Tulare

Sister cities

• Angra do Heroísmo

History

The Yokuts people built reed boats and fished in what was later to be called Tulare Lake in their homeland for centuries, until the invasion and settlement by the Spanish and American pioneers. When California became a state in 1850, Tulare did not yet exist as a town. Tulare was founded in 1872, by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Tule is the town's namesake. Transportation was the first impetus behind the establishment of the town. The town burnt down and being rebuilt three times in its first fourteen years. Tulare was incorporated in 1888. In 1940, famed aerobatic stunt pilot J.G. "Tex" Rankin secured a U.S. War Department contract to open and operate a civilian flying school to train United States Army Air Corps flight cadets. Rankin opened the Rankin Aeronautical Academy in Tulare in February 1941, where it operated throughout the duration of World War II. During its heyday Rankin Field, as it was otherwise known, trained 10,000 pilots in primary flight training, including twelve future Army Air Corps Aces and two Medal of Honor recipients. During World War II, in response to the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the West Coast wartime hysteria, the U.S. Army temporarily assumed control of the Tulare County Fairgrounds, converting it to the Tulare Assembly Center, a temporary detention center for Japanese Americans. The Assembly Center was administered by the Wartime Civil Control Administration, under the Western Defense Command and the U.S. 4th Army. The first internee was inducted on April 27, 1942, and the last internee departed on September 4, 1942. The top population numbered 4,978 residents, many of whom were citizens born in the United States. In the latter part of 1942, internees began being moved to the ten more permanent "War Relocation Camps". The…

Geography

Tulare is located at (36.206601, −119.342404). Located directly between Fresno and Bakersfield, Tulare is in the heart of the Central Valley. Although the foothills of the Sierra Nevada are only about 20 miles east of town, they are seldom visible due to the chronically poor air quality and very high levels of airborne particulate matter, soot, and other pollution. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.37%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,700
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  1,645
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,337
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  1,311
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,277
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,173
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,121
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  1,069

Largest nearby schools

• Redwood High
  High · Visalia · 2,483 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• El Diamante High
  High · Visalia · 1,987 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Tulare Western High
  High · Tulare · 1,933 students · 22:1 ratio
• Tulare Union High
  High · Tulare · 1,699 students · 20.7:1 ratio
• Mission Oak High
  High · Tulare · 1,686 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Mt. Whitney High
  High · Visalia · 1,639 students · 21:1 ratio
• Sundale Elementary
  Elementary · Tulare · 824 students · 25.8:1 ratio
• Annie R. Mitchell
  Elementary · Visalia · 783 students · 26.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.68 — 2026-09-24
  1 km S of Orange Cove, CA
• M 2.52 — 2026-09-09
  28 km WSW of Olancha, CA
• M 2.6 — 2026-08-26
  11 km NNW of Corcoran, CA
• M 2.85 — 2026-08-21
  8 km WNW of Corcoran, CA
• M 3.34 — 2026-08-04
  10 km NNE of Kettleman City, CA
• M 2.55 — 2026-07-12
  13 km SSW of Cantua Creek, CA