Visalia, California
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Visalia is the county seat of Tulare County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 91,565.
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Geography
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Location of Visalia, California
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 are 91,565 people, 30,883 households, and 22,915 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,237.0/km² (3,204.2/mi²). There are 32,654 housing units at an average density of 441.1/km² (1,142.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 30,883 households out of which 41.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% are married couples living together, 14.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% are non-families. 20.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.91 and the average family size is 3.37.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $41,349, and the median income for a family is $45,830. Males have a median income of $36,670 versus $26,717 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,422. 16.8% of the population and 12.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
Visalia has 5 public high schools: El Diamante, 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 in the northwest.
Visalia has one public college level institution: College of the Sequoias, a community college.
History and Points of Interest
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.
Named for Nathaniel Vise's ancestral home, Visalia, Kentucky.
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 has a commercial airport with multiple daily flights to Los Angeles International.
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.
Many famous baseball players have gotten their start playing in Visalia, including Kirby Puckett.
Visalia has one of the biggest cement skateparks in California [1] (http://skateparklist.com/ca_vis.html), [2] (http://www.payinginpain.com/pages/visalia.html).
Larry Clark's controversial film Ken Park was set in Visalia and featured the famous skate park.
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.
External links
- Visalia official website (http://www.ci.visalia.ca.us/)
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