Visalia

Sister cities

• Putignano
• Miki

Geography

Visalia is irregularly shaped and covers a total area of , of which are land and 0.05% is covered by water. Visalia is located at 36°19'27" North, 119°18'26" West (36.324100, −119.307347). The highest point in the Visalia–Porterville area is Mount Whitney. Located at the far reaches of the Sierra Nevada roughly east of the city, it reaches a height of , and was long famous as the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. The hilliest parts of the Visalia area are the Venice Hills and the entire Sierra Nevada foothills east of the city. Four main streams run through the city. The major stream is the St. John's River, which begins at the diversion dam in the Kaweah River and is largely seasonal. The others are Mill Creek, Cameron Creek, and Packwood Creek. Many smaller creeks also flow through the city. The Friant-Kern Canal runs just east of the city along the western edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The city is divided into neighborhoods, some of which were incorporated places or communities. Also, several independent cities around Visalia are popularly grouped with the city of Visalia, due to its immediate vicinity. Generally, the city is divided into these areas: Downtown Visalia, North Visalia, the Eastside, Southwest Visalia, the Industrial Area, Mooney, and the Westside. Visalia has a semi-arid climate (BSk, under the Köppen climate classification), and receives just enough annual precipitation to stay out of Köppen's BWk (desert climate) classification. Visalia enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of only 26 days with measurable precipitation annually. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Visalia was , recorded on three different occasions – July 18, 1925; July 26, 1931; and August 12, 1933. The city's…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  1,739
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,691
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,370
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  1,343
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,194
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,169
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  1,098
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,078

Largest nearby schools

• Redwood High
  High · Visalia · 2,483 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Golden West High
  High · Visalia · 2,008 students · 21.8:1 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
• Valley Oak Middle
  Middle · Visalia · 946 students · 23.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.86 — 2026-06-21
  1 km ENE of Huron, CA