As a born and raised Stocktonian, I recognize a past, and still see a bright future for our city.
Even though list-happy magazines such as “Forbes” give Stockton a bad name, I am proud to say I bought my first house near Interstate 5 just recently.
Why did I choose to stay here?
It’s easy.
The key is realizing and admitting that Stockton isn’t all that bad.
My youth was spent on my bicycle with my best friend riding to and from the community pool, taking trips with my aunt to the Children’s Museum of Stockton (a really great place for kids), having fun at our own fairyland Pixie Woods and watching movies at our beautiful downtown theater.
People also come from all parts of the state for the annual Asparagus Festival every year.
The three-day event draws huge crowds and is also a fond memory for many families such as mine.
Our city is home to the third-oldest symphony in California.
Its beautiful sound, under maestro Peter Jaffe, has received national news coverage.
The symphony is constantly adapting new works into its repertoire.
There are also amazing places to eat all over town, and sometimes they aren’t in plain view.
I, for one, recommend Xochimilco, which is a Mexican restaurant in downtown.
If we just stop and look around sometimes, especially in older parts of downtown, the history can be seen, and we can take pride.
It’s easy to get bogged down in budgetary issues, especially when bankruptcy is on the tip of everyone’s tongue.
But Stockton, to me, has nowhere to go but up.
The deep cuts have been made, so we, not just Stockton, but America as well, can only to gain from this experience in the dumps.
We aren’t the only city in trouble, and we never will be the only city in trouble, but the fact that we were one of the cities hardest hit by the crash of 2008 only proves that we can persevere through the tough stuff.
