Fresno County is a county in the central part of California. As of 2020, over 1 million people live here. The main city and county seat is Fresno. It's the fifth-largest city in California.

Fresno County is in the Central Valley. This area is known for its farming. It's located south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. Sometimes, droughts in California make it hard to get enough water for the county.

History of Fresno County

The land that is now Fresno County was originally home to the Yokuts and Mono Native American peoples. Later, Spanish explorers came looking for places to build missions. In 1846, this area became part of the United States after the Mexican War.

How Fresno County Was Formed

Fresno County was officially created in 1856. It was made from parts of Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare counties. The name Fresno comes from the Spanish word for "ash tree." This name was chosen because many ash trees, called Fraxinus dipetala, grew along the San Joaquin River.

The first county seat was in Millerton. But the town of Fresno was growing fast because of the new Southern Pacific Railroad. So, in 1874, people voted to move the county seat to Fresno.

Early Challenges and Growth

Life in early Fresno County wasn't always easy. There were arguments over land and natural disasters like floods and fires. In the 1880s, big fires destroyed parts of Fresno city.

But people worked hard to improve the area. They brought in irrigation systems to water the land. Moses Church built the first canals, known as "Church Ditches," which helped grow a lot of wheat. Francis Eisen started the raisin industry in 1875. He accidentally left some grapes to dry on the vine, and that's how it began! Other pioneers like Anthony Easterby and Clovis Cole developed large farms for grain and cattle. Their efforts helped make Fresno County one of the top farming regions in the United States today.

Oil Discovery and Historic Places

In the early 1900s, oil was found near Coalinga in the western part of the county. This led to a big economic boost. The Coalinga Oil Field became the most productive oil field in California by 1910. It still produces oil today.

Fresno County also has many historic buildings. More than thirty of them are on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Fresno Water Tower, the Meux Home, and the Kearney Mansion Museum.

Geography of Fresno County

Fresno County covers about 6,011 square miles. Most of this is land, with a small part being water.

Towns and Cities

Fresno County has about 38 smaller towns and cities. Some of the well-known ones include Fresno, Selma, Clovis, Reedley, and Sanger.

Rivers and Mountains

Important rivers in the county are the San Joaquin River and Kings River. There are also canals like the Delta-Mendota Canal and Friant Kern Canal. The county is bordered by the Coast Range to the west and the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east.

Fresno County is known as the most agriculturally rich county in the United States. It uses a lot of fresh water for farming. The county is also part of the Madera AVA wine region.

Neighboring Counties

Fresno County shares borders with these counties:

Madera County (north)
Kings County (south)
Mono County (northeast)
Merced County (northwest)
Tulare County (southeast)
Monterey County (southwest)
Inyo County (east)
San Benito County (west)

Protected Natural Areas

Parts of these national protected areas are found in Fresno County:

Interesting Rocks and Minerals

Many unique minerals have been found in Fresno County. These include macdonaldite, krauskopfite, and fresnoite.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	4,605	—
1870	6,336	37.6%
1880	9,478	49.6%
1890	32,026	237.9%
1900	37,862	18.2%
1910	75,657	99.8%
1920	128,779	70.2%
1930	144,379	12.1%
1940	178,565	23.7%
1950	276,515	54.9%
1960	365,945	32.3%
1970	413,053	12.9%
1980	514,621	24.6%
1990	667,490	29.7%
2000	799,407	19.8%
2010	930,450	16.4%
2020	1,008,654	8.4%
2023 (est.)	1,017,162	9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

Who Lives in Fresno County?

The 2020 census showed that Fresno County had a population of 1,008,654 people. The county is very diverse. Many different groups of people live here.

**Fresno County, California – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	317,522	304,522	271,889	39.72%	32.73%	26.96%
Black or African American alone (NH)	40,291	45,005	44,295	5.04%	4.84%	4.39%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	6,223	5,979	6,074	0.78%	0.64%	0.60%
Asian alone (NH)	63,029	86,856	109,665	7.88%	9.33%	10.87%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	682	1,066	1,233	0.09%	0.11%	0.12%
Other Race alone (NH)	1,451	1,744	5,209	0.18%	0.19%	0.52%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	18,573	17,208	29,546	2.32%	1.85%	2.93%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	353,636	468,070	540,743	43.99%	50.31%	53.61%
Total	799,407	930,450	1,008,654	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

The 2010 census showed that about half of the people in Fresno County were of Hispanic or Latino background. Many different Asian groups also live here, including Hmong, Indian, and Filipino people.

Economy of Fresno County

The main industry in Fresno County is agriculture. This means farming is very important here.

Farming in Fresno County

Almost half of Fresno County's land is used for farming. In 2017, the farms here produced goods worth nearly $8 billion. This makes it the number one farming county in the entire nation! More than 300 different kinds of crops are grown.

Some of the biggest crops and livestock include:

Grapes are a huge crop, bringing in over $1 billion in 2017. Pistachio production in Fresno County makes up a large part of the total in the United States. Peaches are also a very valuable crop. Fresno is the second-largest cotton producer in California.

Companies and Jobs

Many companies are based in Fresno County. Some well-known ones include Sun-Maid Raisins and Harris Ranch Beef Company.

Many people in Fresno County work for large companies or government offices.

Commercial/Industrial

Cargill
Kraft Foods
Foster Farms Dairy
Foster Farms
E & J Gallo Winery
Del Monte Foods
Pepsi Bottling Group
PPG Industries
Chevron
Pelco
Sun-Maid
Electronic Recyclers International
Saladino's Inc.
Grundfos
Amazon

Government

Internal Revenue Service
Caltrans
Mendota Federal Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison
Coalinga State Hospital
144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard

Healthcare

Children's Hospital Central California
Community Medical Center - Clovis
Community Regional Medical Center
Coalinga Regional Medical Center
Fresno Surgery Center
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fresno
Kingsburg Medical Center
San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital
Saint Agnes Medical Center
Sanger General Hospital
Selma Community Hospital
Sierra Kings Hospital - Reedley
University Medical Center - Fresno
VA Medical Center - Fresno

Nonprofits (community-based organizations)

Fresno Regional Foundation
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Central California Legal Services
Centro La Familia
Comprehensive Youth Services
Fresno Rescue Mission
Marjaree Mason Center, Inc.
Poverello House
United Way, Fresno County
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission

Education in Fresno County

Fresno County has many schools and colleges.

Colleges and Universities

California State University, Fresno opened in 1911.
California Health Sciences University is a private university that started in 2012. It focuses on health care.
San Joaquin College of Law is a private law school in Clovis.
Fresno Pacific University is a private university in Fresno.

There are also community colleges:

Clovis Community College
Fresno City College
Reedley College
West Hills College Coalinga

K-12 Schools

Many school districts serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade:

Caruthers Unified School District
Central Unified School District
Clovis Unified School District
Coalinga-Huron Unified School District
Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District
Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District
Fowler Unified School District
Fresno Unified School District
Golden Plains Unified School District
Kerman Unified School District
Kings Canyon Joint Unified School District
Laton Joint Unified School District
Mendota Unified School District
Parlier Unified School District
Riverdale Joint Unified School District
Sanger Unified School District
Selma Unified School District
Sierra Unified School District
Washington Unified School District

There are also high school districts and elementary school districts.

Kingsburg Joint Union High School District
Dinuba Unified School District (for high school in this county)

Elementary school districts include:

Alvina Elementary School District
Big Creek Elementary School District
Burrel Union Elementary School District
Clay Joint Elementary School District
Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District
Monroe Elementary School District
Monson-Sultana Joint Union Elementary School District
Orange Center Elementary School District
Pacific Union Elementary School District
Pine Ridge Elementary School District
Raisin City Elementary School District
Washington Colony Elementary School District
West Park Elementary School District
Westside Elementary School District

Public Libraries

The Fresno County Public Library has many branches across the county.

Getting Around Fresno County

Major Roads

You can travel through Fresno County using these main highways:

Interstate 5
State Route 33
State Route 41
State Route 43
State Route 63
State Route 99
State Route 145
State Route 168
State Route 180
State Route 198
State Route 201
State Route 245
State Route 269

Railways

Train lines that run through the county include:

BNSF Railway
Union Pacific Railroad
San Joaquin Valley Railroad

Airports

For air travel, Fresno County has:

Fresno Yosemite Int'l Airport (for commercial flights)

Smaller airports for general aviation include:

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

Public Transport

You can get around using public transportation:

Fresno Area Express (FAX) is the local bus service in Fresno.
Clovis Transit Stageline serves Clovis.
Reedley Transit offers bus services in Reedley.
Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) provides bus services throughout the county.
Long-distance bus services like Greyhound are also available.
Amtrak trains stop in Fresno.

Fun Places to Visit

Fresno County has many attractions for visitors:

China Peak Ski Resort
Courtright Reservoir
Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
Fashion Fair Mall
Forestiere Underground Gardens
Fresno Art Museum
Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Fresno Fairgrounds
Fresno Metropolitan Museum (closed in 2010)
Fresno Water Tower
Hume Lake
Huntington Lake
Kings Canyon National Park
Lost Lake
Millerton Lake
Mount Darwin
North Palisade
Pine Flat Lake
River Park
Roeding Park
Shaver Lake
Sierra Vista Mall
Simonian Farms
William Saroyan Theatre
Save Mart Center
Wishon Reservoir
Woodward Park

Communities in Fresno County

Cities

Fresno County has 15 incorporated cities:

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

CDPs are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities:

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not part of any city or CDP:

Community Population Ranking

This table shows the population of cities and towns in Fresno County, based on the 2010 census.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Fresno	City	494,665
2	Clovis	City	95,631
3	Sanger	City	24,270
4	Reedley	City	24,194
5	Selma	City	23,219
6	Parlier	City	14,494
7	Kerman	City	13,544
8	Coalinga	City	13,380
9	Kingsburg	City	11,382
10	Mendota	City	11,014
11	Orange Cove	City	9,078
12	Firebaugh	City	7,549
13	Huron	City	6,754
14	Fowler	City	5,570
15	Old Fig Garden	CDP	5,365
16	Mayfair	CDP	4,589
17	Sunnyside	CDP	4,235
18	San Joaquin	City	4,001
19	Tarpey Village	CDP	3,888
20	Squaw Valley	CDP	3,162
21	Riverdale	CDP	3,153
22	Caruthers	CDP	2,497
23	Auberry	CDP	2,369
24	Easton	CDP	2,083
25	Calwa	CDP	2,052
26	Laton	CDP	1,824
27	Del Rey	CDP	1,639
28	Biola	CDP	1,623
29	West Park	CDP	1,157
30	Minkler	CDP	1,003
31	Malaga	CDP	947
32	Tranquillity	CDP	799
33	Shaver Lake	CDP	634
34	Lanare	CDP	589
35	Friant	CDP	509
36	Cantua Creek	CDP	466
37	Centerville	CDP	392
38	Raisin City	CDP	380
39	Three Rocks	CDP	246
40	Fort Washington	CDP	233
41	Cold Springs Rancheria	AIAN	184
42	Big Creek	CDP	175
43	Bowles	CDP	166
44	Monmouth	CDP	152
45	Big Sandy Rancheria	AIAN	118
46	Table Mountain Rancheria	AIAN	64

Images for kids

Forestiere Underground Garden

Fresno County, California facts for kids

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