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Fresno, California

21 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1923 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the Fresno census division. The Survey maps it on the Fresno South quadrangle. 542,107 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 308 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Fresno within Fresno County

Then and now

1923 to 1982

The same ground, surveyed 59 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Fresno, surveyed 1982
Topographic sheet of Fresno, surveyed 1923

On record in Fresno

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 33 shown

Every listing in Fresno County

Population over time

2 figures

Fresno grew from 494,665 to 542,107 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010494,665
2020542,107+47,442 (+10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 surveys from 21 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

1,237 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,237 fires within 5 miles of Fresno between 1992 and 2020, burning about 990 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 142 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined847
Arson/incendiarism142
Equipment and vehicle use102
Misuse of fire by a minor60
Debris and open burning52
Smoking29
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Natural2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFresno-Kings Unitnot named
9 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFresno-Kings Unitnot named
9 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
9 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
9 September 2011Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresFresno-Kings UnitMARTIN L KING JR BL FRES
9 September 2007Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
8 September 2011Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreFresno-Kings UnitWILLOW
8 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFresno-Kings UnitORANGE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Fresno County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Fresno: 4 producers, 2 unknowns, 1 past producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Gold, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Fred Santoni Lonestar MillGold, SilverUnknown
Raymond Quarry Plant No. 2GraniteProducer
Clay PitClayUnknown
Craycroft Brick Co.ClayProducer
Builders Concrete IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
De Paree Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Pacific Cement and AggregatesSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Fresno County

Storms near this place

55 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fresno in 55 storm reports between 1994 and 2019: 15 heavy rain, 13 hail, 8 flood, 6 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 1997WildfireFresno$1,900,000Named the "Choke Fire" it burned more than 3900 acres in the high country of the Southern Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Forest. It was a lightning caused fire from thunderstorms associated with monsoonal moisture.
February 1998Heavy RainFresno$1,600,000no account filed
May 1997LightningFresno$1,500,000no account filed
May 1995Thunderstorm WindFresno$500,000A National Weather Service survey team along with eyewitness accounts describe the damage path of high wind and hail from a severe thunderstorm through an area three miles wide and 19 miles long starting 15 miles east of Fresno. Numerous large, old oak trees were felled taking down power lines and in two instances falling on houses. Hail in excess of one inch also occurred and combined with the high wind caused major agricultural damage to this section of rural Fresno County. Toward the easternmost portion of the damage path the width had expanded to a little over five miles. This cell is likely the same one that supported 1745 PDT tornado activity at Fresno. Crop damage was extensive with nearly $17 million damage caused by hail/wind stripping trees of leaves and early fruit set of both deciduous and late citrus. Five head of livestock were also killed. Radar reflectivity reached 71 dBZ with this cell.
March 1994HailFresno$500,000no account filed
April 2001Thunderstorm WindFresno$350,000Storm analysis and survey concluded that two straight line wind events occurred within a few minutes of each other in and around the California State University Campus in North Fresno. An initial gust from the southwest was followed closely by another from the west-northwest. Large trees and roof damage was noted in clearly distinct damage areas. Some evidence existed for rotation by debris but the likely culprit was some gustnado action on the leading edge of the outflows. Convection was noted on radar immediately to the south and west at the time of the event but note overhead. The largest damage track was close to 0.75 miles and up to 1/8 mile wide.
May 1996Thunderstorm WindFresno$150,000no account filed
November 1999Heavy RainFresno$50,000The first substantial autumn rain (and first since 4/12/99) led to transmission line transformer shorts and power loss to 14,000 local utility customers in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley. The problems were repaired by the afternoon of the 8th. Rainfall amounts on the San Joaquin Valley floor varied from 0.20 to 0.66 of an inch of rain ... and 1.0 to 1.5 inches in the adjacent foothills.
May 1995Tornado (F0)Fresno$50,000A National Weather Service (NWS) survey team along with eyewitness accounts concluded a weak F0 tornado briefly occurred in the vicinity of the Fresno Fairgrounds. Light roof damage, a damaged car, and an uprooted tree were observed. The tornado was observed heading east but no other damage was reported in this vicinity. Roof damage estimated at $50 thousand. A "meso" was reported by Doppler Radar about the time of the event.
May 1995Tornado (F0)Fresno$50,000Spotter reports and county sheriff indicated a tornado at 1415 PDT 14 WSW of Fresno Air Terminal moving west-to-east for approximately one mile. Occurrence in a rural area of the county with crop damage unassessed and other damage limited to broken tree limbs, small objects moved such as a camper shell, some structural damage to roofs, and windows broken. The tornado was visible from 14 miles away by the observer at the Fresno Air Terminal with an United States Aviation Observation taken. This event was also captured on video. Dime to nickel-size hail also occurred with the event; a month late spotter report also indicated that three-quarters inch hail occurred with the event (A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was being issued as the tornado was observed; Tornado Warning issuance instead).
October 2007Heavy RainFresno$50,000no account filed
April 1996FloodFresno$30,000no account filed
April 2012FloodFresno$25,000Trained spotters and local media reported flooding near CSU Fresno, road 80 near Dinuba, downtown Fresno at the Second Street ramp.
November 1997Tornado (F0)Fresno$10,000Very small F0 tornado with damage to small rural structures and fencing. Path width by witness at 10-15 yards. Tornado accompanying convective band sweeping southwest to northeast through east-Central San Joaquin Valley.
February 1998Thunderstorm WindFresno$1,000Thunderstorm wind downed a tree at Van Ness and Garland in Fresno.
November 1997Tornado (F0)Fresno$1,000Apparently very small tornado (F0) or gustnado accompanied a line of convection through the east-Central San Joaquin Valley. Tornado/gustnado path was from SSE to NNW. Damage confined to minor roof damage and uprooting small trees in a north Clovis suburb.
April 2003Heavy RainFresno$1,000no account filed
May 2019Heavy RainFresno-Broadcast media reported that over 60 percent of the cherry crop in Fresno County was destroyed by the persistent rains that took place during the two storms that impacted the area between May 15 and May 19. There was also substantial damage to strawberries and carrots.
July 2004WildfireFresno-The Peterson Fire burned only 73 acres near Shaver Lake but it cost $856K to fight. There were no injuries nor were any structures reported as lost.
May 2002LightningFresno-Lightning strikes (2) in close proximity to overhead aircraft approaching Fresno Air Terminal.
January 1998FloodFresno-Small hail and heavy rain led to numerous intersections and streets being flooded within North-Central Fresno. The small hail piled up 2-3 inches deep thereby plugging drains and contributing to the overall urban flooding problems.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindFresno-Spotter reports of three-quarters hail in north-central Fresno associated with the passage of a line of thunderstorms from southwest through northeast through the central San Joaquin Valley. No reports of damage were received.
January 2005LightningFresno-no account filed
April 2005HailFresno-no account filed
April 2005Funnel CloudFresno-no account filed
April 2005Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
December 2003Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
April 2003Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
May 2002Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
November 2002FloodFresno-no account filed
March 2001FloodFresno-no account filed
February 2001HailFresno-no account filed
April 2001HailFresno-no account filed
November 2001FloodFresno-no account filed
March 2000Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
June 2000Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
February 2000Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
October 2000FloodFresno-no account filed
October 2000LightningFresno-no account filed
May 1998Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
April 1996HailFresno-no account filed
April 1996Tornado (F0)Fresno-no account filed
April 1996HailFresno-no account filed
April 1996HailFresno-no account filed
December 1996Heavy RainFresno-no account filed
November 1996HailFresno-no account filed
October 1996Tornado (F0)Fresno-no account filed
March 1996FloodFresno-no account filed
March 1996HailFresno-no account filed
March 1996HailFresno-no account filed
March 1996HailFresno-no account filed
March 1996Funnel CloudFresno-no account filed
October 1996HailFresno-no account filed
October 1996HailFresno-no account filed
October 1996Heavy RainFresno-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Fresno County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Hammond1.1 miles20
Cincotta1.3 miles20
Calwa2.7 miles21
Granz (historical)3.3 miles20
Goldleaf3.4 miles20
Eshel (historical)3.8 miles20
Cameo3.8 miles22
Las Palmas3.9 miles22

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on FresnoAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q43301The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 277606. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.