n.
City (pop., 2000: 243,771), central California, U.S. Located on the San Joaquin River , Stockton is connected to San Francisco Bay by the San Joaquin's 78-mi (126-km) deepwater channel; it is one of the state's two inland ports.
Stockton was founded in 1847 and grew rapidly as a miners' supply point during the 1849 gold rush . With the introduction of irrigation and the arrival of the railroad, it grew as a market for farm produce and wines. The completion of the channel in 1933 made it a major port as well as a supply depot for U.S. Pacific military operations.