Stockton, CA Real Estate

STOCKTON
Stockton is situated at the head of a navigable channel, several miles east of the San Joaquin River and approximately 90 miles inland from San Francisco Bay. The city’s strategic location along several waterways is what defined Stockton and its surrounding communities. Today, the city continues to serve as a major shipping point for the many of agricultural and manufactured products of Northern California. 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.

Stockton offers an excellent quality of life for its residents. The City has a number of beautiful residential communities along waterways, with single-family modern homes costing about one-third the price of homes in the Bay Area. With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was recently recognized by Sunset Magazine as the "Best Tree City" in the western United States. In 1999 and 2004, Stockton was designated an All-America City by the National Civic League.

A German immigrant, Charles M. Weber who acquired over 48,000 acres through a Mexican land grant, founded Stockton in 1849. Captain Weber tried gold mining but realized opportunities lay in providing for gold seekers from all over the world. Several names had been attributed to Stockton, including Tuleburg, Gas City and Mudville. The city was officially named after Commodore Robert F. Stockton, a naval officer who was responsible for driving the Mexican forces out of California in the 1840’s. It became the first city in California to receive a name that was not Spanish or Native American. The City of Stockton was officially incorporated on July 23, 1850. By 1854, Stockton was the fourth largest city in California and today is the county seat of San Joaquin County with a population of 286,000.

The discovery of gold turned Stockton Channel a river boat landing that served the mining areas of the foothills. It became the gateway, supply and transportation center to California’s southern mines. Although the gold rush ended by 1855, Stockton businesses prospered from their ability to process and transport agricultural products to the markets of the world.

Since the 1940’s, there have been major commercial and residential developments, mostly towards the north. Industrial growth has accompanied residential developments. Stockton supports very active and world-renown civic theater, symphony, ballet and chorale groups. The city is also undergoing a tremendous economic expansion and is aggressively revitalizing its downtown. Projects in the downtown area along the waterfront include an indoor arena, baseball stadium, hotel, apartments, retail, and housing. The Bob Hope California Theatre, listed on the National List of Historic Landmarks, was recently completely renovated and hosts live performances weekly. The arena hosts three major sports teams: California Cougars MISL Soccer, Stockton Thunder ECHL Hockey, and Stockton Lightning Arena2 Football. Adjacent to the Stockton Arena is the Stockton Ballpark, home of the Stockton Ports Minor Baseball Team.

Stockton has outstanding recreational opportunities available to its residents in addition to being in close proximity to world famous scenic attractions including the California Coast, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The community offers many local recreational opportunities such as professional sports teams, an Olympic-size ice rink, and the Delta, which provides thousands of miles of waterways for water skiing, sailing and other water activities. There are also many opportunities to enjoy music, theater, dance, literary events, and other cultural and entertainment activities throughout the year. The City has its own symphony and opera company and hosts the popular Asparagus Festival annually.

Stockton is also home to several well known higher educational institutions including the University of the Pacific, California State University Stanislaus-Stockton, San Joaquin Delta Community College, Humphreys College and School of Law, as well as a variety of private and vocational schools.