Farmersville, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Farmersville, California
City
Seal
Motto(s):  "It's Always Sunny in Farmersville"
Location of Farmersville in Tulare County, California.
Farmersville, California Location in California Show map of California Farmersville, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Tulare
Incorporated	October 5, 1960
Area
• City	2.20 sq mi (5.70 km2)
• Land	2.20 sq mi (5.70 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	358 ft (109 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	10,397
• Estimate  (2021)	10,382
• Density	4,726/sq mi (1,824.0/km2)
• Metro	473,117
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	93223
Area code	559
FIPS code	06-23616
GNIS feature IDs	1652709, 2410485

Farmersville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley in Tulare County, California. It is located just east of Visalia, California. In 2020, about 10,397 people lived there. An estimate from 2024 suggests the population is now around 12,000.

The city hosts several fun events each year. In May, there's a big Memorial Day Parade. It brings in about 4,000 visitors. In October, a Fall Festival takes place downtown. A Christmas Tree Lighting event is held in December. This event happens at the historic Old Methodist Church building.

History of Farmersville

The story of Farmersville started in the 1850s. The first community was called Deep Creek. It was located near the Deep Creek Cemetery. Some gravestones there date back to the 1850s.

Farmersville's first school was built for children of local farm families. Records show that children attended Deep Creek School in the 1860s. This school was located east of the cemetery.

Until 1863, people from the east side of the county traveled through Farmersville. They used horse-drawn wagons to get mail and supplies. They also sold their goods. The trip was long, so many would stop at Wiley Hinds' farm. It was just south of where Farmersville is today. They would ask to sleep in his barn. Wiley Hinds was a former slave. He came from Arkansas with his brother in 1858. He settled in Farmersville and became a successful farmer.

In 1866, John Crowley and his Uncle Merrill Jasper opened a large general store. They hoped to attract customers from the east side of the county. These customers were on their way to Visalia for mail. Their business was not very successful at first. In 1868, their nephew, Thomas J. Brundage, bought the store. Around this time, the town's name and a post office were approved by the US Government. The store then became much more successful. People from the east began stopping there for their mail.

Mr. Brundage also owned a lumber yard across the street. Oxen would pull lumber from the Sierra hills to his yard. East of the Brundage General Store was the Brown Hotel. It was built in 1870. The hotel was two stories tall. It served meals to travelers on the Overland Stage. The stagecoach horses were changed there. The location of these old businesses is now near Sam's Foods Supermarket. A historic granite marker is in the parking lot.

A large fire happened in 1910. It hit the corner of Visalia Road and Farmersville Boulevard. The Brundage General Store was damaged. Other businesses and buildings also burned. The Methodist Church was scorched. The old wooden store was torn down in the 1920s. It was replaced by a Trading Post. This Trading Post burned down in 1951. A Texaco Gas Station replaced it, which later became a Beacon Gas Station. Today, it is an empty lot.

In 1910, Oscar G. Brundage, Thomas J. Brundage's son, built a new brick store. It was finished in December 1910. He worked in the stores until the late 1920s. This building later became Dixon's Grocery Store. Then it was Ryan's Grocery Store. In the 1940s, it became a bar called the Frontier Club. It was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. Today, Rainbow's Drive In sits on that spot.

A view of Farmersville.

In 1945, the town voted to have its own police department. At that time, Farmersville had one police officer on duty. Before 1960, the county managed the town's needs.

People started talking about making Farmersville an official city in 1945. Don Freeman began the process. This led to the city becoming officially incorporated on October 5, 1960. The first city council included James Tornow as Mayor. Truman Qualls, Don Freeman, Willis Freeman, and Jim Steven were also on the council. Carl Waddle was the first City Clerk. Early on, the city faced challenges. They needed better water delivery and wastewater treatment. In 1968, a loan of $480,000 helped build the first wastewater plant.

Geography

Farmersville is located at 36°18′4″N 119°12′27″W / 36.30111°N 119.20750°W / 36.30111; -119.20750.

The city covers an area of about 2.3 square miles (5.7 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population Information

Population in 2020

The 2020 United States Census showed that Farmersville had a population of 10,397 people.

Population in 2010

In 2010, the population was 10,588. The city had about 4,688 people per square mile. Many different groups of people lived in Farmersville. About 83.8% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 2,595 households in Farmersville. Many households (63.2%) had children under 18 living there. The average household had about 4 people. The median age in the city was 26.2 years old. This means half the people were younger than 26.2, and half were older.

Education

Farmersville High School, home of the Aztecs.

Farmersville has one unified school district. This means all schools are part of the same system. The district includes Farmersville High School, a middle school, and three elementary schools.

• J.E. Hester School is for kindergarten and 1st graders.
• George L. Snowden School is for 2nd and 3rd graders.
• Freedom School is for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.
• The junior high school is for 7th and 8th graders.
• Farmersville High School covers grades 9 through 12. Their sports teams are called the Aztecs.

The first school was a log building near Deep Creek Cemetery in the 1860s. A second school was built around 1869. It was a two-story building. Classrooms were on the second floor. The first floor was a community room for meetings. This school was replaced by Farmersville Elementary School in 1905. Snowden Elementary replaced it in 1953. Hester School opened earlier, in 1950. George L. Snowden, a teacher and school superintendent, helped greatly with building Hester and Snowden Schools.

Church Building History

The Church/Museum is located at 881 N. Farmersville Boulevard.

The building that used to be the Farmersville Methodist Church has an interesting past. It was first built in the 1870s in Goshen, California. In 1899-1900, the church was bought by the Visalia Methodist group. Farmersville church members also helped. The chapel was moved to Farmersville on logs, pulled by horses. It was set up on South Farmersville Boulevard.

Around 1947, the church needed more parking. Mrs. Avery donated some land for a new location. The church was moved to Avery Avenue and Ash Street. During this move, the steeple broke and had to be rebuilt. It later became the Farmersville United Methodist Church. The Boys and Girls Club used the building for a few years. In 2009, it moved again to N Farmersville Boulevard and W. Front Street.

Commerce

Farmersville is sometimes a "commuter town." This means many residents travel to nearby communities for work. Most businesses in Farmersville are small and family-owned.

Notable People

• Orval Overall, a winning pitcher for the Chicago Cubs in the 1908 World Series, was born in Farmersville.
• Russ Taff, a famous southern gospel and pop singer, was born in Farmersville.
• Brian T. Carroll, a teacher and presidential candidate, is from Farmersville.

See also

In Spanish: Farmersville (California) para niños