Reedley, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reedley, California
City
City of Reedley
Top: Reedley City Hall Middle: Reedley Municipal Airport Bottom: Campbell Mountain
Seal
Nickname(s):  "The World's Fruit Basket"
Location in Fresno County and the state of California
Reedley, California Location in California Show map of California Reedley, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Fresno
Incorporated	February 18, 1913
Named for	Thomas Law Reed
Area
• Total	5.49 sq mi (14.21 km2)
• Land	5.41 sq mi (14.02 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2)  1.39%
Elevation	348 ft (106 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,227
• Density	4,595/sq mi (1,775.3/km2)
Demonym(s)	Reedleyite
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	93654
Area code(s)	559
FIPS code	06-60242
GNIS feature IDs	1659495, 2410920

Reedley is a city in Fresno County, California, in the United States. It's in the San Joaquin Valley, about 22 miles (35 km) east of Fresno. The city is about 348 feet (106 meters) above sea level.

In 2010, about 24,194 people lived there. Reedley is known for its farms, especially for growing fruits and vegetables. This is why it's called "The World's Fruit Basket." The city is located along the Kings River.

Reedley hosts fun events like the Reedley Fiesta and the Electrical Farm Equipment Parade. The city is named after Thomas Law Reed, a veteran from the Civil War. He gave land to the town in 1888.

History of Reedley

In the mid-1800s, Thomas Law Reed, a veteran from the American Civil War, settled in Reedley. He started growing wheat to sell to Gold Rush miners. He gave land for a railroad station, which made the town important for the wheat business in the San Joaquin Valley. The Southern Pacific Railroad named the station after him, and the city later took his name too.

When gold mining became less popular, the demand for wheat went down. Farmers started using water from the Kings River to grow different crops. This led to a variety of fruits being grown, like grapes, figs, and peaches.

With water and railroad services available, many farming families from Europe moved to Reedley. The town officially became a city in 1913. That same year, Reedley got its first cement sidewalks, a sewer system, and a fire department. They also built the first of two steel water towers.

Many different cultures have influenced Reedley. People from the Philippines, Finland, Lebanon, Korea, and Japan have made their homes here. Since the 1940s, many Hispanic and Latino immigrants have moved to Reedley. They now make up most of the city's population.

Reedley has many different Christian churches, including Anglican, Catholic, Armenian, Baptist, and Mennonite churches. There is also a Buddhist temple in the city.

In 1988, Reedley celebrated 100 years since its railroad depot was built and 75 years since it became a city. In 2013, the city celebrated its 100th birthday!

Reedley's Location

The United States Census Bureau says that Reedley covers about 5.2 square miles (13.5 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 5.1 square miles (13.2 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.1 square miles (0.3 square kilometers), is water.

City Buildings and Services

Reedley National Bank Building

The Reedley National Bank building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Reedley National Bank building was built in 1907. This was when the city first got electricity. The bank is no longer open. The building is located at 1100 G Street.

Mid Valley Times Newspaper

Reedley's local newspaper, the Mid Valley Times, is located downtown. It used to be called the Reedley Exponent. In 2019, it joined with two other newspapers to reach more readers.

Jansen Opera House

The Reedley Opera House Complex, built by Jesse Jansen to serve as Reedley's cultural center.

The building where the Opera House is located was built in 1903. This happened after a fire destroyed two blocks of downtown Reedley. Jesse Jansen, a grain merchant from Denmark, encouraged shopkeepers to rebuild with bricks. He paid for the Opera House himself to create a place for culture and community events.

In 1913, the people of Reedley met at the Opera House to vote for the city to become officially incorporated. After the early 1920s, movie houses became more popular than live theater. The Opera House was not used much until it was fixed up in 1986. The City of Reedley received the building as a gift in 2002.

In 2003, the River City Theatre Company was started. They now use the Opera House to put on musicals and plays.

Reedley Municipal Airport

North of the city is the Reedley Municipal Airport (O32). It's a public airport that serves the areas of southeast Fresno County and northwest Tulare County. About 21 small airplanes are based at this airport. In the year leading up to January 2020, there were 33,000 flights from the airport.

City Government and Police

Police Department

The Reedley Police Department is at 843 G Street. It shares a building with the city government offices. The areas around Reedley are also protected by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Education in Reedley

The Kings Canyon Unified School District is a public school system based in Reedley. It also has schools in nearby cities and mountain communities. Reedley also has private schools like St. La Salle School (Catholic, K-8) and Immanuel Schools (Mennonite, K-12).

Reedley College is a local community college. It offers higher education, including associate degrees and various certification courses.

Here are some of the schools in Reedley:

Elementary Schools

• Alta Elementary School
• Jefferson Elementary School
• Great Western Elementary School
• Washington Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Immanuel Elementary School

K-8 Schools

• Thomas Law Reed K-8 School
• Riverview K-8 School
• Silas Bartsch K-8 School
• St. La Salle Catholic School

Middle Schools

• General Grant Middle School
• Navelencia Middle School
• Immanuel Junior High School

High Schools

• Reedley High School
• Immanuel High School
• Reedley Middle College High School

Reedley College in 2009

Alternative Education

• Kings Canyon High School
• Mountain View Independent School

Community College

• Reedley College

Population of Reedley

In 2010, Reedley had a population of 24,194 people. The city had about 4,693 people per square mile. Most people lived in homes.

There were 6,569 households in Reedley. About 3,544 of these households had children under 18. The average household had about 3.65 people.

The median age in Reedley was 29.1 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 104 males.

In 2000, there were 20,756 people in Reedley. About 57.59% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. The median income for a household was about $34,682 per year. About 21.4% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Famous People from Reedley

• Charles B. Garrigus: A poet and state lawmaker. He used to teach at Reedley College.
• Kris Holmes: A designer of typefaces (fonts).
• Lacy Barnes Mileham: An athlete who competed in discus at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She is a psychology professor at Reedley College.
• Ed Kezirian: A football coach for UCLA. He attended and coached at Reedley College.
• Ernestine Gilbreth Carey: The author of Cheaper by the Dozen, she lived in Reedley.
• Paul Hurst: An actor who appeared in the movie Gone With the Wind.
• Vic Lombardi: A Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Pirates and Dodgers. He was born in Reedley.
• Rick Besoyan: A singer, actor, writer, composer, and director of musicals.
• Silas Bartsch: A former leader and interim president of Fresno Pacific University. A K-8 public school in Reedley is named after him.