Fresno

Sister cities

• Vagharshapat
• Châteauroux
• Taishan
• Bagdad
• Morogoro
• Kōchi-shi
• Nîmes
• Lahore
• Münster
• Verona
• Kochi
• Afula

History

The original inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley region were the Yokuts people and Miwok people, who engaged in trading with other Californian tribes of Native Americans including coastal peoples such as the Chumash of the Central California coast, with whom they are thought to have traded plant and animal products. The first European to enter the San Joaquin Valley was Pedro Fages in 1772. The county of Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush and was named for the abundant ash trees (Spanish: fresno) lining the San Joaquin River. The San Joaquin River flooded on December 24, 1867, inundating Millerton. Some residents rebuilt, others moved. Flooding also destroyed the town of Scottsburg on the nearby Kings River that winter. Rebuilt on higher ground, Scottsburg was renamed Centerville. In 1867, Anthony Easterby purchased land bounded by the present Chestnut, Belmont, Clovis and California avenues, that today is called the Sunnyside district. Unable to grow wheat for lack of water, he hired sheep man Moses Church in 1870 to create an irrigation system. Building new canals and purchasing existing ditches, Church then formed the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company, a predecessor of the Fresno Irrigation District. In 1872, the Central Pacific Railroad established a station near Easterby's—by now a hugely productive wheat farm—for its new Southern Pacific line. Soon there was a store near the station and the store grew into the town of Fresno Station, later called Fresno. At that time, Mariposa street was the main artery, a rough dusty or muddy depression. Many Millerton residents, drawn by the convenience of the railroad and worried about flooding, moved to the new community. Fresno became an incorporated city in 1885. In 1903, the faltering San…

Geography

Fresno has a total area of with 98.96% land covering , and 1.04% water, . Fresno's location, very near the geographical center of California, places the city a comfortable distance from many of the major recreation areas and urban centers in the state. Just south of Yosemite National Park, it is the nearest major city to the park. Likewise, Sierra National Forest is , Kings Canyon National Park is and Sequoia National Park is . The city is located near several Sierra Nevada lakes including Bass Lake, Shaver Lake, and Huntington Lake. Fresno is also only two and a half hours from Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur and the central coast. Because Fresno sits at the junction of Highways 41 and 99 (SR 41 is Yosemite National Park's southern access road, and SR 99 bypasses Interstate 5 to serve the urban centers of the San Joaquin Valley), the city is a major gateway for Yosemite visitors coming from Los Angeles. The city also serves as an entrance into Sierra National Forest via Highway 168, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks via Highway 180. Fresno has three large public parks, two in the city limits and one in county land to the southwest. Woodward Park, which features the Shinzen Japanese Gardens, boasts numerous picnic areas and several miles of trails. It is in North Fresno and is adjacent to the San Joaquin River Parkway. Roeding Park, near Downtown Fresno, is home to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, and Rotary Storyland and Playland. Kearney Park is the largest of the Fresno region's park system and is home to historic Kearney Mansion and plays host to the annual Civil War Revisited, the largest reenactment of the Civil War in the west coast of the U.S. In its 2023 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation organization, reported that…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,477
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  6,233
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,315
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,966
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,710
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  4,633
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  4,452
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,151

Largest nearby schools

• Clovis High
  High · Clovis · 2,905 students · 22:1 ratio
• Sunnyside High
  High · Fresno · 2,879 students · 22:1 ratio
• Clovis East High
  High · Clovis · 2,768 students · 23.3:1 ratio
• Buchanan High
  High · Clovis · 2,601 students · 23:1 ratio
• Yosemite Valley Charter
  Other · Fresno · 2,551 students · 30.4:1 ratio
• Bullard High
  High · Fresno · 2,492 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Edison High
  High · Fresno · 2,466 students · 22.8:1 ratio
• Clovis North High
  High · Fresno · 2,389 students · 21.9:1 ratio