Stockton, California

Stockton is a city in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the 5th largest agricultural county in the United States). According to 2005 estimates by the California Department of Finance, Stockton has a population of 279,513 and is the 13th largest city in California. Stockton is also the fourth largest inland city in California, behind Fresno, Sacramento, and Bakersfield.

Interesting facts

• Prior to its incorporation in 1850, Stockton had several names, including 'Tuleburg', 'Gas City' and 'Mudville'.
• Stockton was twice named an All-America City (1999 & 2004).
• The historic Bob Hope Theatre (formerly Fox Theatre) in downtown Stockton is one of only two 'movie palaces' in the Central Valley.
• With over 100,000 trees, Stockton was thrice named 'best tree city' in the western United States by Sunset magazine.
• Stockton was the first community in California to have an name not of Spanish or Native American origin.
• Several high-profile people have visited Stockton, including President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani.
• The Port of Stockton is the furthest east inland seaport in California.
• On January 17, 1989, a mentally ill Stockton man, Patrick Purdy, opened fire onto an elementary school field with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing five children and wounding twenty-nine others and a teacher, before taking his own life. This event received national news coverage and is sometimes referred to as the Stockton Massacre.
• George W. Bush Elementary School, located in north Stockton, is the first public school in the nation to be named for a sitting president.