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Fresno County Fresno was founded April 19, 1856. Fresno in Spanish signifies "ash tree" and it was due to the abundance of mountain ash or ash trees in the county that it received its name. County Seat-Fresno Population-776,200
Madera County Madera was founded March 11, 1893 out of that portion of Fresno County lying north of the San Joaquin River. Madera in Spanish signified "timber." The county of Madera was named when the California lumber Company built a flume to carry lumber to the railroad in 1876. County Seat-Madera Population-63,600 Distance-23 miles Travel Time-20 Minutes
Tulare County Founded on April 20, 1852, Tulare County was discovered in 1772 when Commandante Fages, while hunting for deserters, stumbled upon a great lake surrounded by marshes and filled with rushes which he named Los Tules (the tules). Tulare County gets its name from the Mexican word tullin, designating cattail or similar reeds. County Seat-Visalia Population-355,500 Distance-42 miles Travel Time-45 Minutes
Merced County Merced County was originally part Mariposa County. The county was founded on April 19, 1855, The county derived its name from the Merced River of El Rio de Nuestra Senora de la Merced (River of Our Lady of Mercy); named in 1806 by an expedition, headed by Gabriel Moraga, which came upon it at the end of a hot dusty ride. County Seat-Merced Population-201,000 Distance-59 miles Travel Time-50 Minutes
Mariposa County Mariposa County was founded on February 18, 1850. The area was named by Spanish explorers in 1807 when they discovered great clusters of butterflies ("mariposas" in Spanish) in the foothills of the Sierras. County Seat-Mariposa Population-16,000 Distance-69 miles Travel Time-1.2 Hours
Kings County Kings County was originally a part of Tulare County. It was founded on March 22, 1893. In 1908 another 100 square miles of territory from Fresno County was added . It derived its name from the Kings River which, according to Padre Munoz' diary of the Moraga Expedition of 1806, was discovered in 1805 by an exploring expedition and named Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings). County Seat-Hanford Population-118,200 Distance-38 miles Travel Time-45 Minutes
Kern County Kern County was established on April 2, 1866. Kern County, like so many other counties, derived its name from a river in the area. In Kern County it was the Kern River which was named for Edward Kern, topographer of General John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition. County Seat-Bakersfield Population-628,200 Distance-107 miles Travel Time-1.5 Hours
Stanislaus County Created April 1, 1854. The county is named for the Stanislaus River, first discovered by Gabriel |
