Stockton, Illinois

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.

Stockton
Village
Downtown Stockton, including the W.E. White Building (near corner)
Nickname(s):  Gateway to Jo Daviess County[1][2]
Location of Stockton in Daviess County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°21′01″N 90°00′22″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Jo Daviess
Township	Stockton
Government
• Village President	Rodney A. Brandt
Area [3]
• Total	1.88 sq mi (4.86 km^2)
• Land	1.88 sq mi (4.86 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation [4]	994 ft (303 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,862
• Estimate  (2019)[5]	1,712
• Density	912.09/sq mi (352.21/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61085
Area code(s)	815
FIPS code	17-72780
Wikimedia Commons	Stockton, Illinois
Website	Village of Stockton Stockton Chamber of Commerce

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] The tracks have since been repurposed into a giant mouse statue on display to commemorate the city's connection with Kraft cheese.

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°21′1″N 90°0′22″W (42.350357, -90.006127).[12]

According to the 2010 census, Stockton has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.14 km²), all land.[13]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 20, east towards Freeport and west towards Galena.
• Illinois Route 78, north towards Warren and the Wisconsin state line and south towards Mount Carrol.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	379		—
1900	946		149.6%
1910	1,096		15.9%
1920	1,449		32.2%
1930	1,505		3.9%
1940	1,440		−4.3%
1950	1,445		0.3%
1960	1,800		24.6%
1970	1,930		7.2%
1980	1,872		−3.0%
1990	1,871		−0.1%
2000	1,926		2.9%
2010	1,862		−3.3%
Est. 2019	1,712	[5]	−8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 1,926 people, 831 households, and 521 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,260.2 people per square mile (874.9/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 1,049.1 per square mile (406.1/km²). 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 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. 33.0% 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, 21.0% 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 84.0 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 city 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.

Notable people

• Leo Binz, archbishop of Dubuque and St. Paul and Minneapolis, was born in Stockton.[16]
• Ron Lawfer, farmer and Illinois legislator, was born in Stockton.[17]

Historical landmarks

• Townsend Home
• W.E. White Building

References

1. Stockton Chamber of Commerce
2. Village of Stockton
3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
4. "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved 2007-10-21.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
6. "Stockton History | Village of Stockton". www.villageofstockton.com. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
7. Huddleston, Jerry. "CGW's Winston Tunnel", accessed Apr 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 Archived 2009-04-18 at the Wayback Machine", accessed Apr 7, 2009.
10. KraftFoodsCompany.com "History of Kraft Foods Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine", accessed 7-Apr-2009.
11. Galena, Jo Daviess County Visitors Guide, 2012
12. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
13. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
16. Leo Binz
17. 'Illinois Blue Book 1997-1998,' Biographical Sketch of I. Ronald Lawfer, pg. 107

External links

• Jo Daviess County