The City of Stockton was chosen as one of 30 finalists, out of 93 communities across the country to vie for the prestigious All America City Award. The award is a National Civic League program supported nationally by the Allstate Insurance Company.

Being chosen as a finalist was the first step. The next step is a question/answer session and presentation in Philadelphia to a jury of leaders from across the country.

Representatives from Stockton (public and private sectors) traveled to Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 23, 1999. They made their presentation on Friday morning at 10:30. Winners were announced at a ceremony on Saturday night.

Stockton residents were invited to, give the representatives a send off. They left from the Quail Lakes Long's Drug Store parking lot at 3:45 a.m. on June 23. The plane left the Sacramento airport at 6:30 a.m.

For a community to be named an All-America City, it must be able to demonstrate successful resolution of community issues through collaborative effort. Communities must list three projects where local business, government, and nonprofit organizations have worked together to tangibly improve the lives of their community's residents.