History

• Prior to its incorporation in 1850, Stockton had several names, including 'Tuleburg', 'Gas City' and 'Mudville'.

• Captain Charles M. Weber chose to honor Commodore Robert F. Stockton by naming the city in honor of Stockton, who was instrumental in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War.

• Stockton was the first community in California to have a name not of Spanish or Native American origin.

• Home to California’s oldest university. In 1851, University of the Pacific became California's first chartered institution of higher education. 

 Population

• 2005 Population Estimate: 279,513

• 13th Largest City in California (out of 478)

• 69th Largest in United States

Location

• Home to the largest inland seaport in California.  The Port of Stockton is the easternmost inland seaport in California.

• Interstate 5 and Highway 99 are at their closest in Stockton

• 83 miles to San Francisco

• 101 Miles to South Lake Tahoe

 Weather

• 184 sunny days per year with an average annual temperature of 74.6 degrees

• Average Precipitation: 13.84 inches

Leisure

• Stockton’s Asparagus Festival attracts over 100,000 visitors each year.

• The historic Bob Hope Theatre (formerly Fox Theatre) in downtown Stockton is one of only two 'movie palaces' in the Central Valley.

Famous Stocktonians

• Ace Andres - Singer/Songwriter/Lead Guitarist
• Warren Atherton - Lawmaker/Presidential Adviser
• Darrin Atkins - Author
• Dave Brubeck - Jazz Musician
• James H. Budd - Governor of California (1895-1899)
• Carol Corrigan - Jurist
• Leonard Gardner - Author of the novel Fat City, which was later made into a film directed by John Huston.
• Daniel Goleman - Psychologist
• Jose Hernandez - Astronaut and Engineer
• Benjamin Holt - Inventor
• Chris Isaak - Singer/Songwriter
• Maxine Hong Kingston - Author
• Janet Leigh - Actress
• Pavement - Renowned indie rock band
• Grant-Lee Phillips - Singer/Songwriter; member of alternative rock band Grant Lee Buffalo
• Webster M. Slaughter  - NFL Wide Receiver
• Alex Spanos - Billionaire Real Estate Developer; Owner of the San Diego Chargers
• Amos Alonzo Stagg - Football Coach

Movies Filmed in Stockton

• 7 Brides for 7 Brothers
• All the King's Men
• Always
• American Graffiti II
• An American Murder
• The Big Valley
• Animal House
• Atlanta Child Murders
• Birdy
• Blind Man Sees Farthest (short flick)
• Blood Alley
• Bound for Glory
• Coast to Coast
• Cool Hand Luke
• Coyote (not widely distributed)
• Dead Man on Campus
• Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
• Dreamscape
• Fat City
• Flubber
• Friendly Fire
• Glory Days
• God's Little Acre
• High Time
• Hot Shots! Part Deux
• Jungle Wolf II
• More American Graffiti
• Oklahoma Crude
• Porgy & Bess
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Rampage
• RPM
• Sam Whiskey
• Skipping
• Strawberry Statement
• Take the Money and Run
• The Big Country
• The Sure Thing
• This is Spinal Tap
• Valentino's Return
• Valley Girl
• World's Greatest Athlete

Awards and Recognitions

• Twice named an All-America City, 1999 and 2004.
• Named by Sunset magazine as one of the “West’s Best Places to Live” in 2002.
• With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was thrice named 'best tree city' in the western United States by Sunset magazine.
• Asparagus Festival was named a “Best of the West” Food Fest in 2000.