Metropolitan Fresno, officially Fresno–Madera, CA CSA, is a metropolitan area in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, consisting of
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
and
Madera counties. It is the third-largest
metropolitan region
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
in
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
, behind the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
and
Greater Sacramento
The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...
. It is also the 49th-largest CSA in the U.S. as of
2010 census.
Metropolitan Fresno is anchored by
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
, the fifth-largest city in California and the 35th-largest in the United States. The metropolitan area is located in the
Central Valley, which is one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. It has a large agricultural economy despite being increasingly urbanized. In more recent years, statewide
droughts in California
The historical and ongoing droughts in California result from various complex meteorological phenomena, some of which are not fully understood by scientists.
Drought is generally defined as “a deficiency of precipitation over an extended peri ...
have further strained both the Fresno metropolitan area's and the entire Central Valley's
water security
Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. T ...
.
Counties
Overview
![Downtownfresnoskyline](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Downtownfresnoskyline.jpg)
Metropolitan Fresno, unlike the other metropolitan regions of California, is still largely agricultural, contains a large rural land area and is centered in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
. The metropolitan area is located between the larger metropolitan areas of California, bordering the southernmost boundaries of the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
in the west and separated from the
Greater Sacramento
The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...
and
Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
s to the north and south respectively by long distances of rural areas and farmland. Additionally, the lifestyle and culture of Metropolitan Fresno does not reflect the San Francisco or Sacramento influence as other areas have in Northern California due to distance from the state capital and bordering an unpopulated area of the outskirts of the Bay Area. Instead, Metropolitan Fresno is more influenced by the interior valley region of California although as the area becomes more urbanized, it has become slightly more influenced by the other metropolitan areas of Northern California, particularly the Bay Area.
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
is the largest city in the area and in the Central Valley. Along with
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, it is the economic center of California's interior and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, with the region having a growth of over 20% since 2000. Fresno is a major transportation hub for visitors heading to
Yosemite
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
,
Kings Canyon and
Sequoia National Parks, which are 60 mi (97 km) and 75 mi (121 km) away from Fresno respectively with Fresno being the nearest major city from the parks. The
United States Military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
has a heavy presence in the Fresno area and numerous divisions are based in Metropolitan Fresno, including the
40th Aviation Brigade and
144th Fighter Wing
The 144th Fighter Wing (144 FW) is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Fresno Air National Guard Base, California. As part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force, the wing is operationally gained by th ...
.
Fresno County is the largest agricultural county and has the largest concentration of agriculture than any other county in the United States.
Madera County is primarily an agricultural county as well but its cities serve as suburbs of Fresno. Since 2010, statewide
droughts in California
The historical and ongoing droughts in California result from various complex meteorological phenomena, some of which are not fully understood by scientists.
Drought is generally defined as “a deficiency of precipitation over an extended peri ...
have further strained both the Fresno metropolitan area's and the entire Central Valley's
water security
Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. T ...
.
Geography and climate
Geography
Metropolitan Fresno is primarily located in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
, which in turn is a part of the larger
Central Valley region of California, one of the world's most important agricultural areas. The eastern portions of the area border the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
mountains and the western portions border the
Coast Ranges
The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although the ...
, thus giving the edges of the area higher elevations than the inner valley areas. Several waterways traverse the region, including the
San Joaquin and
Kings rivers, the
Delta-Mendota and
Madera canals, and the
California Aqueduct
The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California. Named after Cali ...
, providing water to crops. The California Aqueduct is one of the world's longest artificial aqueducts.
Climate
Metropolitan Fresno has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Csa'') with some
semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
factors due to its interior location (Köppen ''Bsh''), with mild, moderately wet winters and hot and dry summers. December is the coolest month, with an average of during the day in downtown Fresno while summer temperatures can reach or more. Thick
tule fog
Tule fog () is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Central Valley. Tule fog forms from late fall through early spring (California's winter season) after the first significant rai ...
is present in the valley areas during the winter. Rainfall is most common between December and April while snowfall is sometimes experienced in the higher mountain elevations.
Cities
Census-designated places
*
Auberry
*
Biola
*
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos
Bonadelle Ranchos and Madera Ranchos are a pair of communities in Madera County, California, United States. They are part of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. Prior to 2020, the communities were part of the Bonadelle Ranc ...
*
Bowles
*
Calwa
*
Cantua Creek
*
Caruthers
*
Del Rey
*
Easton
*
Friant
*
Lanare
*
Laton
*
Madera Acres
*
Oakhurst
*
Parksdale
Parksdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States. It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,234 at the 2020 census, up from 2,621 in 2010.
Geography
Parksdale is locate ...
*
Parkwood
*
Raisin City
*
Riverdale
*
Shaver Lake
Shaver Lake is an artificial lake on Stevenson Creek, in the Sierra National Forest of Fresno County, California. At elevation , several smaller streams also flow into the lake, and it receives water from the tunnels of Southern California Edis ...
*
Squaw Valley
*
Tranquillity
Tranquillity (also spelled tranquility) is the quality or state of being tranquil; that is, calm, serene, and worry-free. The word tranquillity appears in numerous texts ranging from the religious writings of Buddhism, where the term ''passaddhi'' ...
*
Yosemite Lakes
Transportation
![2009-0725-CA-FresnoSantaFeStation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/2009-0725-CA-FresnoSantaFeStation.jpg)
Owing to its gateway location to numerous national parks as well as being in between the larger
Greater Los Angeles
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
and
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
and
Greater Sacramento
The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...
regions, Metropolitan Fresno serves as a transportation hub in the California interior. However, unlike the larger metropolitan areas of California, Metropolitan Fresno does not have a large public transit system but is served by numerous freeways and highways.
Highways and freeways
Metropolitan Fresno is served by a large number of highways and freeways that are vital in linking the rest of
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
with
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
and its location in between the three larger metropolitan areas of the state allows for a large trucking industry as well as services to travelers. Highways and freeways in Metropolitan Fresno include:
*
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...
*
State Route 33
*
State Route 41
The following highways are numbered 41:
International
* AH41, Asian Highway 41
* European route E41
Australia
* Olympic Highway
* Mid-Western Highway
Canada
* Alberta Highway 41
* British Columbia Highway 41
* Manitoba Highway 41
* Newfoundlan ...
*
State Route 43
*
State Route 49
*
State Route 63
*
State Route 99
*
State Route 145
*
State Route 152
*
State Route 168
*
State Route 180
*
State Route 198
*
State Route 201
*
State Route 269
Air
The
Fresno Yosemite International Airport
Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military/public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It o ...
is the only commercial airport in the region and is a major gateway into
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
. Additionally, there are several general aviation airports in the area, including
Fresno Chandler Executive Airport
Fresno Chandler Executive Airport is a public use airport west of the central business district of Fresno, California, United States. It is owned by the City of Fresno and managed by the city’s Airports Division.
Chandler Airport opened in N ...
,
Firebaugh Airport
Firebaugh Airport , formerly Q49, is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) west of Firebaugh, serving Fresno County, California, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.
Facilities
Firebaugh Airport covers 37 acres and ...
,
Sierra Sky Park Airport
Sierra Sky Park Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport northwest of the central business district of Fresno, a city in Fresno County, California, United States.
Other area airports are Fresno Chandler Executive Airport and Fresno Yos ...
and
Madera Municipal Airport.
Public transit
Metropolitan Fresno's central California location allows it to be a large rail transport center. Two
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
rail stations are located in the area,
Santa Fe Passenger Depot and
Madera which are on the
San Joaquin line.
Fresno Area Express
Fresno Area Express (FAX), is a public transportation operator in Fresno, California. The system has over 100 buses, 1,606 bus stops, and 18 routes as of August 2022. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . FAX fixed r ...
and Madera County Express serve as bus transit lines connecting to downtown Fresno.
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
and
Orange Belt Stages provide long distance bus travel to the area.
Politics
Unlike the other metropolitan areas of California, Metropolitan Fresno has historically been a strong
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
stronghold and the region reflects the
Coastal California
Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by cultural, economic ...
and interior California divide in which coastal areas and urbanized areas of California tend to lean
Democratic while interior areas tend to lean Republican. Exceptions to this are
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
in Greater Los Angeles, which has been a Republican stronghold since the 1940s, and most of Greater Sacramento, which is a politically competitive area where the major parties are often divided in pluralities although recently there have been Democratic majorities.
Metropolitan Fresno has begun to become a politically competitive region as well, as in the
2008 presidential election, the region was split with Fresno County going for
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
with the majority of the votes, while
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
carried Madera County with a comfortable margin. Locally, Democratic concentrations are found in much of Fresno and most non-agricultural suburbs while Republican concentrations are found in Madera County and most rural towns.
References
{{Coord, 37, -120, type:adm2nd_region:US-CA, display=title
Metropolitan areas of California
Geography of Fresno County, California
Geography of Madera County, California