Visalia, California
23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1927 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the Visalia census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93291. The Survey maps it on the Visalia quadrangle. 141,384 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 331 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Then and now
1927 to 1993The same ground, surveyed 66 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Visalia
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 6 records
Bank of Italy Buildinglisted 1982
Hyde Houselisted 1979
The Pioneerlisted 1977
US Post Office-Visalia Town Center Stationlisted 1985- Jeremiah D. and Mary Hyde Houselisted 2024
- Sequoia Field- Visalia-Dinuba School of Aeronauticslisted 2000
Population over time
3 figuresVisalia grew from 548 to 141,384 between 1860 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 548 | |
| 2010 | 124,442 | |
| 2020 | 141,384 | +16,942 (+14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 23 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1927 USGS Visalia quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1948 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Visalia quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1949 USGS Visalia quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Visalia quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1966 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1993 USGS Visalia quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
582 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 582 fires within 5 miles of Visalia between 1992 and 2020, burning about 409 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 77 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/undetermined | 331 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 77 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 76 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 39 |
| Debris and open burning | 27 |
| Smoking | 25 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 acres | Tulare Unit | GOLDSMITH |
| 6 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 5 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 5 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Tulare Unit | STATE OF CALIF #101 |
| 3 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 3 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Tulare Unit | not named |
| 3 September 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Tulare Unit | TULARE CO #91 |
| 28 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Visalia: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garland Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mcwilliams Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
36 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Visalia in 36 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 9 heavy rain, 6 hail, 6 flood, 5 funnel cloud. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1998 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | $13,900,000 | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Wildfire | Visalia | $824,000 | Homers Nose 2 Fire in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Park was lightning ignited on the 5th and allowed to burn throughout the month. As of the 30th, it had consumed 230 acres at a cost of $824K with no fatalities or injuries nor structures lost. |
| September 1997 | Wildfire | Visalia | $750,000 | Amphitheater Fire. It was the result of an escaped prescribed burn. The total burn area was 242 acres within the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Visalia | $250,000 | National Weather Service survey conducted with straightline winds causing damage approximately three miles from the northwest to the southeast into the City of Visalia. Trees toppled, lines downed, minor structures moved, fences downed, and roof damage occurred. Newspaper accounts gave the time of start by eyewitnesses at 1940 PDT. Radar indicated 60 dBZ prior to the storm but it is unknown if the cell got stronger at the time of this report. Radar information is believed to be archived. |
| April 2003 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | $50,000 | Poor visibilities in a short-lived driving rain led to indirect damage of $50K as cars collided on a Visalia freeway. It was reported 17 vehicles were involved as 0.35" of rain fell in a very short period of time in and around the city. |
| April 2006 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | $50,000 | no account filed |
| December 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Visalia | $10,000 | Thunderstorm passage through the Visalia area brought gusty wind. Tree limbs were downed in the middle part of town causing some traffic flow problems. A barn roof was damaged on the west side of Central Visalia from the wind. As a result of the gusty wind and downed tree limbs, power lines were also felled causing power outages in the vicinity. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Visalia | $2,000 | NWS Employee reported trees down and near zero visibility in blowing dust along SR 198 just east of Visalia. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Visalia | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on SR 198 at the Ben Maddox Way exchange. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Visalia | - | California Highway Patrol reported the on ramp to eastbound SR 198 completely flooded between Court St. and Santa Fe St. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Visalia | - | An NWS Employee reported water 12-18 inches deep on E. Douglas Ave. between N. Enos St. and N. O'Malley St. following a period of heavy rainfall from a thunderstorm. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Visalia | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on eastbound SR 198 at the Court St. underpass. |
| February 2023 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | Public report in Visalia of measured rainfall of 2.50 inches of rainfall inches of rainfall on February 24 and an additional 0.60 inches during the morning of February 25 for a total of 3.10 inches. |
| March 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Visalia | - | A brief cold air funnel was reported by an NWS employee at the corner of Houston Ave. and Mooney Blvd. in north Visalia. |
| September 2005 | Lightning | Visalia | - | Early morning thunderstorms moved over the east side of the Central and South San Joaquin Valley. Only trace to very light amounts of rain were reported on the Valley Floor. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Visalia | - | While no verifiable severe storm events occurred in Tulare County, significant damage was caused by large amounts of small hail and locally heavy thundershowers at a time of year when many stone and citrus fruits are vulnerable. |
| April 1999 | Hail | Visalia | - | Hail damage to young vines, strone fruit, and decidiuous crops. This particular damage band was reported between Goshen/Caldwell ESE through Visalia toward Exeter in Tulare County. |
| September 1999 | Lightning | Visalia | - | Lightning struck two poles in Visalia around 0730 PST. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Visalia | - | Radar reports of 55-59 dBZ from the earlier Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Kings County was due to track into Tulare County and near Visalia by 1700 PDT. No damage was reported by either Kings or Tulare County Sheriffs from either event. |
| February 2005 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| December 2003 | Lightning | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| February 2003 | Funnel Cloud | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| February 2003 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| January 2001 | Lightning | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Flood | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Flood | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Heavy Rain | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Hail | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| January 1997 | Funnel Cloud | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Visalia | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Funnel Cloud | Visalia | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambler | 1.6 miles | 23 | |
| Chinowths Corner | 2.3 miles | 23 | |
| Rector | 3.1 miles | 20 | |
| Higby | 3.1 miles | 23 | |
| Mitchell Corner | 4.6 miles | 20 | |
| Cameron Creek Colony | 4.7 miles | 20 | |
| Loma | 5.0 miles | 23 | |
| Farmersville | 5.0 miles | 20 |
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 Visalia | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q495373 | The 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 1652807. 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.











