Stockton, Illinois Explained

Stockton
Nickname:Gateway to Jo Daviess County[1] [2]
Image Map1:Illinois in United States (US48).svg
Map Caption1:Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates:42.3503°N -90.0061°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Type3:Township
Established Title:Founded
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Title1:Village President
Leader Name1:Rodney A. Brandt
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:4.86
Area Total Sq Mi:1.88
Area Land Km2:4.86
Area Land Sq Mi:1.88
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Elevation Footnotes:[4]
Elevation Ft:994
Elevation Max Footnotes:[5]
Elevation Max Ft:1105
Population Total:1728
Population Density Km2:355.51
Population Density Sq Mi:920.62
Utc Offset1:-6
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Postal Code:61085
Blank Info:17-72780
Blank2 Name Sec2:Wikimedia Commons
Blank2 Info Sec2:Stockton, Illinois
Website:Village of Stockton
Stockton Chamber of Commerce

Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, down from 1,926 at the 2000 census.

History

The village of Stockton is the youngest village in Jo Daviess County.[6] It was established after the Minnesota Northwestern Railroad decided to build a station in Section 2 of Stockton Township in 1886, which through mergers later became named the Chicago Great Western Railway. The railroad tracks were removed in the early 1970s.[7]

What is now Front Street in Stockton was then a dirt road which served as the main thoroughfare to Lena. In April 1887, one Charles Hermann became Stockton's first business owner.[8]

In 1914, the Kraft Brothers opened a cheese factory in Stockton, and operated it until Kraft sold the facility in 1998.[9] [10] This was the birthplace of the Kraft Corporation and the first cheese plant opened by J.L. Kraft.[11]

Geography

Stockton is located at (42.350357, -90.006127).[12]

According to the 2010 census, Stockton has a total area of 1.6sqmi, all land.[13]

Major highways

Demographics

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 1,926 people, 831 households, and 521 families residing in the village. The population density was 2260.2sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 894 housing units at an average density of 1049.1/mi2. The racial makeup of the village was 99.69% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.05% Asian, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.42% of the population.

There were 831 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $35,921, and the median income for a family was $43,173. Males had a median income of $28,594 versus $23,026 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,728. About 4.5% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geology

Stockton is not part of the Driftless Area, but is the first municipality found outside of it, coming from western Jo Daviess County. One climbs out of the valley of the Upper Mississippi River and finds a high point in Stockton.

The village water tower sits on a ridge at elevation 1105feet that rises to 1120feet to the west at the village limits. To the northwest the same ridge line continues where U.S. Route 20 crests at 1077feet just to the west. This ridge line continues for 3 miles to the northwest to Benton Mound (1204abbr=onNaNabbr=on), the second highest peak in Illinois.[15]

Notable people

Historical landmarks

References

  1. http://www.stocktonil.com/ Stockton Chamber of Commerce
  2. http://www.villageofstockton.com/ Village of Stockton
  3. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 15, 2022.
  4. Web site: [{{Gnis3|419153}} USGS detail on Newtown]. October 21, 2007.
  5. Web site: Google Earth at Stockton, Illinois water tower . Google Earth . June 25, 2022.
  6. Web site: Stockton History Village of Stockton. www.villageofstockton.com. January 24, 2019.
  7. Huddleston, Jerry. "CGW's Winston Tunnel", accessed April 7, 2009.
  8. Donth, Cynthia. "W.E. White Building", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, June 27, 1997, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 4, 2008.
  9. StocktonIL.com "Stockton History ", accessed April 7, 2009.
  10. KraftFoodsCompany.com "History of Kraft Foods ", accessed April 7, 2009.
  11. Galena, Jo Daviess County Visitors Guide, 2012
  12. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  13. Web site: G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1 . December 25, 2015 . . https://archive.today/20200213053705/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1772780 . February 13, 2020 . dead .
  14. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  15. Web site: Benton Mound, PeakAdvisor.com . Peak Advisor . June 25, 2022.
  16. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbinx.html Leo Binz
  17. 'Illinois Blue Book 1997-1998,' Biographical Sketch of I. Ronald Lawfer, pg. 107

External links