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EspañolFRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
'Fresno County' is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of 2007, its population was 1,002,284. The county seat is Fresno.
History
The area now known as Fresno County, once a semiarid steppe, was discovered by Spaniards during a search for suitable mission sites. In 1846, this area became the property 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. Parts of Fresno County's territory was given to Mono County in 1861 and to Madera County in 1893. The original county seat was placed in Millerton.
The county is named after Fresno Creek. ''Fresno'' in Spanish signifies "ash tree" and it was due to the abundance of mountain ash or ash trees in the county that it received its name.
The settling of Fresno County was not without its conflicts, land disputes, and natural disasters. Floods caused immeasurable damage to the Millerton area so much so that the county seat was moved to Fresno and the little town never fully recovered. 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. Moses Church developed the first canals, called "Church Ditches," for irrigation. These canals transformed the barren desert of Fresno County into rich soil, thus enabling extensive wheat farming in Fresno County. Frances 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. A.Y. Easterby and Clovis Cole (aka the "Wheat King of the Nation") developed extensive grain and cattle ranches. These and other citizens laid the groundwork for the cultivation of Fresno County - now the nation's leading agricultural region.
To date, over 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 15,585 km² (6,017 mi²). 15,443 km² (5,963 mi²) of it is land and 142 km² (55 mi²) of it (0.91%) is water.
Major watercourses are the San Joaquin, Kings River, Delta-Mendota Canal, Big Creek, Friant Kern Canal and Helm 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 gallons of fresh water per day in 2000, more than any other county in the United States.
Fresno was actually named after two particular ash trees that grew near the town of Minkler on the Kings River. One of the trees is still alive and standing.
Cities and towns
★ Auberry ★ Big Creek ★ Biola ★ Bowles ★ Calwa ★ Cantua Creek ★ Caruthers ★ Centerville ★ Clovis ★ Coalinga ★ Del Rey ★ Dunlap ★ Easton ★ Firebaugh | ★ Fowler ★ Fresno ★ Friant ★ Highway City ★ Huron ★ Kerman ★ Kingsburg ★ Lanare ★ Laton ★ Mendota ★ Mercey Hot Springs ★ Minkler ★ Orange Cove ★ Parlier | ★ Pinedale ★ Prather ★ Raisin City ★ Reedley ★ Riverdale ★ Rolinda ★ San Joaquin ★ Sanger ★ Selma ★ Shaver Lake ★ Squaw Valley ★ Tarpey Village ★ Tollhouse ★ Tranquillity |
Adjacent counties
★ Tulare County, California - south
★ Kings County, California - south
★ Monterey County, California - southwest
★ San Benito County, California - west
★ Merced County, California - northwest
★ Madera County, California - north
★ Mono County, California - northeast
★ Inyo County, California - east
Transportation infrastructure
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.
★ The Clovis Transit Stagline is the bus service in Clovis.
★ The Reedley Transit a.k.a. Dial-A-Ride services Reedley.
★ The Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) offers a variety of local and intercity transit services around Fresno County.
★ Greyhound and Orange Belt Stages provide intercity, long-distance bus service.
★ Amtrak ''San Joaquins'' stops in Fresno.
Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture is the primary industry in Fresno County. Ag production totaled $4.8 billion in 2006, making it the number one agricultural county in the nation.[1] Major crops and livestocks include:
★ Grapes
★ Cotton
★ Almonds
★ Tomatoes
★ Turkeys
★ Cattle
★ Milk
★ Plums
★ Oranges
★ Peaches
★ Nectarines
Companies based in Fresno County
★ Gottschalks Department Stores
★ Sun-Maid Raisins
★ Pinnacle Armor, maker of the Dragon Skin Body Armor
★ Pelco, maker of surveillance cameras
★ David Sunflower Seeds, now part of ConAgra Foods
★ Harris Ranch Beef Company
★ National Raisin Company
Major employers in Fresno County
;Commercial/Industrial
★ Kraft Foods
★ Foster Farms Dairy
★ Foster Farms (poultry company)
★ E & J Gallo Winery
★ Del Monte Foods
★ Pepsi Bottling Group
★ The Gap
★ PPG Industries
★ Chevron
★ Pelco
★ Sun-Maid Raisins
;Government
★ Internal Revenue Service
★ Caltrans
★ Mendota Federal Prison
★ Pleasant Valley State Prison
★ Coalinga State Hospital
Politics
| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | '52.52%' ''596,033 | 46.39% ''526,437 |
| 2000 | '49.63%' ''475,736 | 45.66% ''437,666 |
| 1996 | '45.57%' ''402,876 | 44.11% ''389,964 |
| 1992 | 35.7% ''352,125 | '37.2%' ''367,397 |
| 1988 | '60.2%' ''523,143 | 38.3% ''333,264 |
| 1984 | '65.3%' ''502,344 | 33.4% ''257,029 |
| 1980 | '60.8%' ''435,910 | 27.3% ''195,410 |
| 1976 | '55.7%' ''353,302 | 41.6% ''263,654 |
| 1972 | '61.8%' ''371,627 | 34.3% ''206,455 |
| 1968 | '56.3%' ''261,540 | 36.1% ''167,669 |
| 1964 | '50.3%' ''214,445 | 49.7% ''211,808 |
| 1960 | '56.4%' ''233,045 | 43.3% ''171,259 |
Fresno County was historically a Democratic-stronghold with the Democrats sweeping every general election from 1932 through 1976 barring 1972 and narrowly voting for Bill Clinton in 1992, but has steadily shifted to becoming a GOP stronghold.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 799,407 people, 252,940 households, and 186,669 families residing in the county. The population density was 52/km² (134/mi²). There were 270,767 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (45/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 54.30% White, 5.30% Black or African American, 1.60% Native American, 8.05% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 25.90% from other races, and 4.73% from two or more races. 43.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 59.3% spoke English, 31.5% Spanish and 3.1% Hmong as their first language.
There were 252,940 households out of which 41.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% 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 32.10% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 18.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 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 17.60% of families and 22.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.70% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
Notable locations
See also
★ List of school districts in Fresno County, California
External links and references
★ Fresno County website
★ Fresno County Public Library
★ Fresno County Sequicentennial
★ Meux Home Museum
★ Freno Jobs & Careers
★ ''National Geographic'' Magazine, July 2005
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