About Stockton

Stockton is a city in northern San Joaquin Valley and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, United States. It is the fourth largest city in the state's Central Valley region. With a population of 300,000 at the 2012 census, Stockton ranks as the state's 13th most populous city. It is the State's 17th largest city in terms of land mass at 64.75 sq. mi. The city is located in Northern California, south of the state capital Sacramento and north of Modesto.

Stockton is along Interstate 5, State Route 99 and State Route 4 amid the farmland of the California Central Valley. It is connected westward with San Francisco Bay by the San Joaquin River's 78-mile (126 km) 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.

The city hosts the annual Asparagus Festival and is the location of Haggin Museum, an art and history museum built in Victory Park in 1931. The museum displays 19th and 20th century works of art and houses local historical exhibits. For much of the later 19th century, starting with the Gold Rush, Stockton was one of the largest cities in the state, for a while the third largest city.

Stockton has recently struggled with violent crime, reaching a record high of 71 homicides in 2012 before dropping to 23 in the first nine months of 2013. The city had also cut its police force by more than 20% during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, but a sales tax approved by voters on November 6, 2013 could fund an additional 120 police officers.

In recent years Stockton has also seen a series of negative national rankings in the media, including high crime and low literacy rankings.

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. In 1870, the Census Bureau reported Stockton's population as 87.6% white and 10.7% Asian.