Stockton is California's 12th largest city, with a population of nearly 250,000 people, covering 55.9 square miles (14478ha) of the San Joaquin Valley. It is located about 80 miles (129km) east of San Francisco, and 40 miles (64km) south of Sacramento. It is fairly easy to get to, with Interstate 5 running through the west end of town, Highway 99 running through the east end, and Highway 4 connecting the two. If you prefer boats to cars, Stockton is situated on the San Joaquin Delta¹, giving access to over 1000 miles of waterways.

Cool Stockton

Stockton has a reputation of being boring. On the surface, this may seem to be true. If you scratch the surface however, underneath there lies a cool Stockton. Stockton's hipness is something you have to work at getting to. Stockton does not present itself like the hip cities of San Francisco or Amsterdam, which boldly announce how cool they are. Rather, Stockton jealously hides its hipness and cool from those who only take what's handed to them.

Reasons Why Stockton's Cool

• The First Memorial in America to the Vietnam War was erected in Stockton, in 1973... before the conflict was even resolved.

• Stockton hosts the San Francisco 49ers National Football League team summer training camp at the University of the Pacific's football stadium. Most of the money used to attract the 49ers to Stockton was put up by local Stockton millionaire, Alex Spanos, who happens to be the owner of the San Diego Chargers, a rival NFL team.

• The Northern California Canine Disc Championships feature dogs jumping about, intercepting flying discs, in a way guaranteed to make a 49ers wide receiver jealous.

• Stockton was home to Sam Keith, the creator of The Maxx comic series. Of course, once he became famous, he was too cool... and had to leave.

• Another Stocktonian who had to leave for being too cool is musician Chris Isaac.

• The Stockton Asparagus Festival is an annual Springtime celebration of asparagus.

• The Haggin Museum's art collection contains a still life picture of a bowl of fruit by Paul Gaugin, which may be the least appealing thing he ever painted.

The Food

Stockton has great food. Not great enough to attract world-famous food critics, but if your palette has not been ruined by an over-abundance of caviar and paté, you should be OK. Stockton's best restaurants are not large or fancy, but they are locally owned and operated.

• Yoneda - Yoneda is found in the back corner of the shopping centre, on the corner of March and West Lane. Wonderful Japanese food is served at reasonable prices. They have the best miso soup in town. Try the chicken sesame.

• Manny's - Located on the corner of Thorton and Hammer, Manny's is just the place you need to go when your arteries need clogging. Their chicken is reputed to be prepared by a process known as broasting (ie, broiled and roasted). In fact, their chicken is deep fried in oil. Be sure to have plenty of napkins handy. They also serve burgers and hot dogs. Manny's is well known for its baked beans, broasted potatoes, and malted milkshakes. Try the signature dish: Broasted Chicken.

• Ghinggis Khan Mongolian Barbeque - Known to locals simply as 'Mongo', Ghinggis Khan is the best Mongolian barbeque to be found... except perhaps in Mongolia. Noodles, vegetables, and thinly sliced meat are cooked upon a special metal-topped Mongolian stove. Dinner is all you can eat, and costs less than eight dollars.

• Chuck's Hamburgers - Here you will find greasy American fare at its best. Chuck's has the best hamburgers in town, if not the world. The prices are more than reasonable, and the portions are huge. If you want to be able to finish even a half order of french fries, you should bring a friend to help. Chuck's also has a wonderful breakfast menu... and it's served all day!

• Dad's Dogs - There is a sign that hangs in Dad's Dogs that says, 'If you only make one thing, it better be good'... and they certainly are! Try a Chilli Dog with cheese and onions.