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Tulare County
is considered the Mother County of the
Central Valley. It was the first county in
the Central Valley. Please pray for the
following areas for this County:
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Unity
among the Churches & Pastors.
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United
Prayer mobilization.
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Blessing
upon the Agricultural and Dairy
Industry. Pray for citrus crops,
strawberries, International Equipment
Show coming to Tulare in Feb.
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Decrease
of crime: Murder, Teen Pregnancy,
Abortion, Prostitution, Domestic
Violence.
Youth/Gangs - Pray for a revelation of
the Father's Heart and a spirit of
adoption for youth using Malachi 4:6.
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Revival
for the Churches and a Spiritual
Awakening to Christ in the cities.
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Government: There are shifts in Tulare
County Board of Supervisors and in the
city council. Pray for smooth
transition. Pray for wisdom in the
planning for rapid growth and for
increased housing. Pray Kingdom
Economics over the marketplace.
The Redemptive Gift
for Visalia is: “Prophecy” Pray that the
County will come alive with fresh revelation
from heaven that will release vision and
mobilization of the Church of Tulare County.
About Tulare County
County Profile & History
Centrally located within the State of
California, Tulare County is situated in a
delightful and geographically - diverse
region. The county includes an area of 4,863
square miles. Mountain peaks of the Sierra
Nevada range rise to more than 14,000 feet
in its Eastern half. Meanwhile, the
extensively cultivated and very fertile
valley floor in the Western half, has
allowed Tulare County to become the
second-leading producer of agricultural
commodities in the United States. In
addition to substantial packing / shipping
operations, light and medium manufacturing
plants are increasing in number and are
becoming an important factor in the County's
total economic picture.
The County has a growing population of
360,000. The Eastern half of the County is
comprised primarily of public lands within
the Sequoia National Park, National Forest,
and the Mineral King, Golden Trout, and
Domelands Wilderness areas. Opportunities
for all-season outdoor recreation include:
hiking, water and snow skiing, fishing, and
boating.
Visalia, the County seat, is the gateway to
Sequoia National Park and a variety of
recreational activities. The city, with a
population of 102,000 is within a four hour
drive of either San Francisco or Los
Angeles, and a 2-1/2 hour drive of
California's central coastline. Its
family-oriented lifestyle and affordable
housing have proven attractive to people
from all areas of the state and country.
County, State & Facility Maps
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Maps Courtesy of the Tulare County
Resource Management Agency
County Government Overview
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County Of Tulare Ordinance Code
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County Government Organizational Chart
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Tulare County Department & Agency Pages
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Elections / Voter Registration
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Tulare County Service and Department
Index (A to Z Listings)
County Management & Government Officials
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Board of Supervisors & County
Administration Office:
County policy-making administration.
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County Counsel: County legal authority.
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Calendar: Public hearings, meetings,
locations and schedules.
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California State Officials.
History
Tulare County, California is one of the
largest counties in the great and fertile
San Joaquin Valley. Geographically it is
situated about midway between San Francisco
and Los Angeles, the two principal cities of
the Pacific Slope.
The county, with vast mountain masses
covering nearly half of its area on the
eastern side and the balance of its expanse
a level and remarkably fertile plain,
originally extended from Mariposa County, on
the north, to the Los Angeles County line,
on the south, and from the summit of the
Coast Range Mountains, on the west, to the
summit of the Sierra Nevadas on the east.
Created in 1852 at the same time Siskiyou
and Sierra counties were designated, the
large area was maintained until 1856, when
Fresno County was created from territory
taken from Tulare, Mariposa and Merced
counties. In 1861 part of the eastern
territory was cut off and joined with parts
of Fresno, Mariposa and Calaveras in forming
Mono County. Kern County, cut from the
southern part of Tulare, was originated as
Buena Vista County in 1855, but was not
officially termed Kern until 1866. All that
portion of Tulare lying east of the Sierras,
with a portion of Mono, was set apart for
Coso County in 1864, the name being changed
to Inyo County in 1866. In 1872 the
southern boundaries of Tulare and Inyo were
changed by placing them on the sixth
standard parallel south of Mount Diablo,
thus drawing a direct line across the
state, which still forms the northern
boundary of San Luis Obispo, Kern and San
Bernardino counties. In 1874 the
Fresno-Tulare line was re-formed, placing
the boundary along township and section
lines rather than along the mountain ridges
as theretofore. In 1875-76 another slight
change in the Fresno-Tulare line was made,
returning to Fresno five square townships,
this boundary continuing to the present
time. In 1893 Kings County was created from
the western part of Tulare.
Within the confines of Tulare County are now
4,863 square miles, or 3,158,400 acres. Were
the state of Connecticut lifted bodily from
the Atlantic Seaboard and transported
westward, it could be set down in
California, but it would not quite succeed
in covering Tulare County.
The county has an interesting historical
aura which dates back to 1770. The first
Americans to visit the valley came after
1800. The settling of the country about
Visalia, the creation of the county, the
struggles of the early settlers, the wars
with the Indians, and the growth and
development of the country present an
interesting story which can be found in a
number of the published histories for the
county.
Historical Information Links
Community Profile
Location is one of Tulare’s
best assets. The city is situated in the
Central San Joaquin Valley along Highway 99,
45 miles south of Fresno and 60 miles north
of Bakersfield. Our mid-state location
benefits businesses needing same-day access
to key California markets as well as
residents seeking recreational opportunities
in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains to
the east and the spectacular California
coastline to the west.
The town of Tulare was
founded in 1872 by the Southern Pacific
Railroad to serve as its San Joaquin
Valley headquarters. Transportation was the
driving force behind Tulare’s establishment.
The early years were difficult. The town
burned down and was rebuilt three times in
its first 14 years.
The city was incorporated in
1888. Residents faced hardship again in 1891
when Southern Pacific relocated its valley
headquarters to Bakersfield.
When the railroad left,
residents turned to agriculture for their
livelihood, but faced the challenge of
providing enough water to supply the new
industry. To bring water to the area,
residents founded the Tulare Irrigation
District and issued $500,000 in bonds to
construct an extensive canal system carrying
water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The
town paid the bonds off early and in 1903
celebrated with a bond-burning celebration.
Agriculture remains the
lifeblood of the local economy and Tulare
sits in the heart of some of the most
productive farmland in the world. The
strategic location makes Tulare very
attractive to food processors and
distributors because of the central location
and abundant supply of locally grown
products.
Los Angeles and the San
Francisco Bay area are less than a 4 hour
drive and, in addition to being served by
Freeway 99, Tulare is 40 minutes from
Interstate 5, which connects California to
Oregon and Washington.
The ports of Stockton,
Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco
are all within 200 miles of Tulare and
infrastructure and transportation systems
are already in place to facilitate product
movement.
The main line of the Union
Pacific Railroad runs through Tulare,
offering rail access to major cities
throughout the United States. Amtrak offers
passenger rail service from nearby Corcoran
and Hanford.
Domestic and international
flights are available at Fresno/Yosemite
International Airport and Bakersfield’s
Meadows Field Airport and domestic flights
are 10 minutes away at Visalia Municipal
Airport. The City of Tulare also operates
its own municipal airport, serving private
planes. FedEx air service is available at
the Visalia Municipal Airport and both UPS
and FedEx provide surface overnight service
to northern and southern California cities.
Tulare hosts a yearly farm show called “The
World Agriculture Exposition. Nations
literally come from all over the world for
this event held Feb 8-10.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY OF VISALIA
The County Seat
When
California achieved statehood in 1850,
Tulare County did not exist. The land that
is now our County was part of the huge
county of Mariposa. In 1852 some
adventuresome pioneers settled in this area,
called "Four Creeks". It was a swampy area
within a massive oak forest, with waterways
flowing from the Sierra Nevada. Desirous of
local autonomy, the group petitioned the
state legislature for county status, and on
July 10 Tulare County became a reality.
In the heart of "Four Creeks Country" the
site of John Wood’s cabin became the first
county seat, known as Woodsville. In the
same year, just west of Woodsville, another
settlement was beginning on the banks of a
little creek. The early pioneers, fearful of
attacks by Native Americans, built a log
fort for protection but soon discovered that
it was not necessary. One of the first
inhabitants of the fort was Nathaniel Vise,
who was responsible for surveying the new
settlement in November of 1852. In a letter
of that year he wrote, "The town contains
from 60-80 inhabitants, 30 of whom are
children who already attend school. The town
is located upon one of the subdivisions of
the Kaweah, and is destined to be the county
seat of Tulare". In 1853 that happened.
Visalia wrested the county seat designation
from Woodsville, and that designation
remained with Visalia from that time on.
Named for Nathaniel Vise’s ancestral home -
Visalia, Kentucky - Visalia began to add
residents at a rapid rate. The "Kern River
Excitement" to the south in the mid 1850’s
brought many transient miners through the
town on their way to the promised gold
fields. However, the gold failed to
materialize and many returned to Visalia to
live their lives. In 1858 the town received
another boost. John Butterfield’s Overland
Stage chose Visalia as a timetable stop on
the St. Louis to San Francisco route.
Waterman Ormsby, a newspaper correspondent
for the New York Herald, was a passenger on
the inaugural trip. The reception given him
by Visalians so impressed him that he wrote,
"The rousing cheers they gave us as we drove
off...ought to be remembered in the history
of the town, so I here immortalize them".
In 1860 the telegraph arrived in Visalia, as
did indications of serious unrest in the
East. Unrest that would ultimately develop
into the Civil War. The nation was divided
on state’s rights issues, as was Visalia.
The federal government, concerned about
sedition, banned Visalia’s pro-south Equal
Rights Expositor newspaper and established a
military garrison. Visalia’s Camp Babbitt
was established in 1862 to stop overt
southern support as well as maintain law and
order in the community. During the Civil War
years, Visalia became incorporated, giving
the town new rights. A Board of Trustees was
elected with Nathan Baker appointed as
President.
The town’s second incorporation occurred in
1874, moving the 1,000 citizens into city
status. A Common Council was formed with
Summerfield Sheppard being appointed
President and ex-officio Mayor. The
mid-1870’s brought a building boom to
Visalia and the future of Visalia appeared
bright. The end of the 19th century saw the
railroad bypass Visalia slightly to the west
and headlines of the day featured the
adventures of local train robbers Chris
Evans and John Sontag.
As Visalia entered the new century the City
had grown to slightly over 3,000 people.
Automobiles began to arrive and soon
outnumbered horses and wagons. The
population of Visalia grew slowly but
steadily throughout the early half of the
20th Century. It wasn’t until the 1960’s
that Visalia, the Valley’s best kept secret,
was really discovered. By 1970 Visalia’s
population had grown to 27,268 according to
the U. S. Census, nearly doubling from
15,791 in 1960. Enjoying consistent growth
since, Visalia now has more than 102,000
people within its boundaries. Serving as the
cultural, economic, and commercial hub of
the County, Visalia continues to grow - in
population, diversity, and sophistication.
Once a creekside settlement, Visalia has
become a thriving community that takes pride
in the small town feel and high quality of
life that accompanies its big city
amenities.
CSAC Snapshot Info
Official County Website |
