Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census.
History
The village of Stockton is the youngest village in Jo Daviess County. 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.
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.
In 1914, the Kraft Brothers opened a cheese factory in Stockton, and operated it until Kraft sold the facility in 1998. This was the birthplace of the Kraft Corporation and the first cheese plant opened by J.L. Kraft.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Stockton has a total area of , all land.
Climate
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 that rises to to the west at the village limits. To the northwest the same ridge line continues where U.S. Route 20 crests at just to the west. This ridge line continues for 3 miles to the northwest to Benton Mound ( ), the second highest peak in Illinois.
Historical landmarks
- Townsend Home
- W.E. White Building
- Great Western Hotel
Major highways
- 25px U.S. Route 20, east towards Freeport and west towards Galena
- 25px Illinois Route 78, north towards Warren and the Wisconsin state line and south towards Mount Carroll
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,728 people, 775 households, and 481 families residing in the village.
The population density was . There were 873 housing units at an average density of . 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.
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.
- Charles E. Byrum, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives; born in Stockton
- Dennis Gage, host of the television show My Classic Car; grew up in Stockton
- Ron Lawfer, farmer and Illinois legislator; born in Stockton