From its beginning as a small pioneering settlement in 1869 to its growth into an agricultural and industrial modern city, Lodi has been touted for years as a desirable place to put down roots and raise a family. The fertile soil here on the south bank of the Mokelumne River has seen several generations of citizens proud of their city at the crossroads of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Following World War II, Lodi s attractiveness as a family city has caused it to boom and grow, to the delight of some and consternation of others. In 2006, Lodi celebrated the centennial anniversary of...

Originally founded as the town of Mokelumne in 1869, Lodi formed when a group of settlers persuaded the Central Pacific Railroad to build a route from Sacramento to Stockton through their land. Mokelumne changed its name to Lodi in 1874 and incorporated as a city in 1906. Described early on as the queen city of the San Joaquin Valley, the Lodi area quickly boomed into an agricultural powerhouse, its fertile soil producing wheat, watermelons, orchards, and wine grapes. Laura DeForce Gordon, the second female lawyer in California, called Lodi home, as did winemaking pioneer Robert Mondavi. Lodi...