History & Archaeology

The City of Stockton has always worked to protect, preserve and document its local heritage. Planning for the city's future includes understanding the city's past.

 

History, Archaeology and Today's Redevelopment

Stockton is a large urban center.  In fact, Stockton is the 13th largest city in the State of California. Stockton will grow in the future.  With that growth, comes new residents, new businesses, new opportunities, and new construction projects. Today's urban redevelopment is helping to bring the City of Stockton into the 21st century in exciting and dynamic ways.

 

Redevelopment also brings responsibility. When projects include money received from the state or federal government, the city must comply with laws that were created to help protect our nation's natural and cultural resources. One of these laws is the National Historic Preservation Act. Important archaeology sites and historic buildings are often nominated to the National Register of Historic Places where they may receive long-term protection.

 

The City of Stockton complies with these laws, which benefit our community by preserving our history. The City protects its rich heritage by ensuring that historic sites are always well documented, studied and interpreted to the public.

 

Redevelopment can also reveal some unexpected and fascinating things.  In these pages, you will read about recent archaeological discoveries made in downtown Stockton. Sometimes brand new archaeological findings occur when you least expect them. Buried beneath our city parking lots and buildings, lies a history that belongs to all of us. Redevelopment was involved in these activities in order to complete projects.