Stockton was founded in 1849 by a German immigrant, Charles M. Weber, who acquired over 49,000 acres of land through a Spanish land grant. Captain Weber tried his hand at gold mining in late 1848, but by the next spring, realized that the true wealth lay in providing for the rush of gold-seekers from all over the world, and established his town to serve those needs. As J. H. Carson, in his LIFE IN CALIFORNIA described it in 1849: "A rush and whirl of noisy human beings were continually before the eye. The magic wand of gold had been shaken over a desolate place, and on it a vast city had arisen at the bidding."
Stockton has been the home of the University of the Pacific since 1924, after moving from San Jose. UOP's longtime emphasis has been on music education, but now supports fine engineering, pharmacy, and business schools as well as highly-regarded offsite dental and law schools. UOP's ivy-league ambiance complete with lovely old brick buildings and wide shady lawns have made it a movie location in many a feature film.
The legendary Delta, created by the confluence of several rivers and many man-made channels-popularly known as 1,000 miles of waterways-is what in many ways defines Stockton and surrounding communities. Wildlife, irrigation, transportation and recreation all owe their existence and success to the muddy waters of the San Joaquin Delta.
The City of Stockton is one of California's fastest growing communities. Stockton is currently the 13th largest city in California with a dynamic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural 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. Stockton is located 60 miles east of the San Francisco Bay Area, 83 miles east of San Francisco, and 45 miles south of Sacramento, the capital of California.
Learn more about STOCKTON , CALIFORNIA
City of STOCKTON , CA official website
County of SAN JOAQUIN, CA official website
City of STOCKTON , CA general information
City of STOCKTON , CA chamber of commerce
City of STOCKTON , CA yellow pages
City of STOCKTON , CA newspaper