Stockton

Stockton
Stockton is situated in California and is the seat of San Joaquin County. Stockton is the fourth largest National City in California. Also Stockton is the 13th largest city in California.

According to the census in 2006, it was estimated that around 668,265 people live in the Stockton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Stockton is located about 80 miles east of San Francisco and about 40 miles south of Sacramento, the capital of California.

Stockton is bordered by the fertile and lush lands of the California Central Valley and is home to the largest inland seaport in California. In and around Stockton are thousands of miles of waterways, canals, and rivers that make up the California Delta.

Population
Since the recent years, Stockton has evidently seen a huge population boom. This owes greatly to the trend of illegal immigration and also people wanting to move from high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Due to this arrival of new residents, Stockton has also become fairly expensive, however it is still lower than any Bay Area city of equivalent size.

Economy
Despite the fact that Stockton was known originally as an agricultural based community, but over the years its economy has become very broad based. The major economic centers being telecommunications and manufacturing.

The location of Stockton is such that the popular markets of San Francisco and Sacramento reside in close proximity. This is the main reason for many big companies to base their regional operation centers in Stockton. The famous names among many are Duraflame, Pac-West Telecommunications, Golden State Lumber Company.

Education
Primary and SecondaryStockton is home to three public school districts, Stockton Unified School District, Lodi Unified School district, and Lincoln Unified School District, and over 30 private schools.

Post-Secondary
Stockton boasts several renowned institutions of higher education. The largest is the University of the Pacific (UOP), which moved to Stockton in 1924 from San Jose. The UOP campus has been used for filming several Hollywood films. The famous film by Steven Spielberg Raiders of the Lost Ark was shot in the campus of UOP.

Also located in Stockton are National University which is the second largest private university in the state. Other famous colleges include Maric College of Stockton, San Joaquin Delta College, Humphreys College and School of Law, Heald College, MTI Business College, and University of Phoenix.

Visual Art
Stockton has many art galleries which display the work of local artists. Locals and foreigners visit these art galleries. The famous names include, Tidewater Art Gallery, the Goodwin Gallery, Pacifics Reynolds Gallery, and Deltas LH Horton Jr. Gallery.

Haggin Museum
The famous Haggin Museum is a historical museum known for its art display. The Sunset magazine called this museum as one of the undersung gems of California. Its art collection features works by such noted 19th-century painters as Albert Bierstadt, Rosa Bonheur, and William-Adolphe Bouguereau, as well as many other American and European artists.

Stockton Chorale
The Stockton Chorale is a music theatre and features the performances from great musicians, both professional and regional soloists. The Stockton Community visits this place to listen to great masterworks with orchestra.

Stockton Symphony Association
This is one of the famous performing arts organizations in the San Joaquin County. This association was established in 1926 and also features orchestra by famous musicians.

Outdoor Attractions
Stockton provides plenty of outdoor attractions for locals and foreigners alike.

Pixie Woods Amusement Park
The popular Pixie Woods Amusement Park is considered a fairyland for the younger kids. The park boasts amusement rides such as merry-go-round and the Pixie Express Train.

Children's Museum of Stockton
The Childrens Museum of Stockton provides an education experience to younger generations. The museum displays various exhibits which greatly interest children.

Micke Grove Regional Park and Zoo
This famous park is built on a 258-acre oak tree park and features a Zoo, the Japanese Garden, and the Koi Pond. The park aslo boasts a wedding spot under the shadows of the Cherry Blossom trees. People come here for outdoor picnics or rent the park for receptins, family and corporate events.The park also has the San Joaquin Historical Museum and features many softball fields and children playgrounds.

Stockton Constructed Wetlands
For years, thousands of birds flock to the ponds at the Stockton Wastewater Treatment Facility. Stockton has added Wetlands to the facility to assist in the effort to treat water and make the area more inviting for birds and birdwatchers. People come for bird watching especially children like to feed the birds.Over 7,300 birds of 55 species comes here.

Gary and Janice Podesto IMPACT Teen Center
The center features four bowling lanes, a half-court basketball area, stage, meeting rooms, game rooms, classrooms, a computer lab, snack bar, climbing wall and more.

Oak Grove Nature Center
The Nature Center offers many activities throughout the spring and summer including events and learning stations. During the fall and winter, the Trails remain open but the activities are limited.

Oak Park Ice Arena
The Oak Park Ice Arena was established in 1970 and hosts many ice shows. The arenas ice surface is 85 x 200 feet and has seating for 350 spectators.

SJ County Historical Society & Museum
The museum has over 40,000 square feet of exhibit and work space. The collections have grown from a few hundred items from the estate of William G. and Julia Harrison Micke to over 50,000 items representative of the development of San Joaquin County agriculture and history.

Stockton Skate Park
The skate park is a great recreational facility for all ages to enjoy one of today's most popular sports. The facility features a moon, small bowl, offset steps, half-pipe, rail, EMB, fun box, block, piano, and a star.

Skydiving at the Parachute Center in Acampo
The Parachute center has been promoting the sport since 1964 and is one of the largest and oldest in the United States. The center employs the latest in training techniques, modern up-to-date equipment and facilities.

The center has the most experienced and active Instructors in the United States licensed by the United States Parachute Association (USPA) . The Parachute Center offers a full choice of training programs for the first timer as well as advanced training and team training for your continuing Skydiving needs and activities.

Eating out
For a large city, Stockton is not so well represented in the dining category. There are several good Mexican restaurants, such as Il Grullenese on Charter Way or El Fogon on Thornton Avenue. There is excellent Chinese food, and the French place, Le Bistro, on Benjamin Holt, is good. There is a section of town starting at Pacific Ave and Harding st called the Miracle Mile. Here are several good restaurants and a few decent pubs.

Chocoholics Divine Desserts
Gourmet Chocolate is famous for Gourmet Chocolate Products. The place features Boxed Chocolates, Truffles, Chocolate Pasta, Dessert Sauces and Panned Chocolates.

Conclusion
The City is undergoing a great economic growth 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. Stockton offers an excellent quality of life for its residents.

The City has a number of beautiful residential communities along waterways, with single-family 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.

Stockton also has outstanding recreational opportunities. Stockton is within 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 work of art and opera company and hosts the popular Asparagus Festival annually.