childe Hassam, George
Inness, Daniel Ridgway Knight, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jehan-Georges
Vibert, and Jules Worms. It also hosts temporary touring
exhibitions.
- 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 raised in Stockton.
Museums
Stockton is home to several museums. These are:
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 Willie awards for the local performing arts.
Festivals
Stockton hosts several annual festivals celebrating the rich
cultural heritage of the city. These include:
- Lunar New Year (January or February)
- San Joaquin
Children's Film Festival (January 2009)
- The
Stockton Asparagus Festival (April)
- The Brubeck Festival (April)
- The Earth Day Festival (April)
- The Stockton Tree-Dip (April)
- Cambodian New Year (April)
- The San Joaquin
International Film Festival (May)
- The Jewish Food Fair (June)
- The Stockton Obon Bazaar (July)
- The Stockton Quilting Bee (July)
- The Box Lunch Bazaar (July)
- The Filipino Barrio Fiesta (August)
- Bacon-wrapped Asparagus Celebration (August)
- Penny Day At The Park For Literacy Awareness (August)
- Black Family Day (September)
- The Greek Festival (September)
- The Chapman Family Days Picnic (September)
- Festa Italiana: Tutti In Piazza (September)
- Hmong New Year (November)
- The Stockton Festival of Lights and Boat Parade (December)
- The Record's Family Day at the Park
Motion Pictures
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 UOP
's campus as an Ivy League
college. Some of the movies filmed in Stockton include:
Sister cities
Stockton has seven
sister cities
worldwide:
References
- America's Most Dangerous Cities (Stockton being in
5th place
- Captain Charles M. Weber Award
- City of Stockton
- Dri.edu
- Dri.edu
- City of Stockton, CA -City Councilmembers and
Districts
- Stockton City Council Webpage
- City of Stockton CAFR Retrieved August 7,
2009
- California cities fill top 10 foreclosure list -
August 14, 2007
- CNN.com
- Sanjoaquinrtd.com
- Welcome to the Port of Stockton, California
-
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/25/local/me-stockton25
- Yahoo.com
- 100 Years on Track
- Slaughter in A School Yard - TIME
- City of Stockton, CA - All-America City
- City of Stockton, CA - All-America City
- Best tree city Stockton, California
- Home
- Stockton Symphony Association - Stockton, California
- University of the Pacific
- The Record
- The Record
- The Record
- The Record
- 209Vibe
- The Record
- The Record
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
- IMDb.com
External links