Stockton California. 3,267 miles

 

Friday, August 26, 2011

Stockton California. 90 miles inland from the Pacific Coastline, but lying at the navigable terminus of the San Joaquin River, Stockton is a busy California seaport.

In the 1840s, a German immigrant by the name of Charles Weber, him with a mexican wife, decided to try his hand at some gold mining. When that failed, he came up with the idea of finding better prospects toward his fortune by helping other miners get their gold out of the mines and safely to San Francisco.

Alta California at the time was still Mexican territory, so he applied to the Mexican Government for the spit of land at the end of the San Joaquin river, and set up shop. At first, it was mostly gold and silver that would be transported down river to San Francisco, but as the demographics of the area shifted over time from miners, to settlers, to farmers, it became farm products moving up and down river.   Over the ensuing decades, Stockton became a busy seaport in its own right, and the rest is history.

Here are some interesting contemporary factoids on Stockton:

• The Most Miserable City. In 2011, Forbes magazine named Stockton the most miserable US city, largely as a result of the steep drop in home values, and its high foreclosure rate.
• The Most Dangerous City. Stockton ranks #5 on the list of most dangerous US cities (crimes of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault)
• The Least Literate City. Stockton has been ranked the least literate of all US cities by the Central Connecticut State University.
• The Most Obese City. Stockton has been tied with Montgomery, Alabama for being the most obese US City, with an obesity rate of 34.6 percent.

So there's all that. Still, If I squint some, and choose to ignore all the negativity above, there is something about Stockton I find appealing. Maybe because its the beginning of the river where great journeys begin. Maybe its the urbanesque "end of the line" desolation of its current state that appeals to me. Probably both. The excitement that comes with new beginnings. The quiet personal reflection that comes with desperate endings. Maybe its the raw history of the place. Whatever it is, it is a place that I have a curious affection for.

I don't know why.