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A−History
History · Stockton

Stockton’s post office opened in 1849, and 17 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #41 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Stockton was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 24 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1860.

1849first post office
17on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
24old photos & papers
45famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Stockton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Stockton began

When was Stockton founded?

1849

The Stockton post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, San Joaquin (1851), Calaveras (1861) and Homestead (1898), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 3,679 in 18602020 census: 320,804177 years

How historic is Stockton?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Stockton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Stockton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stockton is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #41 of 847 in California. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Stockton’s overall grade.
Founding era1849, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19408.9% of homes (±0.7) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register17 listings, 18 historic buildings, 0.6 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 95%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Stockton ranks #147 on History.

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Stockton’s 0.6 sits above most of its state (71% of California towns have fewer) while its 18 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Stockton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Stockton, and 8 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos24 old photos, postcards and papers, 1852–1866.Landmarks on the Register17 places on the National Register.Famous sons and daughtersChris Isaak, Daniel Goleman and 43 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Stockton’s post office has been open since 1849. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Stockton
1849–today
San Joaquin
1851–1888
Calaveras
1861–1862
Homestead
1898–1900
Hazelton
1899–1900
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AkersEl PinalFair OaksMonadaMormonOrtegaThe HomesteadTomspur
Gone or out of use
Bethany Orthodox Presbyterian ChurchchurchChurch of ChristchurchDelfino LandinglocaleFirst Christian ChurchchurchFivemile HousebuildingMunford SchoolschoolNippon HospitalhospitalOld Weber SchoolschoolStockton AirportairportStockton Developmental CenterhospitalWeber Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Stockton
HebrewSan JoaquinStockton Rural

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

Stockton, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1860s24 items
Stockton ; June 1st, 1852 /1852Stockton ; June 1st, 1852 /1853 - Stockton waterfront18531853 - Stockton waterfrontSan Joaquin County Hospital and Alms House1857San Joaquin County Hospital and Alms HouseStockton California circa 1860c. 1860Stockton California circa 1860Centre Street, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Centre Street, Stockton, San Joaquin CountyCentre Street, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Centre Street, Stockton, San Joaquin CountyEpiscopal and Baptist Churches, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Episcopal and Baptist Churches, Stockton, San Joaquin…Episcopal and Baptist Churches, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Episcopal and Baptist Churches, Stockton, San Joaquin…General view from the Court House, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866General view from the Court House, Stockton, San Joaq…General view from the Court House, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866General view from the Court House, Stockton, San Joaq…Lindsay Point and Slough, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Lindsay Point and Slough, Stockton, San Joaquin CountyLindsay Point and Slough, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Lindsay Point and Slough, Stockton, San Joaquin CountyMain and El Dorado Streets, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Main and El Dorado Streets, Stockton, San Joaquin Cou…Main and El Dorado Streets, Stockton, San Joaquin County1866Main and El Dorado Streets, Stockton, San Joaquin Cou…Stockton from the Court House, looking North, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the Court House, looking North, San Joa…Stockton from the Court House, looking North, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the Court House, looking North, San Joa…Stockton from the Court House, looking West, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the Court House, looking West, San Joaq…Stockton from the Court House, looking West, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the Court House, looking West, San Joaq…Stockton from the South (No. 2) looking North by East, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No. 2) looking North by East…Stockton from the South (No. 2) looking North by East, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No. 2) looking North by East…Stockton from the South (No.1) looking North, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No.1) looking North, San Joa…Stockton from the South (No.1) looking North, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No.1) looking North, San Joa…Stockton from the South (No.3). Looking Northeast, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No.3). Looking Northeast, Sa…Stockton from the South (No.3). Looking Northeast, San Joaquin County1866Stockton from the South (No.3). Looking Northeast, Sa…
On the National Register

17 historic places in Stockton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
17
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
18
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Old Weber School
Old Weber SchoolEl Dorado Elementary SchoolMoses Rodgers House, built 1898Nippon HospitalWong K. Gew MansionStockton Savings and Loan Society BankSperry Union Flour MillFox California TheaterElks BuildingFarmer's and Merchant's BankCommercial and Savings BankHotel StocktonSperry Office BuildingBenjamin Holt House, built 1869Tretheway BlockU.S. Post OfficePhilomathean Clubhouse
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular2
Tudor Elizabethan1
Classic Revival1
Federal Revival1
Renaissance Revival1
Spanish Colonial Revival1
Old Weber SchoolBuilding
El Dorado Elementary SchoolTudor Elizabethan
Moses Rodgers HouseVernacular · Built 1898
Nippon HospitalClassic Revival
Wong K. Gew MansionFederal Revival
Stockton Savings and Loan Society BankRenaissance Revival
Sperry Union Flour MillVernacular
Fox California TheaterSpanish Colonial Revival
All 17 listings
Elks BuildingBuilding · listed 1980Farmer's and Merchant's BankBuilding · listed 1980Commercial and Savings BankBuilding · listed 1980Hotel StocktonBuilding · listed 1981Sperry Office BuildingBuilding · listed 1982Benjamin Holt HouseBuilding · listed 1982Tretheway BlockBuilding · listed 1982U.S. Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1983Philomathean ClubhouseBuilding · listed 2009

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Stockton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stockton.

Read it all →

When Europeans first arrived in the Stockton area, it was settled by the Yatchicumne, a branch of the Northern Valley Yokuts. They built their villages on low mounds to keep their homes above regular floods. The Yatchicumne village of Pasasimas was located on a mound between Edison and Harrison Streets on what is now the Stockton Channel in downtown Stockton.

The Siskiyou Trail began in the northern San Joaquin Valley. It was a centuries-old Native American footpath that led through the Sacramento Valley over the Cascades and into present-day Oregon.

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Stockton in 1923

Passages that mention Stockton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

and the mystery grows interesting in the latter part of the year, for in November, 1870, the council granted the right-of-way to the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad down Weber Avenue to the waterfront, the council reserving full control of the wharves. No liquor was to be sold in the depot or upon…
History of San Joaquin County, California1923 · page 249Read the page →
Read the text

and the mystery grows interesting in the latter part of the year, for in November, 1870, the council granted the right-of-way to the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad down Weber Avenue to the waterfront, the council reserving full control of the wharves. No liquor was to be sold in the depot or upon the street. After the council passed the ordin-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
tions of land, the first section so to be inclosed in the district; and at that time the entire valley was a vast grain field, and houses were few and far between. He attended the public schools of Stockton, and also the Stockton Business College. At the age of eighteen he received a teacher's cert…
History of San Joaquin County, California1923 · page 1324Read the page →
Read the text

tions of land, the first section so to be inclosed in the district; and at that time the entire valley was a vast grain field, and houses were few and far between. He attended the public schools of Stockton, and also the Stockton Business College. At the age of eighteen he received a teacher's certificate, and for twenty years in the county taught school, both in country districts and in the City of Stockton,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Stockton, 1849 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1849Post officeThe Stockton post office opens
  3. 1851Post officeThe San Joaquin post office opens
  4. 1852In the archiveStockton ; June 1st, 1852 /
  5. 1860In the archiveStockton California circa 1860
  6. 1861Post officeThe Calaveras post office opens
  7. 1862Post officeThe Calaveras post office closes
  8. 1869BuiltBenjamin Holt House is built
  9. 1888Post officeThe San Joaquin post office closes
  10. 1898BuiltMoses Rodgers House is built
  11. 20th century
  12. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1946Born hereDaniel Goleman is born here
  14. 1956Born hereChris Isaak is born here
  15. 1969Born hereKara Walker is born here
  16. 1985Born hereNate Diaz is born here
On the map

Stockton on the map, 1913 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stockton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Stockton on the 1913 USGS mapStockton on the 1952 USGS mapStockton on the 1968 USGS mapStockton on the 1976 USGS mapStockton on the 1987 USGS map1913Stockton sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stockton.

Every building

Stockton, building by building, 1895–1917

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Stockton fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 21895Sheet 2 of 85
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Stockton ; June 1st, 1852 /
Retake this viewStockton ; June 1st, 1852 /, 1852

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Stockton’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Stockton, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,000140,000160,000180,000200,000220,000240,000260,000280,000300,000320,000340,000190019502000320,804

Grew from 3,679 people in 1860 to 320,804 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Stockton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

45 famous people were born in Stockton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Chris IsaakAmerican rock musician · b. 1956
Daniel GolemanAmerican psychologist and journalist · b. 1946
Nate DiazAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1985
Kara WalkerAmerican painter and installation artist · b. 1969
Nick DiazAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1983
Dan InosantoAmerican martial arts instructor · b. 1936
Help out

Finish Stockton’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStockton ; June 1st, 1852 /: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

KennedyIts storyCAugustIts storyC+French CampIts storyCGarden AcresIts storyC+MoradaIts storyD

Questions about Stockton’s history

What year was Stockton founded?

The Stockton post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Stockton rank for history?

Stockton is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #41 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Stockton?

17 listings: 16 buildings, among them the Old Weber School (listed 1973, the first), and 1 structure. 18 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Stockton?

9% of Stockton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1980.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (23), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (17), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.