The area now known as Fresno County was the traditional homeland of Yokuts and Mono peoples, and was later settled by Spaniards during a search for suitable mission sites. In 1846, this area became part of the United States as a result of the Mexican War.
Fresno County was formed in 1856 from parts of Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties. Fresno is Spanish for "ash tree"[9] and it was in recognition of the abundance of the shrubby local ash, Fraxinus dipetala, growing along the San Joaquin River that it received its name. Parts of Fresno County's territory were given to Mono County in 1861 and to Madera County in 1893. The original county seat was along the San Joaquin River in Millerton, but was moved to the rapidly growing town of Fresno on the newly built Southern Pacific Railroad line. A special election was held on March 23, 1874, to decide if Millerton should remain the County Seat or if the County Seat should be moved to another location. Fresno won the election that day and became the new Fresno County Seat.
The settling of Fresno County was not without its conflicts, land disputes, and other natural disasters. Floods caused immeasurable damage elsewhere and fires also plagued the settlers of Fresno County. In 1882, the greatest of the early day fires wiped out an entire block of the city of Fresno, and was followed by another devastating blaze in 1883.
At the same time residents brought irrigation, electricity, and extensive agriculture to the area. In 1865, William Helm brought his sheep to Fresno county, which was then a vast space of open land. Helm was the largest individual sheep grower in Fresno County. Moses Church developed the first canals, called "Church Ditches", for irrigation. These canals allowed extensive cultivation of wheat. Francis Eisen, leader of the wine industry in Fresno County, also began the raisin industry in 1875, when he accidentally let some of his grapes dry on the vine. Anthony Easterby and Clovis Cole developed extensive grain and cattle ranches. These and other citizens laid the groundwork for the cultivation of Fresno County – now one of the nation's leading agricultural regions. In more recent times cotton became a major crop in Fresno and the southern San Joaquin Valley, but recent drought and lower demand have lessened cotton's importance to the local economy.[citation needed]
The discovery of oil in the western part of the county, near the town of Coalinga at the foot of the Coast Ranges, brought about an economic boom in the 1900s (decade), even though the field itself was known at least as early as the 1860s. By 1910, Coalinga Oil Field, the largest field in Fresno County, was the most richly productive oil field in California; a dramatic oil gusher in 1909, the biggest in California up until that time, was an event of sufficient excitement to cause the Los Angeles Stock Exchange to close for a day so that its members could come by train to view it. The Coalinga field continues to produce oil, and is currently the eighth-largest field in the state.[10][11]
More than thirty structures in Fresno County are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Fresno Water Tower, which once held over 250,000 US gallons (950 m3) of water for the city of Fresno, the Meux Home, and Kearney Mansion Museum.[citation needed]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,011 square miles (15,570 km2), of which 5,958 square miles (15,430 km2) is land and 53 square miles (140 km2) (0.9%) is water.[12]
Fresno County consists of about 38 smaller towns including Fresno, Selma, Parlier, Clovis, Reedly, Sanger, Kerman, Kingsburg, Coalinga, Firebaugh, Calwa, Friant, Mendota, Fowler, Shaver lake, San Joaquin, Orange Cove, Del Ray, Yokuts Valley, Auberry, Huron, Caruthers, Riverdale, Laton, Big Creek, Tranquility, Biola, Raisin City, Easton, Three Rocks, Cantou Creek, Lanare, Minkler, Mayfair, Malaga, Bowles, Monmouth, and West Park.[13][14]
Fresno County is part of the Madera AVAwine region. However, Fresno was named after two particular ash trees that grew near the town of Minkler on the Kings River, one of which is still alive and standing.[citation needed]
In October 2019, the Bureau of Land Management ended a five-year moratorium on leasing federal land in California to fossil fuel companies, opening 725,000 acres (1100 sq. miles; 29,000 ha) to drilling in San Benito, Monterey, and Fresno counties.[17]
Fresno County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The 2010 United States Census reported that Fresno County had a population of 930,450.[citation needed] The racial makeup of Fresno County was 515,145 (55.4%) White, 49,523 (5.3%) African American, 15,649 (1.7%) Native American, 89,357 (9.6%) Asian (3.3% Hmong, 1.7% Asian Indian, 1.0% Filipino, 0.8% Laotian, 0.6% Chinese, 0.5% Japanese, 0.5% Cambodian, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Pakistani, 0.1% Thai), 1,405 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 217,085 (23.3%) from other races, and 42,286 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 468,070 persons (50.3%).[26] 46.0% of Fresno County's population is of Mexican descent; 0.7% of its residents are Salvadoran, and 0.3% of its residents are Puerto Rican.
As of the census[27] of 2000, there were 799,407 people, 252,940 households, and 186,669 families residing in the county. The population density was 134 people per square mile (52 people/km2). There were 270,767 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 54.3% White, 5.3% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 8.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 25.9% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. 44.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of ancestry, the county was 7.5% German, 6.6% Irish, 6.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 59.3% spoke English, 31.5% Spanish and 3.1% Hmong as their first language.
There were 252,940 households, out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.59.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,725, and the median income for a family was $38,455. Males had a median income of $33,375 versus $26,501 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,495. About 17.6% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Fresno County is also known for having the highest rate of chlamydia in the state. In 2006 it had 545.2 cases per 100,000 people, compared with the statewide average of 363.5.
The Government of Fresno County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, law, and the Charter of the County of Fresno. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments, such as the Government of Fresno County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.
The County government is composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors, several other elected offices including the Sheriff,[31] District Attorney, Assessor-Recorder, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector, and Clerk/Registrar of Voters, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator. As of February 2018 the members of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors are:[32]
Brian Pacheco, District 1
Steve Brandau, District 2
Sal Quintero, District 3,
Buddy Mendes, District 4
Nathan Magsig, District 5
Policing
County Sheriff
The Fresno County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for all of Fresno County and its population of approximately of 994,400 residents. They operate the Fresno County Jail in downtown Fresno. The department provides police patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county which encompasses approximately 250,000 residents, or 25% of the county's total population. The department also provides law enforcement services by contract with the city of San Joaquin, population 4100.
Municipal police
Municipal police departments in the county are: Fresno, population 500,000; Clovis, 110,000; Sanger, 25,000; Reedley, 24,000;
Selma, 23,000; Coalinga, 17,000; Kerman, 14,000; Kingsburg, 12,000; Huron, 7,000; Firebaugh, 8,500; Fowler, 6,500.
Politics
Overview
Fresno County's voter registration shows a majority of Democratic voters.[33]
Presidential elections have been competitive in recent decades. In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to win a majority of the vote in Fresno County.
According to the California Secretary of State, in October 2012, there were 410,188 registered voters in Fresno County. 158,267 (38.6%) were registered Republican, 164,663 (40.1%) were registered Democratic, 19,841 (4.8%) are registered with other political parties, and 67,417 (16.4%) declined to state a political party.[citation needed] Republicans have a plurality or majority of voter roll registration in the cities of Clovis, Coalinga, Kingsburg, Reedley, and the unincorporated areas. The other cities and towns have Democratic pluralities or majorities.
From Fresno County's incorporation in 1856, it voted Democratic in every election until 1904, when President Theodore Roosevelt stood for re-election. Fresno County backed Roosevelt over his Democratic opponent Alton B. Parker. This did not immediately change the county's voting tendencies, however. It supported southern Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the elections of 1912 and 1916.
Fresno County was generally Republican from the onset of the "roaring 1920s" until the Great Depression, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt forged the New Deal Coalition that benefitted the agrarian county. From 1932 to 1976, the county consistently voted Democratic, barring Richard Nixon's landslide victory over former Senator George McGovern (D-SD) in 1972.
With President Jimmy Carter's defeat by Ronald Reagan, Fresno became a GOP-leaning swing county. It barely favored Reagan's successor (then) vice president George H. W. Bush in 1988. Fresno would narrowly vote Democratic for Bill Clinton in 1992, marking the first time that Democrats won the county since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republicans won elections in Fresno County by increasing margins from 1996 to 2004, then again in 2024.
Between 2008 to 2020, the GOP had lost ground with Hispanic voters, thus allowing the county to swing Democratic, voting twice for Obama, and then for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and for Joe Biden in 2020. However, in 2024, Fresno County would swing Republican when it voted for Donald Trump, making it one of ten counties to flip from Biden to Trump, and making Fresno one of six counties to vote for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time since George W. Bush in 2004[34]
United States presidential election results for Fresno County, California[35]
Fresno tends to remain socially conservative but more moderate on economic issues, which can be seen in Fresno's support for both socially conservative proposition amendments and Democratic candidates in presidential elections, especially if economic times are poor. In contrast, gubernatorial elections are considered safe for Republicans in the county. It voted "Yes" in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election and has voted for the Republican gubernatorial candidate in every election since 1978.
Agriculture is the primary industry in Fresno County.[47] 1.88 million acres (0.76 million hectares; 7,600 square kilometres; 2,940 square miles) are under cultivation, almost half the total county area of 3.84 million acres (1.55 million hectares; 15,500 square kilometres; 6,000 square miles).[47] Ag production totaled $7.98 billion in 2017, making it the number one agricultural county in the nation.[47] Over 300 different crops are grown here.[47] Major crops and livestocks include:
Pistachio production in the United States was 523,900 MT in 2021, with 40% of that number being from Fresno, California.[52][53]
The peach harvest was worth $264,139,238 in 2017.[47]
Fresno is the second highest cotton producer in the state, harvesting 223,443 bales in 2017.[54] This is a close second to neighboring Kings.[54]
Due to its tremendous agricultural success, the county also has a tremendous problem with glyphosate resistance.[55] Okada et al., 2013 finds a high degree of resistance in Marestail (Conyza canadensis).[55]
Companies based in Fresno County
Gottschalks Department Stores (liquidated in 2010 )
California Health Sciences University is a private university established in 2012. It currently offers a College of Pharmacy and College of Osteopathic Medicine and is committed to health sciences research and improving the access and delivery of quality health care in the San Joaquin Valley.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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