Fresno County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fresno County, California
County
County of Fresno
Top to bottom: Fresno County Courthouse, Millerton Lake, Courtright Reservoir
Seal
Location in the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
Region	San Joaquin Valley
Metro area	Fresno–Madera
Incorporated	1856
Named for	The city of Fresno (Spanish for "ash tree")
County seat	Fresno
Largest city	Fresno
Incorporated cities	15
Government
• Type	Council–CAO
• Body	Board of Supervisors
Area
• Total	6,011 sq mi (15,570 km2)
• Land	5,958 sq mi (15,430 km2)
• Water	53 sq mi (140 km2)
Highest elevation	14,248 ft (4,343 m)
Population  (2020 Census)
• Total	1,008,654
• Density	167.801/sq mi (64.788/km2)
Gross Domestic Product
• Total	US$45.388 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area code	559
FIPS code	06-019
GNIS feature ID	277274
Congressional districts	5th, 13th, 20th, 21st

Fresno County (ⁱ/ˈfrɛznoʊ/), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in California.

Fresno County comprises the Fresno, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Fresno–Madera, CA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Central Valley, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. Since 2010, statewide droughts in California have further strained both Fresno County's and the entire Central Valley's water security.

History

The area now known as Fresno County was the traditional homeland of Yokuts and Mono peoples, and was later settled by Spaniards during a search for suitable mission sites. In 1846, this area became part of the United States as a result of the Mexican War.

Fresno County was formed in 1856 from parts of Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties. Fresno is Spanish for "ash tree" and it was in recognition of the abundance of the shrubby local ash, Fraxinus dipetala, growing along the San Joaquin River that it received its name. Parts of Fresno County's territory were given to Mono County in 1861 and to Madera County in 1893. The original county seat was along the San Joaquin River in Millerton, but was moved to the rapidly growing town of Fresno on the newly built Southern Pacific Railroad line. A special election was held on March 23, 1874, to decide if Millerton should remain the County Seat or if the County Seat should be moved to another location. Fresno won the election that day and became the new Fresno County Seat.

The settling of Fresno County was not without its conflicts, land disputes, and other natural disasters. Floods caused immeasurable damage elsewhere and fires also plagued the settlers of Fresno County. In 1882, the greatest of the early day fires wiped out an entire block of the city of Fresno, and was followed by another devastating blaze in 1883.

At the same time residents brought irrigation, electricity, and extensive agriculture to the area. In 1865, William Helm brought his sheep to Fresno county, which was then a vast space of open land. Helm was the largest individual sheep grower in Fresno County. Moses Church developed the first canals, called "Church Ditches," for irrigation. These canals allowed extensive cultivation of wheat. Francis Eisen, leader of the wine industry in Fresno County, also began the raisin industry in 1875, when he accidentally let some of his grapes dry on the vine. Anthony Easterby and Clovis Cole developed extensive grain and cattle ranches. These and other citizens laid the groundwork for the cultivation of Fresno County – now one of the nation's leading agricultural regions. In more recent times cotton became a major crop in Fresno and the southern San Joaquin Valley, but recent drought and lower demand have lessened cotton's importance to the local economy.

The discovery of oil in the western part of the county, near the town of Coalinga at the foot of the Coast Ranges, brought about an economic boom in the 1900s (decade), even though the field itself was known at least as early as the 1860s. By 1910, Coalinga Oil Field, the largest field in Fresno County, was the most richly productive oil field in California; a dramatic oil gusher in 1909, the biggest in California up until that time, was an event of sufficient excitement to cause the Los Angeles Stock Exchange to close for a day so that its members could come by train to view it. The Coalinga field continues to produce oil, and is currently the eighth-largest field in the state.

More than thirty structures in Fresno County are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Fresno Water Tower, which once held over 250,000 US gallons (950 m³) of water for the city of Fresno, the Meux Home, and Kearney Mansion Museum.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,011 square miles (15,570 km²), of which 5,958 square miles (15,430 km²) is land and 53 square miles (140 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Fresno County consists of about 38 smaller towns including Fresno, Selma, Parlier, Clovis, Reedly, Sanger, Kerman, Kingsburg, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Calwa, Friant, Mendota, Fowler, Shaver lake, San Joaquin, Orange Cove, Del Ray, Yokuts Valley, Auberry, Huron, Caruthers, Riverdale, Laton, Big Creek, Tranquility, Biola, Raisin City, Easton, Three Rocks, Cantou Creek, Lanare, Minkler, Mayfair, Malaga, Bowles, Monmouth, and West Park.

Major watercourses are the San Joaquin River, Kings River, Delta-Mendota Canal, Big Creek, Friant Kern Canal, Helm Canal and Madera Canal. It is bordered on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Sierra Nevada. It is the center of a large agricultural area, known as the most agriculturally rich county in the United States. The county withdrew 3.7 billion US gallons (14,000,000 m³) of fresh water per day in 2000, more than any other county in the United States. In recent years, statewide droughts in California have further strained both Fresno's and the entire Central Valley's water security.

Fresno County is part of the Madera AVA wine region. However, Fresno was named after two particular ash trees that grew near the town of Minkler on the Kings River, one of which is still alive and standing.

National protected areas

• Giant Sequoia National Monument (part)
• Kings Canyon National Park (part)
• Sequoia National Forest (part)
• Sierra National Forest (part)

Geology

A number of minerals have been discovered in the county, including macdonaldite, krauskopfite, walstromite, fresnoite, verplanckite, muirite, traskite, and kampfite.

In October 2019, the Bureau of Land Management ended a five-year moratorium on leasing federal land in California to fossil fuel companies, opening 725,000 acres (1100 sq. miles; 29,000 ha) to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

The racial makeup of Fresno County was 515,145 (55.4%) White, 49,523 (5.3%) African American, 15,649 (1.7%) Native American, 89,357 (9.6%) Asian (3.3% Hmong, 1.7% Asian Indian, 1.0% Filipino, 0.8% Laotian, 0.6% Chinese, 0.5% Japanese, 0.5% Cambodian, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Pakistani, 0.1% Thai), 1,405 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 217,085 (23.3%) from other races, and 42,286 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 468,070 persons (50.3%). 46.0% of Fresno County's population is of Mexican descent; 0.7% of its residents are Salvadoran, and 0.3% of its residents are Puerto Rican.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 799,407 people, 252,940 households, and 186,669 families residing in the county. The population density was 134 people per square mile (52 people/km²). There were 270,767 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 54.3% White, 5.3% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 8.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 25.9% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. 44.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, the county was 7.5% German, 6.6% Irish, 6.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 59.3% spoke English, 31.5% Spanish and 3.1% Hmong as their first language.

There were 252,940 households, out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,725, and the median income for a family was $38,455. Males had a median income of $33,375 versus $26,501 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,495. About 17.6% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Fresno County as the Fresno, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the Fresno, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 56th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Fresno, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Fresno–Madera, CA Combined Statistical Area, the 49th most populous combined statistical area and the 55th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

Economy

Agriculture

Agriculture is the primary industry in Fresno County. 1.88 million acres (0.76 million hectares; 7,600 square kilometres; 2,940 square miles) are under cultivation, almost half the total county area of 3.84 million acres (1.55 million hectares; 15,500 square kilometres; 6,000 square miles). Ag production totaled $7.98 billion in 2017, making it the number one agricultural county in the nation. Over 300 different crops are grown here. Major crops and livestocks include:

• Grapes (see also Grape in California)
• Pistachios
• Cotton
• Almonds
• Tomatoes (see also Tomato in California)
• Turkeys
• Cattle
• Milk
• Plums (see also Plum in California)
• Oranges
• Peaches (see also Peach in California)
• Nectarines (see also Nectarine in California)

The grape harvest brought in $1,046,356,645 in 2017. Production is chronically threatened by the presence of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter and the disease it carries, Pierce's Disease. See Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter in California and Pierce's Disease in California.

Pistachio production in the United States was 523,900 MT in 2021, with 40% of that number being from Fresno, California.

The peach harvest was worth $264,139,238 in 2017.

Fresno is the second highest cotton producer in the state, harvesting 223,443 bales in 2017. This is a close second to neighboring Kings.

Due to its tremendous agricultural success, the county also has a tremendous problem with glyphosate resistance. Okada et al., 2013 finds a high degree of resistance in Marestail (Conyza canadensis).

Companies based in Fresno County

• Gottschalks Department Stores (liquidated in 2010 )
• Sun-Maid Raisins
• Pinnacle Armor, maker of the Dragon Skin Body Armor
• Pelco, maker of surveillance cameras (acquired by Schneider Electric October 2007)
• David Sunflower Seeds, now part of ConAgra Foods
• Flicks Candy Company
• Harris Ranch Beef Company
• JD Food
• Saladino's Inc
• National Raisin Company
• Pacific Ethanol
• United Security Bank
• Central Valley Community Bank
• Electronic Recyclers International

Major employers

Education

Tertiary education

Educational institutions in Fresno County include:

• California State University, Fresno which opened in 1911.
• California Health Sciences University is a private university established in 2012. It currently offers a College of Pharmacy and College of Osteopathic Medicine and is committed to health sciences research and improving the access and delivery of quality health care in the San Joaquin Valley.
• San Joaquin College of Law is a private, nonprofit law school founded in 1969 and located in the City of Clovis.
• Fresno Pacific University is a private university in the City of Fresno.

Within the California Community Colleges System, Fresno County is mostly covered by the State Center Community College District and the West Hills Community College District. The following campuses are in Fresno County:

• Clovis Community College near the City of Clovis
• Fresno City College in the City of Fresno
• Reedley College in the City of Reedley
• West Hills College Coalinga in the City of Coalinga

K-12 education

School districts include:

K-12:

Secondary:

• Kingsburg Joint Union High School District
• Dinuba Unified School District (while it is a unified school district, in this county it only covers areas for grades 9–12)

Elementary:

Public libraries

In addition, the Fresno County Public Library operates public libraries throughout the county.

Transportation

Major highways

Rail

• BNSF Railway
• Union Pacific Railroad
• San Joaquin Valley Railroad
• Biola Branch (Southern Pacific) (abandoned)
• Shaver Lake Railroad (abandoned)
• San Joaquin and Eastern Railroad (abandoned)

Airports

Commercial service

• Fresno Yosemite Int'l Airport

General Aviation

• Fresno Chandler Executive Airport
• Firebaugh Airport
• Mendota Airport
• New Coalinga Municipal Airport
• Reedley Municipal Airport
• Sierra Sky Park Airport

Public transportation

• Fresno Area Express or FAX is the local bus operator in Fresno, including daily service to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
• Clovis Transit Stageline is the bus service in Clovis.
• Reedley Transit a.k.a. Dial-A-Ride services Reedley.
• Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) offers a variety of local and intercity transit services around Fresno County.
• Greyhound, FlixBus, and Orange Belt Stages provide intercity, long-distance bus service.
• Amtrak San Joaquins stop in Fresno.

Attractions

Forestiere Underground Garden

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

• Avocado
• Burrel
• Dunlap
• Highway City
• Hume
• Mercey Hot Springs
• Prather
• Rolinda
• Tollhouse

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Fresno County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Fresno para niños