Stockton, Illinois
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Stockton | |
|---|---|
| Downtown Stockton, including the W.E. White Building (near corner) Downtown Stockton, including the W.E. White Building (near corner) | |
| Template:Infobox settlement/columns | |
| Nickname(s): | |
| Location of Stockton in Daviess County, Illinois. Location of Stockton in Daviess County, Illinois. | |
| Coordinates: 42°21′11″N 89°59′50″W / 42.35306°N 89.99722°WCoordinates: 42°21′11″N 89°59′50″W / 42.35306°N 89.99722°W[3] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Jo Daviess |
| Township | Stockton |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| Elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,728 |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 61085 |
| Area code(s) | 815 |
| FIPS code | 17-72780 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2399905[3] |
| Website | Village of Stockton Stockton Chamber of Commerce |
Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census.[5]
History
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Stockton has a total area of 1.88 square miles (4.87 km2), all land.[12]
Climate
[edit | edit source]Geology
[edit | edit source]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 1,105 ft (337 m) that rises to 1,120 ft (340 m) to the west at the village limits. To the northwest the same ridge line continues where U.S. Route 20 crests at 1,077 ft (328 m) just to the west. This ridge line continues for 3 miles to the northwest to Benton Mound (1,204 ft (367 m)* ), the second highest peak in Illinois.[13]
Historical landmarks
[edit | edit source]- Townsend Home
- W.E. White Building
- Great Western Hotel
Major highways
[edit | edit source]- File:US 20.svg U.S. Route 20, east towards Freeport and west towards Galena
- File:Illinois 78.svg Illinois Route 78, north towards Warren and the Wisconsin state line and south towards Mount Carroll
Demographics
[edit | edit source]2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, there were 1,728 people, 775 households, and 481 families residing in the village.[14][15]
The population density was 920.62 inhabitants per square mile (355.45/km2). There were 873 housing units at an average density of 465.10 per square mile (179.58/km2). The median age was 45.9 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males age 18 and over.[14][15]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[16]
Of households in Stockton, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.1% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
Of housing units in the village, 11.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.4%.[14][16]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,620 | 93.8% |
| Black or African American | 14 | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 9 | 0.5% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 8 | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 76 | 4.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 58 | 3.4% |
Income and poverty
[edit | edit source]The median income for a household in the village was $43,295, and the median income for a family was $55,060. Males had a median income of $31,643 versus $20,441 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,501. About 23.5% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
[edit | edit source]- Leo Binz, archbishop of Dubuque and St. Paul and Minneapolis; born in Stockton[17]
- Charles E. Byrum, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives; born in Stockton[18]
- Dennis Gage, host of the television show My Classic Car; grew up in Stockton
- Ron Lawfer, farmer and Illinois legislator; born in Stockton[19]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Stockton Chamber of Commerce
- ↑ Village of Stockton
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Template:GNIS
- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Stockton History | Village of Stockton". www.villageofstockton.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ↑ Huddleston, Jerry. "CGW's Winston Tunnel", accessed April 7, 2009.
- ↑ Donth, Cynthia. "W.E. White Building[permanent dead link]", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, June 27, 1997, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 4, 2008.
- ↑ StocktonIL.com "Stockton History Archived 2009-04-18 at the Wayback Machine", accessed April 7, 2009.
- ↑ KraftFoodsCompany.com "History of Kraft Foods Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine", accessed April 7, 2009.
- ↑ Galena, Jo Daviess County Visitors Guide, 2012
- ↑ US Census Bureau. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ↑ "Benton Mound, PeakAdvisor.com". Peak Advisor. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Leo Binz
- ↑ "Obituary for Charles Ernest Byrum (1868-1975)". Rapid City Journal. March 4, 1975. p. 5. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ↑ 'Illinois Blue Book 1997-1998,' Biographical Sketch of I. Ronald Lawfer, pg. 107