Stockton, Illinois

Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The village of Stockton is the youngest village in Jo Daviess County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=cgwhist>Huddleston, Jerry. "CGW's Winston Tunnel", accessed April 7, 2009.</ref>

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.<ref name=nrhp>Donth, Cynthia. "W.E. White BuildingTemplate:Dead link", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, June 27, 1997, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed May 4, 2008.</ref>

In 1914, the Kraft Brothers opened a cheese factory in Stockton, and operated it until Kraft sold the facility in 1998.<ref name=kraft1>StocktonIL.com "Stockton History Template:Webarchive", accessed April 7, 2009.</ref><ref name=kraft2>KraftFoodsCompany.com "History of Kraft Foods Template:Webarchive", accessed April 7, 2009.</ref> This was the birthplace of the Kraft Corporation and the first cheese plant opened by J.L. Kraft.<ref>Galena, Jo Daviess County Visitors Guide, 2012</ref>

Geography

Stockton is located at Template:Coord (42.350357, -90.006127).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Stockton has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

• 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

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 census<ref name=":0" /> there were 1,728 people, 774 households, and 481 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 873 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the village was 93.75% White, 0.81% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 4.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population.

There were 774 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.92% were married couples living together, 20.28% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.86% were non-families. 32.69% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.28% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.05.

The village's age distribution consisted of 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.

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.

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 Template:Convert<ref name="watertower" /> that rises to Template:Convert to the west at the village limits. To the northwest the same ridge line continues where U.S. Route 20 crests at Template:Convert just to the west. This ridge line continues for 3 miles to the northwest to Benton Mound (Template:Convert ), the second highest peak in Illinois.<ref name="BentonMound">Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

• Leo Binz, archbishop of Dubuque and St. Paul and Minneapolis; born in Stockton<ref>Leo Binz</ref>
• Charles E. Byrum, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives; born in Stockton<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Dennis Gage, host of the television show My Classic Car; grew up in Stockton
• Ron Lawfer, farmer and Illinois legislator; born in Stockton<ref>'Illinois Blue Book 1997-1998,' Biographical Sketch of I. Ronald Lawfer, pg. 107</ref>

Historical landmarks

• Townsend Home
• W.E. White Building
• Great Western Hotel

References

<references />

External links

• Jo Daviess County
• Official website