50-952: Pappas Telecasting Companies was a diversely organized broadcasting company headquartered in Visalia, California , United States. Founded in 1971, it was one of the largest privately held broadcasting companies in the country, with its stations reaching over 15% of all U.S. households and over 32% of Hispanic households. Apart from owning and/or operating many television stations, the company formerly had two radio stations in its possession, KTRB (860 AM) and KMPH (840 AM) —changed from KPMP in June 2006 to reflect its nearby sister/flagship television station, Fox affiliate KMPH-TV , both in Fresno, California . On May 10, 2008, thirteen of Pappas' stations filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Pappas cited "the extremely difficult business climate for television stations across
100-505: A charter municipality, governed by its own charter, or a general-law municipality (or "code city"), governed by state statute. The first municipality to incorporate was Sacramento on February 27, 1850, while the most recent was Mountain House on July 1, 2024. Eight cities were incorporated before the state's September 9, 1850, admission to the Union. According to the 2020 United States Census,
150-454: A fort built by the settlers was Nathaniel Vise, who was responsible for surveying the new settlement. In November 1852, he wrote, "The town contains from 60–80 inhabitants, 30 of whom are children of school age. The town is located upon one of the subdivisions of the Kaweah River and is destined to be the county seat of Tulare." In 1853, that prediction became a reality and Visalia has remained
200-659: A healthy urban forest partly through preserving Mooney Grove Park, one of the largest valley oak groves in California. Also, just outside the city limits is the Kaweah Oaks Preserve , which is a 322-acre (1.3 km ) nature preserve. It protects one of the last remaining valley oak riparian forests in the San Joaquin Valley. The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and
250-516: Is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California . The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census . Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley , the 40th most populous in California, and 192nd in the United States. As the county seat of Tulare County , Visalia serves as the economic and governmental center to one of the most productive agricultural counties in
300-707: Is also home to the Visalia Vapor Trailers, the longest-active official National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) car club. List of cities in California (by population) California is a state located in the Western United States . It is the most populous state and the third largest by area after Alaska and Texas . According to the 2020 United States Census , California has 39,538,223 inhabitants and 155,779.22 square miles (403,466.3 km ) of land. California has been inhabited by numerous Native American peoples since antiquity. The Spanish ,
350-504: Is extremely rare in Visalia. The greatest snowfall recorded in the city was 2 in (5.1 cm) on January 25, 1999. The city falls within USDA plant hardiness zone 9b (25 to 30 °F/-3.9 to -1.1 °C). Visalia's Valley Oak Ordinance, adopted in 1971, regulates pruning and removing valley oak ( Quercus lobata ) trees. The area was once a dense oak woodland and the city is trying to maintain
400-528: 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 58 mi (93 km) east of the city, it reaches a height of 14,505 ft (4,421 m), and was long famous as the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. The hilliest parts of the Visalia area are
450-788: The Russians , and other Europeans began exploring and colonizing the area in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the Spanish establishing its first California mission at what is now San Diego in 1769. After the Mexican Cession of 1848, the California Gold Rush brought worldwide attention to the area. The growth of the movie industry in Los Angeles , high tech in San Francisco and Silicon Valley , tourism , agriculture , and other areas in
500-652: The Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks . They have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their inception in 1946. The team has had nine names, most of which reflected its changing major-league affiliates, most recently the Minnesota Twins , Colorado Rockies , Oakland A's , Tampa Bay Rays , and Diamondbacks . They took the name Rawhide in 2009. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021,
550-564: 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
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#1733114796448600-652: The Visalia Town Center Post Office , both of which are registered with the National Register of Historic Places . Other historic buildings include the Fox Theatre , used for music and stage performances. Visalia is home to the Visalia Rawhide (a "single-A" class team of the Arizona Diamondbacks ) of Minor League Baseball . The Rawhide compete in the California League at Recreation Park . It
650-503: The Yakima, Washington television market) ceased operations as a result of the bankruptcy. On September 17, bankruptcy trustee E. Roger Williams put KREN and its repeaters under contract to Entravision Communications for $ 4 million, which would double as a minimum bid for the station as it goes up for auction in late October. New World TV Group (later renamed, Titan TV Broadcast Group; unrelated to New World Communications ) agreed to acquire
700-530: The Lao Buddhist Temple of Visalia, one of two Buddhist temples in the Visalia Area . The economy of Visalia is driven by agriculture (especially grapes , olives , cotton , citrus , and nursery products), livestock , and distribution and manufacturing facilities (electronics and paper products are significant manufacturing sectors). Light manufacturing and industrial/commercial distribution represent
750-621: The Rawhide were organized into the Low-A West at the Low-A classification. In 2022, the Low-A West became known as the California League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit. Owing to geography Visalia suffers from air pollution in the form of smog , agricultural and other particulates . The Visalia area and
800-541: 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. Visalia averages 10.32 inches (262.1 mm) of precipitation annually, which mainly occurs during
850-475: The annual report of the American Lung Association ranked the city as the fourth-most polluted in the country with short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution. In 2008, the city was ranked the third-most polluted and again fourth for highest year-round particulate pollution. The 2010 United States Census reported that Visalia had a population of 124,442. The population density
900-475: The area, then called Four Creeks. The area got its name from the many watershed creeks and rivers flowing from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. All the water resulted in a widespread swampy area with a magnificent oak forest. The industrious group of settlers petitioned the state legislature for county status, and on July 10 of that same year, Tulare County became a reality. One of the first inhabitants of
950-508: The census, 41.1% of households had children under 18, 54.9% were married couples, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.7% of households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size 3.37. The age distribution was: 31.3% under 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 or older. The median age
1000-602: The city, with a population density of 3,203.8 people per square mile. There were 32,658 housing units. As of the 2000 US Census, the racial distribution in Visalia was 54.9% White American , 2.3% African American , 6.0% Asian American , 2.4% Native American , 0.3% Pacific Islander , 20.3% from other races , and 4.2% from two or more races. 35.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino (of any race). The census indicated that 70.9% spoke English , 12.1% Spanish , 1.0% Lahu , 0.8% Mien , 0.7% Hmong , 0.6% Laotian and 0.5% Tagalog as their first language . According to
1050-620: The city. Some of the larger Protestant Christian congregations include Radiant Church, Visalia First Assembly, Neighborhood Church, Gateway Church, Grace Community Church, Christ Lutheran Church, Visalia Nazarene Church, and Visalia Community Covenant Church. St. Charles Borromeo is the largest Catholic parish church in North America . Visalia has a multiethnic population practicing a variety of faiths, including Judaism , Islam , Buddhism , Hinduism , Zoroastrianism , Sikhism , Baháʼí , Sufism . Immigrants from Southeast Asia have formed
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#17331147964481100-563: The community. During these Civil War years, Visalia was incorporated, which gave the town new rights. The second incorporation in 1874 moved Visalia into city status with a common council and an ex-officio mayor and president. In 1893, the train bandits and murderers John Sontag and Chris Evans were apprehended, badly wounded, outside Visalia in what is called the Battle of Stone Corral . Sontag died three weeks later in police custody in Fresno; Evans
1150-596: The country" in papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware . The company reported in court filings that it had more than $ 536 million in debt and $ 460 million in assets. Problems that led to the bankruptcy included poor performance of The CW network, its now-former involvement with Azteca America , and preparations for the 2009 analog shutdown. Stations involved in the bankruptcy were KMPH-TV , KFRE-TV , KPTM , KXVO , WCWG , KPTH , KMEG , KTNC-TV , KAZH , KDBC-TV , KREN-TV , KAZR-CA and KCWK . It
1200-493: The country. The area around Visalia was first settled by the Yokuts and Mono Native American tribes hundreds of years ago. When the first Europeans arrived is unknown, but the first to make a written record of the area was Pedro Fages in 1722. When California achieved statehood in 1850, Tulare County did not exist. The land that is now Tulare County was part of the vast County of Mariposa . In 1852, some pioneers settled in
1250-463: The county seat since that time. Visalia is named for Nathaniel Vise's ancestral home, Visalia, Kentucky . Early growth in Visalia can be attributed in part to the gold rush along the Kern River . The gold fever brought many transient miners through Visalia along the way, and when the lure of gold failed to materialize, many returned to Visalia to live their lives and raise families. In 1859, Visalia
1300-512: The end of Pappas era. By 2014, the company began to sell all of its television stations to other companies such as Sinclair Broadcast Group , and began winding down operations; The company officially ceased operations when its final remaining station, KAZA-TV in Los Angeles , was sold to Weigel Broadcasting in 2018. Stations arranged alphabetically by state and by city of license . Visalia, California Visalia ( / v aɪ ˈ s eɪ l j ə , v ɪ -/ vy- SAYL -yə, vih- )
1350-447: The ensuing decades fueled the creation of a $ 3 trillion economy as of 2018 , which would rank fifth in the world if the state were a sovereign nation. California is divided into 58 counties and contains 483 municipalities . One, San Francisco, is a consolidated city-county . California law makes no distinction between "city" and "town", and municipalities may use either term in their official names. They can be organized as either
1400-646: The fastest growing portion of Visalia's employer base. According to the city's June 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The Tulare County Public Library operates its largest branch, the Visalia Branch, in Downtown Visalia . There are other smaller libraries in Visalia, such as the Visalia Learning Center. Historic brick structures include the Bank of Italy , and
1450-466: The investigation. In the mid-1970s, the area was known for the serial burglaries of the then unidentified Visalia Ransacker . More recently, Visalia served as a host city for the Amgen Tour of California in 2009 and 2010. Visalia is irregularly shaped and covers a total area of 36.3 sq mi (94 km ), of which 36.3 sq mi (94 km ) are land and 0.05% is covered by water. Visalia
1500-470: The passage of early national environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act . More recently, the state of California has led the nation in working to limit pollution by mandating low emission vehicles . Particulate pollution can also be high during the winter due to frequent low-level inversions and during longer periods of dry weather. The same low-level inversions that cause high pollution levels in
1550-595: The population) lived in households, 606 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 720 (0.6%) were institutionalized. There were 41,349 households, out of which 18,102 (43.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,219 (51.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,508 (15.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,909 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,282 (7.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships . 8,383 households (20.3%) were made up of individuals, and 3,330 (8.1%) had someone living alone who
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1600-431: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 49,136 people (39.5%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey , the racial composition of Visalia was as follows: African Americans make up 2.2% of Visalia's population. According to the survey, there were 2,574 African Americans residing in Visalia. Native Americans make up 0.7% of Visalia's population. According to
1650-470: The poverty line. About 233,293 Christians are in the metropolitan area (85,000 in the city proper). Churches of the Catholic , Methodist, Presbyterian. Lutheran, Baptist, Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist Church , Eastern Orthodox Church , Oriental Orthodox Church , Mennonite, and other denominations can be found throughout
1700-591: The remaining Pappas stations involved in the bankruptcy filing on December 17. The sale was approved by the United States bankruptcy court on January 16, 2009. The remaining stations that weren't involved in the initial bankruptcy filing were later placed in a liquidating trust in December 2011. KMPH Radio ceased operations September 1, 2010, due to lack of revenue. Two weeks later, KTRB went into receivership with Comerica Bank , under license from KTRB Trust. This marked
1750-420: The rest of the San Joaquin Valley are susceptible to atmospheric inversion , which holds in the exhausts from road vehicles, airplanes, locomotives , manufacturing, and other sources. Unlike other cities that rely on rain to clear smog, Visalia gets only 11.03 in (280.16 mm) of rain each year; pollution accumulates over many consecutive days. Issues of air quality in Visalia and other major cities led to
1800-462: The survey, there were 3,350 multiracial Americans residing in Visalia. The four main multiracial groups were the following: Hispanics and Latinos make up 40.6% of Visalia's population. According to the survey, there were 47,251 Hispanics and Latinos residing in Visalia. The four main Hispanic/Latino groups were the following: White Americans make up 84.0% of Visalia's population. According to
1850-495: The survey, there were 827 Native Americans residing in Visalia. Asian Americans make up 5.0% of Visalia's population. According to the survey, there were 5,762 Asian Americans residing in Visalia. The seven largest Asian American groups were the following: Pacific Islander Americans make up 0.1% of Visalia's population. According to the survey, there were 138 Pacific Islander Americans residing in Visalia. Multiracial Americans make up 2.9% of Visalia's population. According to
1900-484: The survey, there were 97,735 White Americans residing in Visalia. Much of the European American population is of German , Irish , English , Italian , Russian , Polish , and French descent. Source: According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the top ten European ancestries were the following: Source: The 2000 census recorded 91,565 people, 30,883 households, and 22,901 families residing in
1950-402: The war, but apparently it was concluded to the satisfaction of the participants and life returned to normal. The federal government, however, was not so easily convinced, and reacting to concern about sedition, banned Visalia's pro-South Equal Rights Expositor newspaper and established a military garrison. Camp Babbitt was built in 1862 to stop overt Southern support and maintain law and order in
2000-593: 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
2050-475: The winter also cause the frequent dense fog, locally known as Tule fog . As a result, pollution levels have dropped in recent decades. The number of stage 1 smog alerts has declined from over 100 per year in the 1970s to almost zero in the new millennium. Despite improvement, the 2006 annual report of the American Lung Association ranked the city as the 11th-most polluted in the country with short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution. In 2007,
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2100-501: The winter and spring (November through April) with generally light rain showers, but sometimes as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Years of average rainfall are rare; the usual pattern is bimodal , with a short string of dry years (perhaps 7–8 in [180–200 mm]) followed by one or two wet years that make up the average. While the Sierra Nevada mountains farther east in Tulare County tend to receive snow every winter, snowfall
2150-444: Was 3,431.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,324.9/km ). The racial makeup of Visalia was 80,203 (64.5%) White , 2,627 (2.1%) African American , 1,730 (1.4%) Native American , 6,768 (5.4%) Asian , 164 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 27,249 (21.9%) from other races , and 5,701 (4.6%) from two or more races. There were 57,262 people (46.0%) people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race. The Census reported that 123,116 people (98.9% of
2200-404: Was 31.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. There were 44,205 housing units at an average density of 1,218.9 per square mile (470.6/km ), of which 25,380 (61.4%) were owner-occupied, and 15,969 (38.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 73,980 people (59.4% of
2250-446: Was 32. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household was $ 53,975, and for a family was $ 61,823. Males had a median income of $ 46,423, females $ 34,265. The per capita income was $ 23,751. 14.8% of the population and 13.2% of families were below the poverty line . 21.4% of those under the age of 18 and 9.4% of those aged 65 or older were below
2300-424: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 30,636 families (74.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.42. The population was spread out, with 37,406 people (30.1%) under the age of 18, 12,461 people (10.0%) aged 18 to 24, 33,922 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 27,779 people (22.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,874 people (10.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
2350-549: Was added to John Butterfield's Overland Stage route from St. Louis to San Francisco . A plaque commemorating the location can be found at 116 East Main Street. Included in the early citizens were some notorious and nasty individuals who preyed upon the travelers along the Butterfield Stage route. Many saloons and hotels sprouted up around the stage stop downtown and commerce was brisk if a bit risky. The next memorable event
2400-546: Was later ordered on September 10, 2008, that the affected stations must be sold off by February 15, 2009. Its other stations, and the corporation itself, were not part of the bankruptcy. On May 14 of the same year, company founder Harry J. Pappas filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy at the Delaware court, where a judge could order his personal assets sold to pay off creditors. 13 days later, on May 27, KCWK in Walla Walla, Washington (in
2450-531: Was sent to Folsom State Prison . In 1904, the Visalia Electric Railroad was incorporated. In October 1933, Visalia was the site of a fact-finding committee appointed by Governor James Rolph and charged with investigating labor violence in the San Joaquin cotton strike. Labor activist Caroline Decker led hundreds of strikers in a march on the courthouse, and led the questioning of strikers during
2500-611: Was the arrival of the telegraph in 1860. Visalians then could get timely information of the events taking place on the East Coast that would ultimately develop into the Civil War . During the war, many citizens of Visalia could not decide whether Visalia should stand on the side of the North or the South, so they simply had a mini Civil War of their own on Main Street. No one really knows the outcome of
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