kids encyclopedia robot

Tulare County, California facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Tulare County, California
County
Visalia Acequia Ave..JPG
2009-0725-CA-Allensworth-Hotel.jpg
Moro Rock-View from Potwisha.jpg
2006 12 29 - Terminus Dam (3).JPG
Pictures, from top to bottom, left to right: Acequia Avenue in Visalia, Allensworth Hotel in Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park, Lake Kaweah
Flag of Tulare County, California
Flag
 Official seal of Tulare County, California
Seal
Where Tulare County is in California
Where Tulare County is in California
Country United States
State California
Regions San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada
Metro area Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area
Started July 10, 1852
Named for Tulare Lake, named after the tule rush plants
County seat Visalia
Largest city Visalia
Cities 8
Government
 • Type Council–CAO
 • Body Board of Supervisors
Area
 • Total 4,839 sq mi (12,530 km2)
 • Land 4,823 sq mi (12,490 km2)
 • Water 14 sq mi (40 km2)
Highest elevation
14,501 ft (4,420 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 473,117
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 479,468 Increase
 • Density 97.772/sq mi (37.750/km2)
GDP
 • Total $22.794 billion (2022)
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
Area code 559, 661
FIPS code 06-107
GNIS feature ID 277318
Congressional districts 20th, 21st, 22nd

Tulare County is a county in California. As of 2020, about 473,117 people live there. The main city and county seat is Visalia.

The county gets its name from Tulare Lake. This lake used to be the biggest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. It was named after the tule rush plants that grew around its edges. Over time, the lake was drained for farming. Today, its former location is in Kings County. Kings County was created in 1893 from the western part of Tulare County.

Tulare County is part of the Visalia-Porterville area. It is located south of Fresno. The county stretches from the San Joaquin Valley in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east.

Sequoia National Park is in Tulare County. Part of Kings Canyon National Park is also here, sharing space with Fresno County. A part of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 United States, is on the eastern border, shared with Inyo County.

History of Tulare County

Tulare County, California (1920)
Road sign from 1920

For thousands of years, the land was home to the Yokuts people. In the 1700s, Spain began to settle California. They built missions to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

In 1772, a Spanish leader named Pedro Fages found a large lake. It was surrounded by marshes and full of rushes. He called it Los Tules, which means "the tules" (a type of plant). This is where the name Tulare comes from. The word Tulare comes from the Nahuatl word tullin, meaning cattail or similar reeds.

Spanish explorers visited Lake Tulare again in 1805, 1806, and 1816. Bubal was a Native American village near the lake. In 1816, a Spanish priest and soldiers arrived at Bubal. They tried to make the people send their children to the mission. A fight broke out, and Bubal was burned down.

The marshes around Lake Tulare made it hard for Spanish horses to pass. This gave the Yokuts an advantage in battles. The Spanish called the local natives Tulareños. Later, many joined missions like Mission San Miguel.

After Mexico became independent, California was part of Mexico. In 1848, the area became part of the United States. Tulare County was formed in 1852 from parts of Mariposa County. Some parts of Tulare County were later given to other counties. These include Fresno County in 1856, Kern County and Inyo County in 1866, and Kings County in 1893.

The disease Tularemia is named after Tulare County. It is caused by a type of bacteria.

In 1908, Colonel Allen Allensworth and his friends started the town of Allensworth. It was a farming community for African Americans. They wanted to create a place where Black people could live and succeed without unfair treatment. It was the only community in California started and run by African Americans. The town did well at first. But it faced problems when the water levels dropped. Today, the historic area is a park called Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. It is a special place listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography of Tulare County

Tulare County covers about 4,839 square miles. Most of this is land, with about 14 square miles of water.

Neighboring Counties

Lakes in Tulare County

Columbine Lake Panorama (8090458406)
Columbine Lake

Rivers in Tulare County

Parks in Tulare County

  • Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
  • Alpaugh Park
  • Balch Park
  • Bartlett Park
  • Cutler Park
  • Dry Creek Preserve
  • Horse Creek Recreation Area
  • Kaweah Oaks Preserve
  • Kings River Nature Preserve
  • Lackeys Cabin
  • Lake Kaweah Recreation Area
  • Mineral King Game Refuge
  • Mooney Grove Park / Ancient Oak Forest Preserve
  • Sequoia National Park
  • Woodville Park
  • West Main Street Park

National Protected Areas

Sequoia National Park

Giant Forest
Sequoia National Park is in Tulare County.

Sequoia National Park is a famous park in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It is east of Visalia. The park was created in 1890, making it the second national park in the U.S. after Yellowstone.

The park covers over 404,051 acres. It has a huge range of elevations, almost 13,000 feet from lowest to highest points. It is home to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 United States, which is 14,505 feet high. Sequoia National Park is next to Kings Canyon National Park. Both parks are managed together by the National Park Service.

Flora: Plants of Tulare County

Tulare County has many different native plants. This is because it has many different natural areas, like creeks, rivers, hills, and mountains. Some native plants you might see include:

Transportation in Tulare County

Major Highways

  • California 43.svg State Route 43
  • California 63.svg State Route 63
  • California 65.svg State Route 65
  • California 99.svg State Route 99
  • California 137.svg State Route 137
  • California 180.svg State Route 180
  • California 190.svg State Route 190
  • California 198.svg State Route 198
  • California 201.svg State Route 201
  • California 216.svg State Route 216
  • California 245.svg State Route 245

Public Transportation

Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT) offers bus services within the county. One TCaT route also connects to Delano in Kern County.

The cities of Tulare, Porterville, and Visalia have their own local bus services.

For longer trips outside the county, Greyhound Lines provides bus service.

Airports

The Porterville Municipal Airport is about 3 miles from Downtown Porterville. It is used for general aviation. It also has the Porterville Air Attack Base. The Visalia Municipal Airport is owned by the city of Visalia, California. Mefford Field is another airport in Tulare for general aviation.

For bigger flights, the closest commercial airports are Bakersfield's Meadows Field Airport to the south. Also, Fresno's Fresno Yosemite International Airport is to the north. Buses from V-LINE connect Visalia to the Fresno Airport every day.

People of Tulare County (Demographics)

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 4,638 —
1870 4,533 −2.3%
1880 11,281 148.9%
1890 24,574 117.8%
1900 18,375 −25.2%
1910 35,440 92.9%
1920 59,031 66.6%
1930 77,442 31.2%
1940 107,152 38.4%
1950 149,264 39.3%
1960 168,403 12.8%
1970 188,322 11.8%
1980 245,738 30.5%
1990 311,921 26.9%
2000 368,021 18.0%
2010 442,179 20.2%
2020 473,117 7.0%
2023 (est.) 479,468 8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010 2020

2020 Census Information

In 2020, Tulare County had a population of 473,117 people.

  • About 31.0% of the people were under 18 years old.
  • 69.0% were between 18 and 64 years old.
  • 6.5% were between 65 and 74 years old.
  • 3.2% were between 75 and 84 years old.
  • 1.4% were 85 years or older.

The average age in the county was 31 years.

The racial makeup of Tulare County in 2020 was:

  • 39.4% White
  • 1.4% African American
  • 2.2% Native American
  • 3.6% Asian
  • 0.1% Pacific Islander
  • 34.9% from other races
  • 18.2% from two or more races.

Many people in Tulare County are of Hispanic or Latino background, making up 65.5% of the population.

In terms of languages spoken at home:

There were 144,109 households in the county.

  • 45.9% of households had children under 18.
  • 52.5% were married couples living together.
  • The average household size was 3.20 people.

The average income for a household in the county was $57,692. About 18.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 26.0% of those under 18.

Economy of Tulare County

Farming is a very important part of Tulare County's economy. The dairy industry, which sells milk products, brings in the most money. It usually earns over $1 billion each year. Oranges, grapes, and cattle also bring in hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

In 2001, Tulare became the county with the highest farming income in the U.S. It earned $3.5 billion that year. This was more than Fresno County, which had been the top farming county for over 20 years. Because farming is so important here, the city of Tulare has hosted the annual World Ag Expo since 1968. This is the biggest farming show in the world.

The county also has minor league sports teams. These include the Visalia Rawhide baseball team, which is part of the Arizona Diamondbacks. There are also football teams in Tulare and Visalia, and basketball teams in Porterville. These teams bring fun and entertainment to the county.

Top Employers in Tulare County

The biggest employers in Tulare County are:

  • County of Tulare (5,106 employees)
  • Visalia Unified School District (3,355 employees)
  • Kaweah Delta Medical Center (2,000 employees)
  • Sierra View District Hospital (1,800 employees)
  • Ruiz Food Production, Inc (1,800 employees)
  • Wal-Mart Distribution Center (1,692 employees)
  • Porterville Developmental Center (1,173 employees)
  • College of the Sequoias (1,160 employees)
  • Jostens (720 employees)
  • City of Visalia (653 employees)

Utilities and Infrastructure

Electricity in Tulare County is provided by Southern California Edison and PG&E. Gas service comes from SoCalGas and PG&E. Many companies offer TV and Internet services, such as Spectrum, DISH, DirecTV, and HughesNET.

Communities in Tulare County

Cities

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially cities.

Other Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not cities or CDPs.

Indian Reservation

  • Tule River Indian Reservation

Population Ranking of Communities (2020 Census)

This table shows the biggest communities in Tulare County based on the 2020 census.

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Visalia City 154,048
2 Tulare City 77,101
3 Porterville City 77,681
4 Dinuba City 34,855
5 Lindsay City 17,729
6 Farmersville City 10,397
7 Exeter City 10,334
8 Orosi CDP 8,329
9 Earlimart CDP 7,679
10 East Porterville CDP 5,549
11 Woodlake City 7,419
12 Cutler CDP 4,480
13 Ivanhoe CDP 4,468
t-14 Pixley CDP 3,828
t-14 Terra Bella CDP 2,910
15 Goshen CDP 4,968
16 Richgrove CDP 2,358
17 Strathmore CDP 2,830
18 Tipton CDP 2,519
19 Poplar-Cotton Center CDP 2,370
20 Three Rivers CDP 2,053
21 London CDP 1,518
22 Patterson Tract CDP 1,888
23 Woodville CDP 1,680
24 Teviston CDP 1,185
25 Matheny CDP 1,125
26 Tule River Reservation AIAN 1,250
27 Alpaugh CDP 1,026
28 Plainview CDP 871
29 Springville CDP 967
30 Linnell Camp CDP 696
31 East Tulare Villa CDP 773
32 Sultana CDP 779
33 Traver CDP 731
34 Ducor CDP 616
35 West Goshen CDP 536
36 East Orosi CDP 423
37 Seville CDP 446
38 Allensworth CDP 531
39 Delft Colony CDP 412
40 Lindcove CDP 189
41 Tooleville CDP 286
42 Tonyville CDP 329
43 Lemon Cove CDP 298
44 Yettem CDP 201
45 Monson CDP 152
46 Pine Flat CDP 206
47 Rodriguez Camp CDP 133
48 El Rancho CDP 96
49 Waukena CDP 80
50 Camp Nelson CDP 106
51 Pierpoint CDP 59
52 Idlewild CDP 32
53 Panorama Heights CDP 44
54 California Hot Springs CDP 50
55 Hartland CDP 69
56 Kennedy Meadows CDP 58
57 Sugarloaf Saw Mill CDP 14
58 Ponderosa CDP 51
t-59 McClenney Tract CDP 15
t-59 Posey CDP 23
t-59 Sequoia Crest CDP 24
t-59 Sugarloaf Village CDP 7
60 Poso Park CDP 9
61 Wilsonia CDP 14
t-62 Cedar Slope CDP 10
t-62 Silver City CDP 0
t-62 Sugarloaf Mountain Park CDP 0

Images for kids

  • Mount Whitney 2003-03-25

    Mount Whitney is on the border of Tulare and Inyo counties.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Tulare para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Tulare County, California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.