Tulare County, California

Tulare County, California
Images, from top down, left to right: Acequia Avenue in Visalia, Allensworth Hotel in Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park, Lake Kaweah
Flag of Tulare County, California
Official seal of Tulare County, California
Map
Interactive map of Tulare County
Location in the state of California
Location in the state of California
Coordinates: 36°14′N 118°48′W / 36.23°N 118.80°W / 36.23; -118.80
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionsSan Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada
Metro areaVisalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area
Incorporated1852
Named forTulare Lake, which is named for the tule rush that lined its shores
County seatVisalia
Largest cityVisalia
Incorporated cities8
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CAO
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors
 • Chair[2]Eddie Valero
 • Vice Chair[3]Dennis Townsend
 • Board of Supervisors[4]
Supervisors
 • Administrative OfficerJason Britt[1]
Area
 • Total4,839 sq mi (12,530 km2)
 • Land4,823 sq mi (12,490 km2)
 • Water14 sq mi (40 km2)
Highest elevation14,501 ft (4,420 m)
Population
 • Total473,117
 • Density98/sq mi (38/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Area code559, 661
FIPS code06-107
GNIS feature ID277318
Congressional districts20th, 21st, 22nd
Websitetularecounty.ca.gov

Tulare County (/tʊˈlɛəri/ tuu-LAIR-ee) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117.[6] The county seat is Visalia.[7] The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. Drained for agricultural development, the site is now in Kings County, which was created in 1893 from the western portion of the formerly larger Tulare County.

Tulare County comprises the Visalia-Porterville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is located south of Fresno, spanning from the San Joaquin Valley east to the Sierra Nevada.

Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as is part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner (shared with Fresno County), and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border (shared with Inyo County). As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117, up from 442,179 at the 2010 census.

  1. ^ "County Administrative Officer - CAO". County of Tulare. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  2. ^ "Eddie Valero, District 4 - Chairman - Board of Supervisors".
  3. ^ "Dennis Townsend, District 5 - Vice Chair - Board of Supervisors".
  4. ^ "County Supervisors - Board of Supervisors".
  5. ^ "Mount Whitney". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Tulare County, California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.