Visalia, California
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- "Visalia" redirects here. See also Visalia, Kentucky.
Visalia is the county seat of Tulare County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 91,565 - this has now increased to 107,555 as of 2005. It is one of the largest inland cities of California, and is the largest city in between Fresno and Bakersfield. Yet it has a small town feel. Unlike most US cities, there is no suburban sprawl. When you leave Visalia, you hit "the country".
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Geography
Image:CAMap-doton-Visalia.pngVisalia is located at 36°19'27" North, 119°18'26" West (36.324100, -119.307347)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 74.0 km² (28.6 mi²). 74.0 km² (28.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 91,565 people, 30,883 households, and 22,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,237.0/km² (3,204.2/mi²). There were 32,654 housing units at an average density of 441.1/km² (1,142.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.52% White, 1.92% African American, 1.35% Native American, 5.11% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 17.79% from other races, and 4.18% from two or more races. 35.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 30,883 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.7% of all 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 was 3.37.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 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 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,349, and the median income for a family was $45,830. Males had a median income of $36,670 versus $26,717 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,422. 16.8% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line. 24.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Education
Visalia has 6 public high schools: El Diamante, Visalia Charter Independent Study, Golden West, Mt. Whitney, Redwood and Sequoia. Mt. Whitney and Redwood are centrally located. El Diamante is a new school on the west side. Golden West is in the east and Sequoia (a continuation school) is in the northwest.
There is a long-standing rivalry between Redwood and Mt. Whitney high schools, culminating in the fall "Cowhide" football game. The winner each year, of course, gets to keep the prized piece of cowhide as a trophy. There is also a rivalry between El Diamante and Golden West High Schools; the "Battle for the Saddle" is played the same week as Cowhide for a coveted ornamental saddle.
Visalia's oldest and largest private K-12 school is Central Valley Christian School. In its origin the school was mostly populated by Dutch families, but now its 1000 students come from a diverse demographic population. The school is noted for its strong sports program and high academic reputation. It is a protestant Christian school.
Visalia has only one public college level institution, College of the Sequoias, a community college. Pacific Oaks College offers cohort format degree programs in B.A. and M.A. in Human Development and Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. The classes are held at The Tulare County Office of Education.
History and Points of Interest
Image:MooneyGrovePark.JPG Founded in 1852 by Nathaniel Vise in an extensive oak forest known as "Four Creeks," Visalia is the oldest city between Stockton and Los Angeles.
In 1853 Visalia became the county seat of Tulare County, then an extensive County encompassing parts or all of Madera, Fresno, Kings and Kern Counties.
Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous (lower 48) states, is located in Tulare County, of which Visalia is the county seat.
When the railroads came through the Central Valley creating such cities as Tulare, California, Fresno, California, and Modesto, California, Visalia was passed by. While cities like Fresno and Modesto experienced bursts of growth in the first half of the 20th century, Visalia remained small and conservative. Throughout the 1980s until the mid 1990s Visalia experienced a massive growth spurt, growing from around 25,000 in the 1970s to over 100,000 today.
Visalia is also the gateway to Sequoia National Park in which groves of Giant Sequoia trees live. Amongst the Sequoias is the General Sherman Tree which is considered to be the largest living thing on earth.
Kevin Costner attended Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, and his movie Bull Durham mentions the town's professional baseball team, the Visalia Oaks, which has been in Visalia for more than 60 years. Visalia can truly be called a baseball town historically, although recently interest in the local team has been dwindling and attendance to the single A team's games lower than the average.
Visalia is also home to Mearle's Diner, which is featured in the movie American Graffiti
Visalia's Mooney Grove Park was home to the plaster statue "The End of the Trail" by James Earle Fraser from 1920 to 1967. In 1968 a bronze copy was placed in Mooney Grove. The original was moved to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.
Visalia is the medical center of Tulare/Kings Counties. With Kaweah Delta District Hospital, two major medical clinics, and a variety of physicians and health specialists, Visalia has become a major center for the delivery of health care services and offers more medical services than most communities of its size. Kaweah Delta Health Care District is presently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation of its facility to provide even greater services to the community. Specialty facilities include cancer care, rehabilitation services, mental health care, and heart care services
Downtown
This area now known as greater Visalia was once the domain of the Yokut Indians. The abundance of wildlife, seeds, acorns and roots made it a relatively easy existence for these original inhabitants of the valley. The first men of European descent to enter the valley most likely came as part of expeditions of the Spanish Military and the Coastal Missions. Historical records indicate that Pedro Fages reached the central San Joaquin Valley in about 1772 and was the first to make a written record of this area.
Many have thought the Yokuts to be a peaceful and nonaggressive people but the Spanish were reluctant to settle in this area because of climate and the perceived danger from the local Indian population. An influx of Europeans, trappers, traders, explorers, miners and settlers, affected the lifestyle of the native Yokuts for the Europeans brought a non hunter-gatherer culture as well as diseases the Yokuts had no resistance to. This decimated the population of the Yokuts and their way of life was virtually destroyed.
The first building was a log stockade called Fort Visalia. It was built in 1852 in fear of an Indian attack. Nathaniel Vise filed a land claim for the area to fulfill a dream of a thriving community named after Visalia, Kentucky founded by his late father.
Early Visalia history indicates that a school and a Methodist Church were established the same year, 1852 and then the following year a grist mill and a general store were built. In 1853 Visalia became the County Seat of Tulare County. The 1800's saw the arrival of the Butterfield Overland Stage depot, a public school building and a newspaper. All these buildings were located in what is still the core area of Visalia.
The early period of our history was not without hardships which came suddenly and periodically in the form of floods, droughts and epidemics. Visalians met these with courage and strength which allowed them to perservere and then to play a major role in causing Tulare County to become one of the richest agriculture counties in the entire nation.
Today, Visalia's downtown district is home to many attractions, including Brewbakers brewery, a nickel arcade, and numerous shops and restaurants. Frequently visited by local fans is Recreation Park, home of the Visalia Oaks. Located next to Recreation Park is one of California's first Skate Parks, Provident Skate Park. The Historic Fox Theatre is located downtown which is a venue for several performing arts and musical events. The Convention Center features numerous events including home and garden shows, concerts and seminars. Downtown also serves as the financial center of Tulare County and is home to more lending and banking opportunities than any other retail center in the area. Image:Visalia.JPG
Image:DowntownVisalia.JPGImage:TowardsWest.JPG
Culture
The Central California Chinese Cutural Center is located in Visalia. The Chinese who came to California at the time of the Gold Rush worked as laborers on many important projects. The history of these 19th century immigrants is preserved in the Chinese Cultural Center, a dream of a group of Chinese businessmen. Constructed with private donations and aid from the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, the center includes a Confucian temple and an exposition room housing cultural artifacts, paintings and rare architectural finds. From the graceful sweep of the roof to the magnificent jade lions guarding the entrance, every detail is true to Chinese heritage.
Tulare County Mooney Grove Museum (Located at Mooney Grove Park)
The Mooney Grove Museum is the largest and most complete museum in the county with many historical items of interest. Among the items are historic bowls, weapons, and tools from the local historical group of Native Americans, the Yokuts.
Shopping
Visalia Mall and Sequoia Mall are Visalia's two largest indoor shopping centers featuring an assortment of stores including Gottschalks , JCPenney, Sears, Mervyns, Border's Books, Old Navy, American Eagle Outfitters and more. Newer developments like Packwood Creek Shopping Center and the Costco Shopping Center include stores such as Costco, Pier One Imports, Circuit City, GameStop, Target Greatland, Lowes, PetsMart, CostPlus World Markets and BestBuy. Image:SequoiaMall.JPG
Transportation
The City of Visalia is served by the Visalia City Coach which offers bus service in and around the city with buses also connecting to Tulare Transit Express which enables riders to go between Tulare County's two largest cities. Image:Visalia City Coach.JPGImage:TransitCenter.JPG Tulare County Transit also offers bus service between Visalia and several other Tulare County communites.
Visalia is a stop on the Amtrak Motor Coach service connecting Amtrak San Joaquin trains at Hanford with communities along State Highway Rte 198 including Goshen Junction and Visalia. Amtrak's motor coaches stop at the Visalia Transit Center, 425 East Oak Street (at Bridge Street) 93291.
Since this stop is unstaffed by Amtrak, no Amtrak services (ticket purchase, checked baggage or package express) are available. The nearest station offerings such services is in Hanford.
Media
External links
Template:Cities of Tulare County, California
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