2024 Stockton Visitors Guide
Stockton was founded in 1849 by Charles M. Weber and incorporated in 1850. Captain Weber had purchased the 49,000 acres in hopes of striking it rich in gold but later found it more profitable to provide for the rush by fellow gold-seekers arriving in droves from all over the world. He established the town to serve those needs.
The City was known by many names prior to the christening of its current name. Other ill-suited names included Tuleburg, Gas City and Mudville. Finally, Captain Weber chose to honor Commodore Robert F. Stockton by naming the small community after him. This made Stockton the first community in California to have an American name. Other California cities had received names of Spanish or Native American origin.
Stockton is one of California’s fastest-growing communities. It is currently the 13th largest city in California with a population of over 260,000. It is situated along the San Joaquin Delta waterway which connects to the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The City is located 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay Area, 83 miles east of San Francisco, and 45 miles south of the capital city of Sacramento.
Recently, Stockton has experienced a population boom. This is largely due to thousands of people settling in the area to escape the relatively high cost of living found in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, this influx of new residents has resulted in a sharp increase in Stockton’s cost of living. Even with this increase, Stockton is still significantly lower than any Bay Area city of comparable size.
As of the census of 2000, there were 243,771 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 43.26% White, 32.50% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 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. 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.
Stockton Attractions
Stockton can boast several notable attractions. The Children’s Museum of Stockton is a wonderful experience for young visitors from the moment they step through the door. The museum features hands-on, play-based exhibits that will delight the young and young and heart. The Haggin Museum is an art and history museum, referred to by Sunset magazine as “one of the undersung gems of California”. Its art collection features work by such noted 19th-century painters as Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, and William-Adolphe Bouguereau, as well as many other American and European artists. The SJ County Historical Society and Museum have over 40,000 square feet of exhibit and workspace. Their collection boasts over 50,000 items representative of the development of San Joaquin County agriculture and history.
The Micke Grove Regional Park and Zoo is a 258-acre oak tree park featuring the Micke Grove Zoo, the Japanese Garden, Funderwoods Amusement Park, Tea Pavilion and Koi pond, Funderwoods Amusement Park, and the San Joaquin Historical Museum.
Stockton Recreation
Outdoor activities abound for nature lovers and sporting enthusiasts in Stockton. The City has six public and four private golf courses, 50 parks, 41 baseball, and softball diamonds and 60 tennis courts. The San Joaquin/Sacramento Delta offers boating, fishing, water skiing, and sailing catering to the water sports enthusiast. Stockton is also within close proximity to world-famous scenic attractions including the California Coast, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite National Park.
Stockton is home to the Stockton Ports Professional Baseball, the Stockton Thunder Professional Hockey, the California Cougars Professional Indoor Soccer, and the Stockton Lightning Professional Arena 2 Football Teams.
The City is a shopper’s paradise with six mall locations. College Square has a little something for everyone with over 30 stores and several restaurants. The Lincoln Center is home to more than 100 unique merchants with fashions for the entire family, gifts and collectibles, grocery and specialty foods, home interiors, jewelry, shoes and accessories, and specialty shops all in one convenient location. The Miracle Mile is a favorite destination known for being a pedestrian-friendly shopping district, offering a wide variety of specialty shops and services.
Stockton CA Arts
The City has its own symphony and opera company. The Stockton Symphony is one of the pre-eminent performing arts organizations in San Joaquin County and the third oldest orchestra in California. The Stockton Civic Theatre provides a variety of entertainment options that have delighted audiences for over 55 years. The renovated historic Fox California “Bob Hope” Theatre is also host to a Broadway Series, concerts, and more.
Other prominent arts organizations include the Ballet San Joaquin, the Stockton Opera, the Stockton Chorale, the University of the Pacific Theatre Arts Department, the San Joaquin Delta College Drama Department, the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music, the Friends of Chamber Music, the Pacific Opera Theatre and the Brubeck Institute.
Stockton Dining
When you live in or visit Stockton, you have a limitless selection of restaurants from which to choose. There are over 1,000 restaurants within a fifteen-mile radius of Stockton. Here is just a small sampling of the delectable delights available.
Bud’s Seafood Grille offers delicious seafood of all sorts brought in fresh and prepared a number of different ways. As a result, there are the familiar fish-and-chips and the more unusual calamari parmesan. You’ll also find fried oysters, Gulf shrimp, catfish, mahi-mahi, scallops, rainbow trout, clams, and Pacific salmon. Ernie’s on the Brick Wall provides a wide selection of menu items like fusilli pasta with prosciutto and mushrooms, NY steak with herb-bourbon sauce, and saffron-tinged bouillabaisse, loaded with fish and shellfish.
The Shadows offers an intimate, elegant dining experience where diners enjoy prime rib or any other type of steak, fresh fish, and chicken and pasta dishes. A taste of the Caribbean islands can be found on the shores of the Delta in Stockton at the Breadfruit Tree Restaurant. The restaurant serves a variety of savory and colorful Caribbean dishes like Mespo, Roti, and Palau.
Arroyo’s Café has been serving the finest Mexican food available in the Stockton area for over sixty years. Hungry diners have been known to come from all over to enjoy their authentic Mexican flavors and festive atmosphere.
Stockton Communities
Stockton neighborhoods include Antoine Court, Bear Creek, Blossom Ranch, Boggs Tract, Brookside, Colt and Cody, Downtown Stockton, Fourteen Mile Slough, Lincoln Village, Lincoln Village West, Magnolia, Midtown, Mosher Slough, Pawnee, Quail Lakes, Rough and Ready Island, Shelley, Sherwood Manor, Spanos Park, Stacey, Stonewood, Venetian Plaza, and Weston Ranch.