Tulare County, California

History

The land was occupied for thousands of years by the Yokuts. Beginning in the eighteenth century, Spain established missions to colonize California and convert the American Indians to Christianity. Comandante Pedro Fages, while hunting for deserters in the Central Valley in 1772, discovered a great lake surrounded by marshes and filled with rushes; he named it Los Tules (the tules). It is from this lake that the county derives its name. The root of the name Tulare is found in the Nahuatl word tullin, designating cattail or similar reeds.

In 1805, 1806 and again in 1816, the Spanish out of Mission San Luis Obispo explored Lake Tulare. Bubal was a native village located on the Western side of Lake Tulare. In 1816, Fr. Luis Martinez of Mission San Luis Obispo arrived at Bubal with soldiers and armed Christian Northern Chumash pressuring the people to send their children for baptism at his mission on the coast. Conflict broke out, and Martinez's party burned Bubal to the ground, destroying the cache of food harvested for the winter. Although Bubal's relationship with the Christian Salinans under Fr. Cabot at Mission San Miguel was better, between 1816 and 1834, Bubal was a center of native resistance. The marshes around Lake Tulare were impenetrable by Spanish horses, which gave the Yokuts a military advantage. At one point, the Spanish considered building a presidio with 100 soldiers at Bubal to control the resistance, but that never came to pass. The Spanish called the natives of the area Tulareños, and before 1816 and after 1834, they were incorporated into Mission San Miguel and Mission San Luis Obispo.

After Mexico achieved independence, it continued to rule California. After the Mexican Cession and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the area became part of the United States. Tulare County was soon formed from parts of Mariposa County only four years later in 1852. There were two early attempts to split off a new Buena Vista County in 1855 and Coso County in 1864, but both failed. Parts of the county's territory were given to Fresno County in 1856, to Kern County and Inyo County in 1866 and to Kings County in 1893.

The infectious disease Tularemia caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis is named after Tulare County.

In 1908 Colonel Allen Allensworth and associates founded the town of Allensworth as a black farming community. They intended to develop a place where African Americans could thrive free of white discrimination. It was the only community in California founded, financed and governed by African Americans. While its first years were highly successful, the community encountered environmental problems from dropping water tables which eventually caused it to fail. Today the historic area is preserved as the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4839 sqmi, of which 4823 sqmi is land and 14 sqmi, or 0.3%, is water.

Adjacent counties

• Fresno County—north
• Inyo County—east
• Kern County—south
• Kings County—west

Lakes

• Arctic Lake
• Bullfrog Lakes
• Columbine Lake
• Crescent Lake
• Eagle Lake
• Franklin Lakes
• Lake Kaweah
• Lake Success
• Rockslide Lake
• Rocky Basin Lakes
• Weaver Lake

Rivers

• Angora River
• Alpine River
• Kaweah River
• Needlerock River
• Monarch River
• Negro River
• St. John's River
• Tule River
• Yokohl River
• Yucca River

Parks

• Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
• Alpaugh Park
• Balch Park
• Bartlett Park
• Cutler Park
• Dry Creek Preserve
• Horse Creek Recreation Area
• Kaweah Oaks Preserve
• Kings River Nature Preserve
• Lackeys Cabin
• Lake Kaweah Recreation Area
• Mineral King Game Refuge
• Mooney Grove Park / Ancient Oak Forest Preserve
• Sequoia National Park
• Woodville Park
• West Main Street Park

National protected areas

• Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge
• Giant Sequoia National Monument (part)
• Inyo National Forest (part)
• Kings Canyon National Park (part)
• Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
• Sequoia National Forest (part)
• Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia. It was established in 1890 as the second U.S. national park, after Yellowstone. The park spans 404051 acre. Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13000 ft, the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the contiguous 48 United States, Mount Whitney, at 14505 ft above sea level. The park is south of and contiguous with Kings Canyon National Park; the two are administered by the National Park Service as one unit, called Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Flora

Tulare County is rich in native plant species due in part to a diversity in habitats, including creeks, rivers, hills, and mountains. Native plants include incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), valley oak (Quercus lobata), California bay (Umbellularia californica), manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita), Salvia spathacea, mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), Epilobium cleistogamum, monkeyflower (Mimulus), Penstemon, California melic (Melica californica), and deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens).

Government and policing

Administration

Tulare County is a general law county under the California Constitution. That is, it does not have a county charter. The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by districts for four-year terms. There are no term limits in effect. The chairman and vice-chairman are elected annually by the Board of Supervisors from among its members.

Sheriff

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office provides court protection, county jail operation, patrol and detective functions in the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated cities have municipal police departments or contract with the Sheriff’s Office for their police operations.

Transportation

Major highways

• [[File:California 43.svg|20px]] State Route 43
• [[File:California 63.svg|21px]] State Route 63
• [[File:California 65.svg|20px]] State Route 65
• [[File:California 99.svg|20px]] State Route 99
• [[File:California 137.svg|25px]] State Route 137
• [[File:California 180.svg|25px]] State Route 180
• [[File:California 190.svg|25px]] State Route 190
• [[File:California 198.svg|25px]] State Route 198
• [[File:California 201.svg|25px]] State Route 201
• [[File:California 216.svg|25px]] State Route 216
• [[File:California 245.svg|25px]] State Route 245

Public transportation

Tulare County Area Transit (TCaT) provides an intracounty bus service linking the population centers. One TCaT route connects to Delano in Kern County.

The cities of Tulare, Porterville, and Visalia have their own local intracity bus services.

Greyhound Lines provides long-distance, intercity bus service outside the county.

Airports

The Porterville Municipal Airport, located 3 nmi from Downtown Porterville. The airport offers general aviation to the public; it is also home to Porterville Air Attack Base on the south part of the airport. The Visalia Municipal Airport is a city-owned airport for the city of Visalia, California. Mefford Field is a city-owned general aviation airport located in Tulare.

The nearest full-operation commercial airports are Bakersfield's Meadows Field Airport to the south, and Fresno's Fresno Yosemite International Airport to the north. V-LINE buses operate daily service between the Visalia Transit Center and the Fresno Airport.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense, as of 2019.

Cities by population and crime rates

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1860–1870 1880–1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 473,117 and a median age of 32.3 years; 30.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.5 males.

The racial makeup was 39.4% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 34.9% from some other race, and 18.3% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 65.5% of the population.

According to Census 2020, 3.7% of residents reported German ancestry, 3.2% English, 2.8% Irish, 2.4% Portuguese, and 2.3% American, while 48.7% spoke English, 47.4% Spanish, and 1.0% Indo-European languages as their first language.

79.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 20.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 141,987 households, of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 16.8% of households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of all households, 52.5% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a male householder with no spouse present, 20.8% were non-families, and the average household and family sizes were 3.20 and 3.57 respectively.

There were 150,652 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant; among occupied units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied, with homeowner and rental vacancy rates of 1.1% and 3.6%, respectively.

The population density was 98.1 /mi2.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,692, and the median income for a family was $53,330. The per capita income for the county was $23,096. About 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census reported that Tulare County had a population of 442,179. The racial makeup of Tulare County was 265,618 (60.1%) White, 7,196 (1.6%) African American, 6,993 (1.6%) Native American, 15,176 (3.4%) Asian, 509 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 128,263 (29.0%) from other races, and 18,424 (4.2%) from two or more races. There were 268,065 people (60.6%) of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 368,021 people, 110,385 households, and 87,093 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 /mi2. There were 119,639 housing units at an average density of 25 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 58.1% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 30.8% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. 50.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.2% were of American, 5.7% German and 5.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 56.3% spoke English, 38.9% Spanish and 1.1% Portuguese as their first language.

There were 110,385 households, out of which 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 3.67.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 33.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,983, and the median income for a family was $36,297. Males had a median income of $30,892 versus $24,589 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,006. About 18.8% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Tulare County as the Visalia-Porterville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the Visalia-Porterville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 111th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Visalia-Porterville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, CA Combined Statistical Area,

According to the United States Census Bureau, Tulare County is the 7th largest county in California by total area.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Tulare is a strongly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic candidate for president to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In the 2016 presidential election, Republican candidate and overall winner, Donald Trump, won Tulare by a 9.39% margin of victory, the closest margin of victory for a Republican in the county since Richard Nixon's 8.37% margin in 1960. The Republican advantage narrowed further in the 2020 presidential election when Donald Trump won the county by a 7.82% margin despite losing nationally to Joe Biden, the closest margin of victory for a Republican in the county since Dwight D. Eisenhower's 5.33% margin in 1956.

In the United States House of Representatives, Tulare County is split between three congressional districts:{{cite web | access-date = September 24, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930184128/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip | archive-date = September 30, 2013 | url-status = dead

• and
• .

In the California State Senate, it is split between two legislative districts:

• the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Shannon Grove.
• .

In the California State Assembly, the county is represented by the 33rd Assembly district, represented by Republican Devon Mathis, and the 32nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Vince Fong.

Economy

The dairy industry, with sales of milk products, brings in the most revenue for the county, typically more than US$1 billion a year annually. Oranges, grapes, and cattle-related commodities also earn hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

In 2001, Tulare became the most productive county in the U.S. in terms of agricultural revenues, at US$3.5 billion annually. It surpassed Fresno County's US$3.2 billion, which had held the top spot for over two decades. Due to the importance of agriculture in the county as well as its location in the state, since 1968 the city of Tulare has been the site of the annual World Ag Expo, the world's largest agricultural exposition.

Minor league sports teams, such as the baseball Visalia Rawhide of the class-A level California League (an affiliate to the Arizona Diamondbacks), two teams of the Minor League Football Association in Tulare and Visalia, and four teams of the Central California Basketball League based in Porterville, attract many residents and add to the amenities in the county.

Top employers

According to the county's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:

Utilities and infrastructure

Electricity service in Tulare County is provided by Southern California Edison and PG&E. Gas is provided by SoCalGas and PG&E. TV and Internet service is provided by several companies, such as Spectrum, DISH, DirecTV and HughesNET.

Communities

Cities

• Dinuba
• Exeter
• Farmersville
• Lindsay
• Porterville
• Tulare
• Visalia (county seat)
• Woodlake

Census designated places

• Allensworth
• Alpaugh
• California Hot Springs
• Camp Nelson
• Cedar Slope
• Cutler
• Delft Colony
• Ducor
• Earlimart
• East Orosi
• East Porterville
• East Tulare Villa
• El Monte Mobile Village
• El Rancho
• Goshen
• Hartland
• Hypericum
• Idlewild
• Ivanhoe
• Jovista
• Kennedy Meadows
• Lemon Cove
• Lindcove
• Linnell Camp
• London
• Matheny
• McClenney Tract
• Monson
• Orosi
• Panorama Heights
• Patterson Tract
• Pierpoint
• Pine Flat
• Pixley
• Plainview
• Ponderosa
• Poplar-Cotton Center
• Posey
• Poso Park
• Richgrove
• Rodriguez Camp
• Sequoia Crest
• Seville
• Silver City
• Springville
• Strathmore
• Sugarloaf Saw Mill
• Sugarloaf Village
• Sultana
• Terra Bella
• Teviston
• Three Rivers
• Tipton
• Tonyville
• Tooleville
• Traver
• Waukena
• West Goshen
• Wilsonia
• Woodville
• Woodville Farm Labor Camp
• Yettem

Former census designated places

• Sugarloaf Mountain Park

Other unincorporated communities

• Advance
• Angiola
• Badger
• Balance Rock
• Cairns Corner
• Calgro
• Johnsondale
• Kaweah
• Rocky Hill
• Ultra
• White River
• Yokohl Valley
• Zante

Indian reservation

• Tule River Indian Reservation

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Tulare County.

† county seat

Notes

References

References

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40. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Tulare County, California".
41. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
42. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
43. not an option in the 1980 Census
44. not an option in the 1990 Census
45. {{USCensus2010CA
46. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
47. (February 28, 2013). "OMB Bulletin No. 13-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas". [[Office of Management and Budget]].
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57. (December 2019)