Prior to incorporation in 1850, the area now encompassing San Joaquin County was inhabited by theYokuts andMiwok native peoples. These communities lived in villages throughout the region, consuming diverse diets that reflected the flora and fauna of the California Delta. Acorns fromValley Oak trees, salmon from theSan Joaquin,Mokelumne,Calaveras, andStanislaus rivers, andTule Elk were staples of the native diet, which was supplemented with various native berries and plants. The native population of San Joaquin County fell dramatically during a statewide epidemic of malaria in 1828, and a subsequent rebellion of native peoples in the Central Valley, led by ChiefEstanislao.
As the Gold Rush drew miners to the Sierra Nevada, Stockton grew into a major logistical and mercantile hub for the San Joaquin Valley andmother lode, which allowed for the City and County populations to rise significantly between 1850 and 1870. As the state's gold economy waned in the 1870s, San Joaquin County transitioned into a major national center of agriculture, which it remains to this day. Reclamation of the California delta, which began in 1869, strongly benefited this agricultural growth. The importance of agriculture to the region's economy led to the creation of a dynamic industrial engineering sector in Stockton,Lodi, and nearbyRio Vista in the 1880s. Notably, the Sperry Flour Company,Holt Manufacturing Company, the operation ofR. G. LeTourneau, Samson Ironworks, and the canning empire ofTillie Lewis were firms of national and international significance. Holt Manufacturing, led byBenjamin Holt, would pioneer the industrial manufacturing and sales of the tractor, whileR. G. LeTourneau patented the bulldozer in 1926.
TheCentral Pacific Railroad in the 1860s utilized San Joaquin County's exceptionally flat terrain to construct a rail line fromSacramento to Stockton and then southwest through Altamont Pass to the San Francisco Bay. Notably, the Mossdale Bridge crossing the San Joaquin River was the last link on thefirst transcontinental railroad from theMissouri River to thePacific Ocean. In 1909, a second railroad, theWestern Pacific, utilized the same route through Stockton to reach the Bay Area. In the early 1900s, theSanta Fe Railroad constructed fromBakersfield andFresno went through Stockton to travel northwards, reachingOakland. Smaller lines constructed at Stockton were theTidewater Southern toModesto and theCentral California Traction to Sacramento. Both started as electrically powered. These railroads encouraged the growth of farms, orchards, and ranches in San Joaquin County and adjacent counties.[10][11]
On August 7, 1998, atire fire ignited at S.F. Royster's Tire Disposal just south of Tracy on South MacArthur Drive, near Linne Rd. The tire dump held over 7 million illegally stored tires and was allowed to burn for more than two years before it was extinguished. Allowing the fire to burn was considered to be a better way to avoid groundwater contamination than putting it out.[12] However, the cleanup cost $19 million and local groundwater was still discovered to be contaminated.[13][14]
The Corral Fire
On June 1, 2024, theCorral Fire ignited south of Tracy. It was the first majorwildfire of 2024. The fire started at Site 300 of theLawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The fire grew fast, as on the same day, it went from 30 acres at 4:44pm,[15] to 4,940 acres at around 7:50pm.[16] By the end of the day, CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit was assigned to the wildfire.[17]
The next day, June 2, 2024, two firefighters were injured while the fire reached 12,500 acres.[18] It reached peak size at 6:52 pm, standing at 14,168 acres. Two-hundred households were evacuated.[19] On June 3, 2024 with the fire still at peak size, CAL FIRE assigned 45 engines, 15 water tenders, 16 dozers, 14 hand crews, and 40 other vehicles, totaling 475 personnel.[20] By that evening, one house was destroyed.[21]
On June 6, 2024, the fire was declared 100% contained.[22][23] In the chaos of those last five days, two firefighters were injured, one structure was destroyed, and costed an estimated $3.5 million (2024USD) to suppress.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,426 square miles (3,690 km2), of which 1,391 square miles (3,600 km2) is land and 35 square miles (91 km2), comprising 2.5%, is water.[24] The county has a very low inland elevation and a very flat drainage basin for the San Joaquin River and its numerous tributaries. With the resulting exceptionally high water table, the county is a marshy and swampy delta with a tendency to flood in the spring with melting snow runoff from theSierra Nevada Mountains.[25]
The geographical center of San Joaquin County is near Stockton at approximately 37°54'N 121°12'W (37.9,-121.2).
San Joaquin County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The2010 United States census reported that San Joaquin County had a population of 685,306. The racial makeup of San Joaquin County was 349,287 (51.0%)White, 51,744 (7.6%)African American, 7,196 (1.1%)Native American, 98,472 (14.4%)Asian, 3,758 (0.5%)Pacific Islander, 131,054 (19.1%) fromother races, and 43,795 (6.4%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 266,341 persons (38.9%).[47] TheFilipino American population at 46,447 comprises 47% of all Asian Americans in San Joaquin County,[48] and as of 1990 have been the largest population of Asian Americans in the county.[49]
There were 181,629 households, out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% weremarried couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.48.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,282, and the median income for a family was $46,919. Males had a median income of $39,246 versus $27,507 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,365. About 13.5% of families and 17.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
TheGovernment of San Joaquin County is defined and authorized under theCalifornia Constitution andCalifornia law as a general law county.[54] Much of the government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments, such as the Government of San Joaquin County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.[55] Some chartered cities such asStockton andTracy provide their own municipal services such as police, public safety, libraries, parks and recreation, and zoning. Some other cities arrange to have the County provide some or all of these services on a contract basis.
The San Joaquin County sheriff provides court protection and jail administration for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Municipalities within the county that have municipal police departments are: Stockton, 310,000; Tracy, 89,000; Manteca, 77,000; Lodi, 65,000; Lathrop, 23,000 (sheriff contract); Ripon, 17,000; Escalon, 7,200,
On November 4, 2008, San Joaquin County voted 65.5% in favor ofProposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.[69]
For most of its history, San Joaquin County has been a Republican-leaning swing county, voting for the national winner in all but four presidential elections (1884,1948,1960, and1976) from1880 to2012. In2016,Hillary Clinton became the first Democratic nominee who lost nationally to win the county, and she did so by a sizable margin of around 14 points. Conversely,Donald Trump posted the worst result in county history for a national Republican Electoral College winner, being held to under 40% of the vote. In2020, Trump improved his standing from 2016 but still had fewer votes than the winner of the election,Joe Biden. However, in 2024, Trump was able to flip the county back to the Republican column, marking the first time the county would vote Republican in 20 years.
United States presidential election results for San Joaquin County, California[70]
As of 2018, the gross value of agricultural production in the county was $2.6 billion.[74] The top product was almonds, followed by grapes, milk, and walnuts.[74]
San Joaquin County is home to one of the largest walnut processing facilities in the world, DeRuosi Nut. Another large company, Pacific State Bancorp (PSBC), was based there but was closed by theCalifornia Department of Financial Institutions on August 20, 2010.[75]
San Joaquin County is home to several large manufacturing, general services, and agricultural companies, includingArcher Daniels Midland,Blue Shield of California, Dart Container, Holz Rubber Company, Kubota Tractors, Lodi Iron Works, Miller Packing Company, Pacific Coast Producers, Tiger Lines, Valley Industries, and Woodbridge-Robert Mondavi.[76]
As of 2019, about 260,000 people were employed in the county, with nearly 200,000 employed in private industry and about 44,500 employed in government.[77]
As of 2013, the goods movement industry is also an important part of the local economy, with an Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy and thePort of Stockton.[78]
Big Monkey Group publishes four Stockton magazines:Weston Ranch Monthly,Brookside Monthly,Spanos Park Monthly andOn the Mile.Caravan is a local community arts and events monthly tabloid.The Central Valley Business Journal is a monthly business tabloid.Karima Magazine is a popular/consumer magazine covering the Central Valley as well as newsworthy events in the Bay Area.San Joaquin Magazine is a regional lifestyle magazine covering Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, and Manteca.The Downtowner is a free monthly guide to downtown Stockton's events, commerce, real estate, and other cultural and community happenings.
Poets' Espresso Review is a periodical that has been based in Stockton, mostly distributed by mail, since summer of 2005.Artifact is a San Joaquin Delta College periodical based in Stockton since December 2006, featuring writing in all genres, photography, and visual media by students, staff and faculty as well as community members.The Pacifican, University of the Pacific's newspaper since 1908 features News, Opinion, Lifestyles, and Sports pertinent to the Pacific campus and surrounding Stockton community.
Greyhound buses andAmtrak trains both stop in Stockton. Amtrak's Oakland-Stockton-Fresno-BakersfieldGold Runner trains stop at theSan Joaquin Street station. This is the former Santa Fe Railroad station in Stockton. Amtrak's Sacramento-Stockton-Fresno- BakersfieldGold Runner trains stop at theRobert J. Cabral Station which is also used byAltamont Corridor Express trains to San Jose which originate in Stockton. This is the formerSouthern Pacific Railroad station in Stockton. RTD Hopper is a public bus service operated by San Joaquin Regional Transit connecting Stockton to Ripon, Manteca, Tracy, Lodi, and Lathrop.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
^Davis, Olive (1991).From the Ohio to the San Joaquin: a biography of Captain William S. Moss 1796-1883. Stockton, California: Heritage West Books. p. 209 (photo of Mossdale bridge).ISBN0962304808.The Central Pacific Railroad bridge crossing the San Joaquin River at Mossdale, completed on September 6, 1869, was the first railroad connection linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
^abcdefghijklmnoU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^"About County Government".Guide to Government. League of Women Voters of California. Archived fromthe original on December 3, 2012. RetrievedDecember 28, 2012.
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