Stockton

Okay, so let’s start where you have to with Stockton: crime. It’s high. More than twice the national average. That is on a par with San Francisco. Of course, the difference is Stockton does not have everything going for it that SF does.

They get about 40 murders a year with a population of 300,000. Rapes are even worse. There are consistently more than 100 rapes. And assaults are over 2000 year after year. (So if I am doing my a calculation right, you have a 1 in 50 chance of getting assaulted there if you live there for two years.) I’ve lived in some place with crime problems like Berkeley and SF, but this is pretty awful.

Okay, but let’s say you want to roll the dice and take a chance on Stockton. The other problem is that Stockton is just a mess financially now. They declared bankruptcy this year, becoming the largest city in American history to do so. On the way to doing so they got rid of a quarter of their cops and a third of their firefighters and they still couldn’t close the gap.

Now there are a lot of newer, nicer homes in Stockton that were built since 2000 when Stockton was riding the good times. But unfortunately, these houses are exactly what has pulled Stockton down. I read somewhere that Stockton has the second highest foreclosure rate in the entire country.

It is actually pretty depressing for Stockton which felt it was finally going to pull out of its problems. And Stockton does have a lot to build on. It is a major port, and it is from here that California’s agriculture ships out. It does have a strong business community.

University of Pacific is also in Stockton. It is considered a good school for getting a degree like dentistry. The area around the university is a pretty nice college town and one of the best places to live in Stockton.

The Downtown area has a lot of potential too. Stockton has a pretty solid museum, the Haggan Museum. And they have the Asparagus Festival, of course. (Like the Garlic Festival in Gilroy.)

They also have some okay bars like Basil’s and Taste Ultra. And they have an okay selection of restaurants.

Overall, however, with the current crime and financial problems combining with the horrible reputation Stockton has gotten as the 10th most dangerous city in the country and being listed on the Forbes 25 list of worst places to live, I don’t see many people taking a chance on Stockton anytime soon.

In the 1980's and early 1990's Stockton, California would have been consider one of this countries scariest, unsafe cities to consider living in. With disturbingly high homicide rates, unkempt city streets, and a general non challant attitude from the municipal government toward these various problems, the future of this 13th largest city in California looked grim.

Who would have known things could change?

Stockton has recently undergone one of the most intensive cultural renaissances in the past ten years of this country's history, rivaling that of New York City in the late 90's.

The entire downtown area has been completely reworked. It now hosts a beautiful multiplex cinema, several newly constructed venues (including the Stockton Arena that opened its doors a few years ago), and many great restaurants, several of which overlook the clean, refreshing waterfront of the Port of Stockton.

The music and arts scene is also becoming increasingly prominent. A new organization called 209vibe (209vibe.com) has been hard at work to promote this aspect of Stockton. There are tons of great areas to relax, get a bite to eat, and hear wonderful live music. I recommend the Empire Theatre on Pacific Ave.

The yearly Asparagus Festival is a great kick-off to summer here. The entire downtown waterfront district becomes a three day gathering for Stocktonians and visitors alike to gather, enjoy the entertainment, take part in the festivities, and try some great asparagus dishes (just be sure not to use the restrooms when possible!)

Of course this city still has its problems. Stockton currently suffers from one of the worst housing foreclosure rates in the country, safety is still a concern in some regions, and dang does it get hot in the summer! But it is certainly working hard on revamping its appeal, and for the most part these efforts are creating great results.