Tulare County, California

Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county. As of 2000 the population was 368,021. Its county seat is Visalia.

History

Tulare County was formed from parts of Mariposa County in 1852. Parts of the county's territory were given to Fresno County in 1856, to Kern County in 1866, to Inyo County in 1866 and to Kings County in 1893.

Commandante Pedro Fages, while hunting for deserters in 1772, discovered a great lake surrounded by marshes and filled with rushes which he named 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 Mexican word tullin, designating cattail or similar reeds.

Economy

Tulare County bears the unfortunate distinction of being the one of the most impoverished counties in California, despite its proximity to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The local tax base is in such poor shape that most branches of the county public library system are open only two days per week (in contrast, most California public libraries are open at least five).

In 2001 Tulare County surpassed Fresno County as being the most productive county in California in terms of agricultural revenues, US$3.5 billion to US$3.2 billion. This also makes it the most agriculturally-productive county in the U.S. (Fresno reverting to number two for the first time in decades), and further cements its place among the most agriculturally-productive regions in the world.

Due to the primary business of agriculture, Tulare County is the home of the annual World Ag Expo^*, the world's largest agricultural exposition, always the second week of February.

In 2003, Milk was the commodity bringing in the most revenue, at slightly over one billion dollars. Oranges were next, at $442 million, with Grapes and Cattle & Calves competing for third and fourth place, with $378 and $372 million in revenue, respectively.

In 2004, Milk was again tops, bringing in $1 billion, 367 million dollars. Oranges brought in $545 million. Cattle & Calves brought in $436 million, putting Grapes in the number four spot, at $393 million. The total of all crops for 2004 exceeded four billion dollars.

In 2005, ranking by dollar volume was unchanged. Milk was still #1, bringing in $1 billion, 476 million dollars. Oranges brought in $582 million. Cattle & Calves brought in $514 million, Grapes brought in $399 million. The total of all crops for 2005 exceeded four billion, three hundred million dollars.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 12,533 km² (4,839 mi²). 12,494 km² (4,824 mi²) of it is land and 39 km² (15 mi²) of it (0.31%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 368,021 people, 110,385 households, and 87,093 families residing in the county. The population density was 29/km² (76/mi²). There were 119,639 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (25/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.08% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 1.56% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 30.79% from other races, and 4.60% from two or more races. 50.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 110,385 households out of which 44.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% 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 33.80% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 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 18.80% of families and 23.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.60% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

External links

California counties | Tulare County, California