49-457: The Visalia Unified School District is located in Tulare County, California . The school district covers an area of 214 miles, and includes 27 elementary schools, a newcomer language assessment center, five middle schools, four comprehensive high schools, a continuation high school, an adult school, a charter alternative academy, a charter independent study school, a K-8 charter home school, and
98-445: 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. The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Tulare County as
147-400: 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
196-509: A perfect site for a mission, based on its surplus of natural resources, good weather and the Chumash , a local Native American tribe who could be used as labor, often by means of enslavement. The mission became the fifth in the mission chain founded by Father Junípero Serra. Serra himself was known for intimidating and controlling native subjects, and once baptized, the Chumash were not allowed to leave
245-477: 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. As of the census of 2000, there were 368,021 people, 110,385 households, and 87,093 families residing in
294-507: A saint that is popular within the Franciscan order. Father Cavaller used Chumash labor in building the palisades , which would serve as temporary buildings for the mission. Native American tribes set these buildings ablaze in an act of resistance against European colonization. The buildings were rebuilt using adobe and tile structures. Beginning in 1794 Mission San Luis Obispo went through extensive building operations. Buildings to accommodate
343-459: A school that serves orthopedic handicapped students. The VUSD area has a population base of over 135,000 people, over 32,000 of which are served by the school district. Visalia Unified School District was established in 1965. VUSD was created by the unification of Visalia Union High School and the elementary districts it served. It had among its origins the Packwood School, created in 1845, and
392-521: Is a Spanish mission founded September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California . The mission was named after San Luis, obispo de Talosa (Saint Louis, bishop of Toulouse, France). The Mission of San Luis Obispo is unusual in its design, in that its combination of belfry and vestibule are found nowhere else among the California missions. Like other churches, the main nave
441-539: Is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2020 census , the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia . The county is named for Tulare Lake , once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes . Drained for agricultural development, the site is now in Kings County , which was created in 1893 from the western portion of the formerly larger Tulare County. Tulare County comprises
490-589: 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. The Tulare County Sheriff provides court protection, county jail operation, patrol and detective functions in
539-623: 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
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#1732883968430588-408: Is land and 14 square miles (36 km ), or 0.3%, is water. 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 404,051 acres (1,635.14 km ). Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (3,962 m), the park contains among its natural resources
637-582: Is short and narrow, but at the San Luis Obispo Mission, there is a secondary nave of almost equal size situated to the right of the altar , making it the only L-shaped mission church in California. In 1769, Gaspar de Portolá traveled through California on his way to the Bay of Monterey and traveled through the San Luis Obispo area. Expedition diarist and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí wrote that
686-650: The 2020 census , the population was 473,117, up from 442,179 at the 2010 census . 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
735-544: The Diocese of Monterey . In 1970 the Mission was recognized as the center of the City of San Luis Obispo , with the dedication of Mission Plaza. Mayor Ken Schwartz worked with students from Cal Poly to develop a plan to convince voters to close Monterey Street in front of the mission. Construction of a plaza began in 1969 and the plaza was dedicated in 1970. A statue of Junípero Serra
784-679: 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
833-474: The Church. Since then, it has undergone major civic, political and structural changes. In the 1880s, the front portico and bell loft were removed when weakened by an earthquake. An attempt was made to "modernize" the structures, and the colonnades along the front of the convento wing were razed and the Church and residence were covered with wooden clapboard. A New England–style belfry was added. The changes protected
882-637: The State of California. VUSD offers the following Linked Learning Academies: Agricultural Biosciences & Technology; Architecture & Engineering; Business Finance Academy; Computer Science; First Responders; Health Sciences; Law & Justice; Media Arts; and Sports, Therapy, Rehabilitation, Orthopedics and Neuromuscular Gains (STRONG). Through the academies, VUSD students enjoy job shadowing and internship opportunities as part of their career exploration. Tulare County, California Tulare County ( / t ʊ ˈ l ɛər i / tuu- LAIR -ee )
931-562: The Visalia City School District created in 1855. Since 1965, VUSD has a long-standing investment in Career Technical Education, with over 4,000 students involved in the programs through the four comprehensive high schools as well as Sequoia High School, Visalia Technical Early College and Visalia Charter Independent Study. VUSD offers Career Technical Education pathways in 13 of the 15 industry sectors recognized by
980-586: The Visalia- Porterville , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county is located south of Fresno , spanning from the San Joaquin Valley east to the Sierra Nevada . Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as is part of Kings Canyon National Park , in its northeast corner (shared with Fresno County ), and part of Mount Whitney , on its eastern border (shared with Inyo County ). As of
1029-461: 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
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#17328839684301078-461: 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
1127-430: The age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a male householder with no spouse present, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.8% were non-families, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.57. There were 150,652 household units, and 141,987 occupied housing units in
1176-424: 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,
1225-733: 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. According to the county's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report ,
1274-557: 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 . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 4,839 square miles (12,530 km ), of which 4,823 square miles (12,490 km )
1323-615: 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: In the California State Senate , it is split between two legislative districts: In the California State Assembly ,
1372-447: The county is represented by the 33rd Assembly district , represented by Republican Devon Mathis , and the 32nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Vince Fong . 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
1421-530: The county. The Porterville Municipal Airport , located 3 nautical miles (3.5 mi; 5.6 km) 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
1470-411: The county. The population density was 76 people per square mile (29 people/km ). There were 119,639 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km ). 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
1519-457: The county. The population density was 98.1 people per square mile (37.9 people/km ). 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. The 2010 United States Census reported that Tulare County had
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1568-970: The highest point in the contiguous 48 United States, Mount Whitney , at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) 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 . 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 ). Tulare County
1617-508: The mission, Serra remembered the stories of the "valley of the bears." He decided to send a hunting expedition to San Luis Obispo to help feed the Spanish and neophytes (natives that converted to Christianity) in Monterey. The success of the hunting expedition caused Junípero Serra to consider building a mission in that area. Upon further investigation, he was convinced that San Luis Obispo would be
1666-494: The mission, but he died three years later. In 1842, the death of Father Ramon Abella marked the last Franciscan at the mission for the next 40 years. In 1845, Governor Pío Pico sold the San Luis Obispo Mission to Captain John Wilson for $ 510. John C. Frémont and his "California Battalion" used the mission as a base of operations during their war with Mexico in 1846 (see Bear Flag Revolt ). The mission fell to ruins during
1715-440: The missions, nor were the generations to follow. Father Serra sent an expedition down south to San Luis Obispo to start building the mission, and on September 1, 1772, a cross was erected near San Luis Obispo Creek and Serra celebrated the first mass. Following the first mass, Father Junípero Serra left the responsibility of construction to Father José Cavaller . The mission was to be named after San Luis, obispo de Tolosa ,
1764-559: The more extensive Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, CA Combined Statistical Area, the 80th most populous combined statistical area and the 92nd most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012. According to the United States Census Bureau, Tulare County is the 7th largest county in California by total area. Tulare is a strongly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic candidate for president to win
1813-451: 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
1862-474: The nearby Native Americans and many improvements to the mission, including storerooms, residences for single women, soldiers barracks and mills were added. The renovation was finished after completion of the quadrangle in 1819, and celebrated a year later by the arrival of two mission bells from Lima, Peru . The arrival of the bells marked the end of improvements made to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa for many years. In 1830 Father Luis Gil y Taboada took over
1911-516: 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
1960-529: The period of secularization and the priests who were left would rent out rooms to help support the mission. The Mission San Luís Obispo de Tolosa became the first courthouse and jail in San Luis Obispo County, California . In 1850, when California became a part of the United States, the first California bishop, Joseph Alemany , petitioned the Government to return some of the mission lands back to
2009-849: The population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 69.0% from 18 to 64, 6.5% from 65 to 74, 3.2% from 75 to 84 and 1.4% who were 85 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. The racial makeup of Tulare County including Hispanics was 186,255 (39.4%) White , 6,668 (1.4%) African American , 10,645 (2.2%) Native American , 17,194 (3.6%) Asian , 723 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 165,230 (34.9%) from other races , and 86,402 (18.2%) from two or more races. There were 309,895 people (65.5%) of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race. 3.7% were of German , 3.2% English , 2.8% Irish, 2.4% Portuguese and 2.3% American ancestry according to Census 2020 . 48.7% spoke English , 47.4% Spanish and 1.0% Indo-European as their first language. There were 144,109 households , out of which 45.9% had children under
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2058-561: 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
2107-505: The soldiers called the place "llano de los osos", or the "plain of the bears". Portola followed the same route the following year, on his way to establish the Presidio of Monterey . Missionary president Junípero Serra , traveling by sea, met the Portola party there and founded San Carlos Borremeo, in Monterey, which was moved to Carmel the following year. When food supplies started to dwindle at
2156-525: 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. The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense, as of 2019. The 2020 United States Census reported that Tulare County had a population of 473,117 and
2205-417: The structure from further decay, although significantly altering the facade of the buildings. In the 1930s, during the pastorship of Fr. John Harnett, the buildings underwent extensive restoration to transform them back to early mission style. The 1893 annex was extended in 1948. The mission is the center of the busy downtown area, and functions as a Catholic parish church for the City of San Luis Obispo in
2254-586: The top employers in the county are: 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 . The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Tulare County. † county seat Mission San Luis Obispo Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa ( Spanish : Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa )
2303-584: The unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated towns have municipal police departments or contract with the Sheriff for their police operations. 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
2352-451: 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
2401-544: Was installed on the grounds facing the public Mission Plaza. The attention to the statues of Junípero Serra expanded during the George Floyd protests to include monuments of individuals associated with the controversy over the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas. The statue was moved into storage on the grounds in 2020. The plaza in front of the mission often serves as a location for demonstrations and protests in
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