Escalon (Spanish: Escalón, meaning "Step") is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 7,472 at the 2020 census, up from 7,132 at the 2010 census and 5,963 at the 2000 census. Escalon is a Spanish word meaning "stepping stones." Founder John Wheeler Jones is said to have come upon the name in a book in the Stockton Free Library and liked it so much that he gave it to the town.
History
Before the advent of the railroad, the traveler in riding over the French Camp road to the Stanislaus River would notice far out on the plains a large two-story brick house. It was surrounded by trees and shrubs, barns, granaries, and was the only house for miles around. It was the home of "Johnny" Jones, who crossed the plains in 1852 and pitched his tent where Escalon now stands, the country at that time being Government land covered with sage brush. He acquired the amount of land allotted to settlers and started to farm it, planting the first grain ever grown in the Escalon country. He seeded it by broadcast and dragged it in with brush. The yield was heavy and sold for five cents a pound.
He began raising cattle for market and purchased more land until he owned 8,000 acres, a tract more than three miles square. Six to twelve-horse teams were used to plow the fields where Escalon was later developed. In 1867 Jones built his brick house on the prairie, at a cost of $12,000. His brother Richard made the bricks from a field east of Sexton station. In those days all freight carried from Stockton to the mines above Sonora went via the French Camp road, and many of the teamsters boarded and lodged at his farm. The plains were the homes of many antelope, which Jones often served on his table.
Escalon is a Spanish word meaning stepping stones. James W. Jones, the founder of the town, is said to have seen the name in a book in the Stockton Free Library and gave it to the town because he liked it. His father died in 1893, leaving quite a fortune. He willed the old home place to James W., together with the adjoining 1,000 acres. The land was not of any great value, but became more valuable the following year with the construction of the Valley Railroad, whose owners planned to cross Jones's land. Jones engaged a surveyor and laid off the town. The boundary lines run nearly north, south, east and west, but the streets run diagonally, so some blocks are square, others oblong, some are rectangular and several blocks are triangular in shape.
John McGinnis, in recording some of the first events in Escalon says, "In the month of August, 1894, I was accosted, in Stockton, by a promoter of the townsite, Mr. Harlon, and was prevailed upon to make the trip to Escalon. The four-horse stage was brought forward by the hostler and James Jones, popularly called 'Jim, 'took the ribbons. Leaving there about 9:00 o'clock A. M., driving out the old French Camp Road, we arrived at the Jones home place, the brick house, about noon. With hospitality, an attribute of the Jones family, we sat down to a feast, fit for a king, and did full justice to it. We afterwards walked over and viewed the townsite, east of the then only graded roadbed. It was graded by a railroad company called the 'Valley Road.' We then passed, through a thrifty vineyard, the very first vines to be propagated by Johnny Jones — 'Jim's' father. We then passed the Jones' blacksmith shop just east, across the road from where the Tidewater depot used to be located. I again visited Escalon in 1900. There was then a depot, a store had been built but had not opened for business, the pioneer saloon, and. a temporary hotel on the Jackson property, also used as a dwelling and post office, Mrs. Jackson being postmistress."
In 1898, the Santa Fe Depot was constructed (along the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad line) and operated until 1970. It was located alongside the Santa Fe Railroad Tracks that bisect the heart of Escalon near Main Street's intersections with Second Street.
Ullrey Ave./ McHenry Ave. Traffic Signal: design and construction of a signal at the intersection of McHenry nd Ullrey avenues.
SR 120 at Brennan Avenue
In 2020 $446,066 was approved for intersection improvements, no traffic signal. The project is slated for completion in 2026.
Escalon Bellota Road Improvements
Widen 2 to 4 lanes with shoulders from Escalon City limits to Mariposa Road. Project is estimated to be completed by 2025.
Railroads
thumb|This Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad caboose is located in Escalon's Main Street Park and owned by the Escalon Historical Society. The caboose sits very near the spot where the Santa Fe depot was erected as one of the new town's first buildings in the late 1890s. The first train passed through Escalon in 1896.
Escalon has two railways through town. The former Tidewater Southern Railway comes west from Manteca parallel to Highway 120 until it hits McHenry Avenue and heads south out of town. This railway is owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad and is still in use today, though the tracks end at the city limits of Jones Avenue.
BNSF Railway Stockton Subdivision is the second railway; it has two tracks, dividing the town in a northwest to southeast direction. Two trains will meet and pass on opposing rails through town, often backing up traffic along Highway 120 for over 20–30 mins. The Santa Fe Railway San Francisco Chief served Escalon as a flag stop until 1971, when it ended passenger rail service to the town.
Geography
Escalon is located at 37°47.5'N 120°59.5'W (37.7984,-120.9969), where State Highway 120 crosses the BNSF railroad. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and 2.87% is water.
Economy
Industry
Escalon has a large agricultural industry which is based on the fertile farmland surrounding the city. Escalon is home to one of the largest walnut processing facilities in the world, DeRuosi Nut. DeRuosi Nut is also a major handler of the Livermore variety of red walnuts, a cultivar developed in the San Joaquin Valley. Some of the largest employers in Escalon include DeRuosi Nut, GoldRiver Orchards, Grower's Choice, and Roche Bros Inc. The nut processing plants account for much of the local agricultural economy.
left|thumb|DeRuosi Nut Headquarters
Principal employers
Major employers in the city include:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
|Kraft Heinz (formerly Escalon Premier Brands)
|750
|-
|2
|Hogan Mfg., Inc.
|160
|-
|3
|DeRuosi Nut
|124
|-
|4
|GoldRiver Orchards
|
|-
|5
|Barton Ranch
|
|-
|6
|Roche Bros Inc.
|
|-
|7
|Grower's Choice
|
|}
Downtown (Main St.)
Escalon's downtown along Main St. has been a focal point of the town since inception. Today the strip boasts restaurants, a salon, a bar, and many local family-run businesses. Since the late 20th century, Main Street has been the subject of redevelopment led by local businessman, Mike DeRuosi. The Valley Inn, the town's only bar, is known as one of the longest running bars in California. The bar has been a center of town life since its early years.
thumb|Valley Inn - Escalon's Bar
thumb|New Main Street Salon
Police
Escalon's Police Department has 12 full-time employees. It also has volunteers who serve in the capacity of Police Reserve Officers, Cadets, and Citizen Volunteers.
Education
In 1963, representatives from eight component districts (Burwood, Collegeville, Dent Union, Escalon Union High, Farmington, Four Tree, Lone Tree, and Van Allen) began a series of six meetings commissioned by their component boards to explore the concept of creating one unified school district to serve the educational needs of these districts. They recommended to the County Superintendent of Schools that the eight districts form a unified district. The San Joaquin County Board of Education approved this proposal in October 1964.
On February 24, 1965, a public hearing was held on the proposal in the Escalon High School library. An election day of March 8, 1966, was designated by County Superintendent Gaylord Nelson. Voters approved the unification and on March 15, 1966, the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors created what would soon become the Escalon Unified School District, effective July 1, 1967.
The Escalon Unified School District is made up of 4 elementary schools (Collegeville Dual Language Immersion, Dent, Farmington and Van Allen), one middle school (El Portal), one comprehensive high school (Escalon High), one continuation high school (Vista), and one charter school (Escalon Charter Academy/Gateway Home School).
Schools
- Escalon High
- Vista High
- El Portal Middle
- Dent Elementary
- Van Allen Elementary
- Farmington Elementary
- Collegeville Elementary
- Escalon Charter Academy
Sports
The Escalon High Cougars represent the local high school in the Trans Valley League, in which they are founding members. The Escalon High Varsity football team has enjoyed numerous success over the years. Winning five State Championships in the past 30 years and two within the last 3 seasons. The Cougars rank 31st in the state of California among all divisions for their wins, with a record of 590-282-43 as of the end of the 2022 season.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Head Coaching Wins
|-
! Coach !! Wins !! loss !! Ties
|-
| Mark Loureiro (1989-2017) || 282 || 67 || 1
|-
| Andrew Beam (2018-) || 50 || 10 || 0
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Titles
|-
! Division III !! Division IV !! Division V !! Division VI !! State
|-
| 2 (93, 96) || 6 (94, 00, 02, 03, 05, 10) || 2 (21, 22) || 1 (19) || 5 (pre-playoff era: 93, 96/ playoff era: 10, 19, 22)
|}
Notable people
- Rod Beaton – an American journalist and media executive with United Press International
- Herbert A. Calcaterra – WWII US Navy sailor for whom the ship USS Calcaterra was named for his deeds during WWII
- Alice Estes Davis – Disney legend/Costume designer for Disney films, television, and theme parks
- James Lew – American martial arts actor
- Ted Nuce - Retired professional bull rider, 1985 PRCA World Champion Bull Rider
Churches
Escalon is home to 14 churches 12 within city limits. The Escalon Methodist Church has the distinction of being the first church in Escalon, constructed in 1893. The church used to sit at Lone Tree Corners until September 1908, when the building was moved to Escalon. This building stood on site of the present church until it was torn down to make room for the new structure, which was completed and dedicated on Sunday, April 10, 1921.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Escalon had a population of 7,472. The population density was .
The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. In addition, 99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,634 households in Escalon, of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.1% were married-couple households, 5.2% were cohabiting-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82, and there were 1,961 families (74.4% of all households).
2010 census
The 2010 United States census reported that Escalon had a population of 7,132. The population density was . The racial makeup of Escalon was 5,823 (81.6%) White, 30 (0.4%) African American, 80 (1.1%) Native American, 96 (1.3%) Asian, 22 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 823 (11.5%) from other races, and 258 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,928 persons (27.0%).
The Census reported that 7,117 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 15 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 2,476 households, out of which 975 (39.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,484 (59.9%) were married couples living together, 291 (11.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 143 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 130 (5.3%) unmarried. 469 households (18.9%) were made up of individuals, and 241 (9.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87. There were 1,918 families (77.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.28.
The population was spread out, with 1,933 people (27.1%) under the age of 18, 675 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 1,736 people (24.3%) aged 25 to 44, 1,898 people (26.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 890 people (12.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
There were 2,610 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,792 (72.4%) were owner-occupied, and 684 (27.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 5,082 people (71.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,035 people (28.5%) lived in rental housing units.
References
External links
- Official website
- Escalon Unified School District