Ag, ag, & Ag Expo
By Joshua Tehee / Discover Staff WriterKnown for towering trees, a giant ag expo and thick Tule fog, Tulare County is one of the largest counties in the San Joaquin Valley, taking up more than 4,800 square miles of land. Cities within the county include Tulare, Visalia, Corcoran and Dinuba, along with smaller farming communities like Cutler, Farmersville and Strathmore.
History
Named for Tulare Lake, once the largest body of water west of the Mississippi, Tulare County played a role in the creation of just about every other county in the region.
In 1856, part of the county was taken to form Fresno County. In 1861, eastern parts of the area became Mono County. Kern County was cut from the southern part of the Tulare, and Inyo and Kings counties were also formed from land originally designated to Tulare County.
Agriculture
There are two things to know about agriculture in Tulare County. One: It is the second largest producer of agriculture in the United States — and the largest dairy producing county in the nation, outdoing even those in Wisconsin.
The county’s Mediterranean climate, which actually runs through all of the Central Valley, also makes it an ideal place to grow stone fruits, table grapes, melons and nuts, says Patricia Stever, the executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau. The eastern part of the county has citrus farms in the low foothills, where the crops are grown in thermal pockets.
Two: Tulare County is home to the World Ag Expo, a massive three-day event that draws 120,000 visitors to Tulare each year. The expo, considered the world’s premier agricultural trade show, is a working event — meaning farmers can get hands-on demonstrations of the newest, cutting-edge equipment, technologies and conservation practices.
But agriculture is not without its problems in the county. The bureau is concerned with urban development and planning, says Stever. More than 50 percent of the county’s ag water comes from the Friant Water Authority, which means it is dependent on Millerton Lake.
Plus, as the average age of farmers rises, many children don’t want, or can’t afford, to carry on the family business. Farmers are having to make business decisions that may change the face of the county, says Stever. “Agriculture is in a crisis.”
Business and retail
Farming and ag business bring in the most revenue for the county, at more than $1 billion a year, with dairy production leading the way. Oranges, grapes and other cattle-related commodities also bring in hundreds of millions of dollars annually. But the county also has several manufacturing and food processing plants, including Foster Farms and Ruiz Food Products, which has 1,000 employees with plans to hire more.
On the retail end, shoppers have a range of options, from the eclectic stores in Visalia’s downtown, to national chains like Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy and Costco. The city of Tulare is home to the Preferred Outlets, which offers discounts on designer apparel, lines like Aeropostale and Calvin Klein and companies like Nike, Samsonite and KB Toys.
Homes and real estate
For home buyers, Tulare County is an attractive place.
It has great schools, like those in Visalia Unified, and large-town amenities with a small-town feeling. Plus, home prices in the county are lower than most parts of the state. That makes it great for commuters, says Gaylynn Heirzig, president of the Tulare County Board of Realtors. She’s seen many buyers commute to Bakersfield or Fresno — one even worked in Sacramento.
And it is a perfect time for buyers, she says. There is a large inventory of existing homes and a backlog of new-home construction. Two years ago, buyers had to make hurried decisions, or risk losing the sale to another buyer. Now, they have both time and choices, Heirzig says.
“Buyers can make a great, conscious decision.”
Recreation
Tulare County is an outdoorsman’s paradise — nearly half of the eastern side of the county is covered by mountains, and it serves as an entryway to both the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. Both are within an hour from downtown Visalia. Within an hour and a half, there are myriad activities for the outdoor enthusiast, including water and snow skiing, fishing, white-water rafting, kayaking, backpacking, hiking, camping and caving.
Closer to home, residents enjoy a long list of cultural and sporting events, like the Tulare County Symphony and Visalia Oaks minor league baseball team, or local farmers’ markets and concert and movie theaters, including a drive-in.
Culture and events
There are more than 50 creative-arts groups in the county, says David Swann Thompson, president of the Arts Council of Tulare County. That’s everything from Arts Visalia to the Cowboy Poets Association.
Visalia might serve as the arts hub. Downtown’s Montgomery Square has a nice enclave of small art galleries, Thompson says. The city also has the Fox Theatre, the Ice House Theater and the Enchanted Playhouse and serves as a hub for a vibrant music scene, with popular venues like Howie and Sons Pizza and The Cellar Door. Last year, the city held the first VAM festival, which featured 50 bands playing over three days.
But most of the towns have their own arts groups, and even smaller towns, like Exeter and Lindsay are known as art hot spots. Exeter is home to Sierra Forge and Fire, a school for creative blacksmiths, where students learn sword and knife making, along with other metal and glass arts.
The city of Lindsay’s mural project features some 20 of the large paintings, created by some of the world’s most prominent muralists, including two from China’s Wei Luan. In 2004, the city held an international mural symposium and held workshops and lectures featuring muralists from around the world.