Timeline of Fresno, California

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Fresno, California, USA.

19th century

* 1856 – Fresno County formed in 1856 with Millerton, a settlement along the San Joaquin River, as the county seat.
* 1865 – William Helm brings his wife and his sheep to the valley floor area south of Millerton.
* 1870 - ''Weekly Expositor'' newspaper in publication.
* 1872 – Fresno station founded by the Central Pacific Railroad Company
* 1874 – County seat of Fresno County moves from Millerton to Fresno due to population growth.
* 1875
** Fresno County Courthouse built.
** Central California Colony established south of Fresno, creating a successful model for attracting settlers.
* 1876 – '' Fresno Morning Republican'' newspaper in publication.
* 1877 – Fresno Volunteer Fire Department organized.
* 1881 - William Helm bought the block bounded by Fresno, R, Merced and S Streets from Louis Einstein.
* 1882 – St. John Church built.
* 1884 – Big Fresno Fair begins.
* 1885 – Fresno incorporated.
* 1889 – Meux Home built.
* 1890
** Barton opera house opens.
** Population exceeds 10,000.
* 1892 - Street cars introduced
* 1893 – Fresno Free Public Library opens.
* 1894
** Fresno Parlor Lecture Club organized.
** Fresno Water Tower built.
** San Francisco-Fresno bike messenger service (during the Pullman Strike) initiated.
* 1899 – Santa Fe Passenger Depot opens.
* 1900 – Population: 12,470.

20th century

1900s–1940s

* 1901
** Fresno City Railway in operation.
** Fresno Buddhist Temple founded.
* 1904 – Gottschalks shop in business.
* 1904 - First Butcher Shop Opened by Andrew David Green
* 1906 – Forestiere Underground Gardens begin developing.
* 1908 – '' Asparēz'' Armenian/English-language newspaper begins publication.
* 1909 – Raisin Day festival begins.
* 1910 – Fresno Junior College opens.
* 1911
**Fresno State Normal School founded.
** Sunnyside Country Club opens.
* 1913 – Commercial Club organized.
* 1914 – Holy Trinity Church built.
* 1918
** Sun-Maid raisin facility begins operating.
** Bank of Italy building constructed.
* 1919 – Fresno Historical Society and Temple Beth Israel founded.
* 1921 – Fresno State College established.
* 1922 - KMJ 580AM Radio begins broadcasting.
* 1922 – ''Fresno Bee'' newspaper begins publication.
* 1923
** Fort Washington Golf and Country Club established.
** San Joaquin Light and Power Corporation Building constructed.
* 1925 – Security Pacific Bank Building constructed.
* 1926 – Fresno State Stadium dedicated.
* 1928 – Pantages Theater opens.
* 1929
** Roeding Park Zoo opens.
** Z. S. Leymel becomes mayor.
** Chandler Airport opens as area's primary airport.
* 1932 – Fresno Memorial Auditorium built.
* 1935 – Academy (social group) formed.
* 1939 – Tower Theatre opens.
* 1942 – U.S. Air Force Hammer Airfield and Japanese American internment camp in use.
* 1944 – Pacific Bible Institute founded.
* 1946 – Sierra Sky Park Airport residential aviation community established near city.
* 1947 – Fresno Air National Guard Base, Hammer Field National Guard training area and Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno Air Terminal established, becoming primary hub of commercial aviation instead of Chandler Airport.
* 1948 – Azteca Theater (California), Azteca Theater built.

1950s–1990s

* 1954 – Peoples Church and Fresno Philharmoni

founded.
* 1955 – Bernice F. Sisk becomes U.S. representative for California's 12th congressional district.
* 1960 – Mexican American Political Association founded.
* 1961 – City of Fresno Takes over Fresno Area Express, municipal bus service.
* 1962 – National Farm Workers Association, Farm Workers Association founding meeting held in Fresno.
* 1964
** Fulton Mall (Fresno), Fulton Mall dedicated.
* 1966
** Fresno Convention Center complex built.
** Fresno County Courthouse rebuilt.
* 1967 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Catholic Diocese of Fresno established.
* 1968 - Woodward Park (Fresno), Woodward Park opened in north Fresno.
* 1969 – Kiddie Kinema movie theatre opens.
* 1970
** Fashion Fair Mall in business.
** Population: 167,927.
* 1973 – Good Company Players founded.
* 1977 – KVPT, KMTF television begins broadcasting.
* 1983 – ''Fresno Metronews'' begins publication.
* 1984
**Nanaksar Gurdwara founded.
**Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science, Fresno Metropolitan Museum established.
* 1989
** Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill closes.
** Karen Humphrey becomes mayor.
* 1990
** ''Vida en el Valle'' Spanish/English-language newspaper begins publication.
** Population: 354,202.
* 1992 – ''Hmong Times'' newspaper in publication.
* 1993
** ''Hmong Today (television program), Hmong Today'' (television program) begins broadcasting.
** San Joaquin Valley Heritage & Genealogy Center establishe

** Jim Patterson (California politician), Jim Patterson becomes mayor.
* 1996 – Tahoe Joe's restaurant in business.
* 1997
** Community Food Bank activ

** River Park (Fresno, California), River Park shopping center in business.
* 1998
** City website online.
** Fresno Grizzlies baseball team formed.
** Fresno Stadium 22 cinema opens.
* 2000
** University High School (Fresno), University High School established.
** Mormon Fresno California Temple dedicated.

21st century

*2001
** Alan Autry becomes Mayor
* 2002
** Grizzlies Stadium opens.
* 2003
** Save Mart Center (arena) opens.
** Ani-Jam anime convention begins.
* 2005
** Woodward Shakespeare Festival and Artists' Repertory Theatre founded.
** Jim Costa becomes U.S. representative for California's 20th congressional district.
** Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse, Coyle United States Courthouse built.
* 2008 – Neighborhood Thrift shop in business.
* 2009 – Ashley Swearengin becomes mayor.
* 2010
** Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science, Fresno Metropolitan Museum closes.
** Population reaches 494,665 people.
* 2013 – Poet laureate inaugurated.
* 2014
** Bitwise Industries launches, bringing a technology and entrepreneur community together. Starts with Bitwise Mural District, and more Fresno campuses follow.
**Fresno General Plan adopted, becoming the first one in decades to not expand the Sphere of Influence.
* 2015
** On January 6, Governor Jerry Brown attends a groundbreaking ceremony for California High-Speed Rail in downtown Fresno at the future location of Fresno's High Speed Rail Station.
** Fresno Declares Drought; worst recorded precipitation levels; 130 years. Water Use Reduction/Conservation Begins.
* 2017 – 2017 Fresno shootings, Fresno shootings.
* 2020
** Population reaches 542,161 people.
* 2021
** Former Police Chief Jerry Dyer becomes Fresno's 26th mayor.

See also

* Fresno, California#History, History of Fresno
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Fresno County, California
* Timelines of other List of cities and towns in California, cities in the Northern California area of California: Timeline of Mountain View, California, Mountain View, Timeline of Oakland, California, Oakland, Timeline of Sacramento, California, Sacramento, Timeline of San Francisco, San Francisco, Timeline of San Jose, California, San Jose

References

Further reading

Books

;Published in the 19th century
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;Published in the 20th century
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* Waiczis, Michael R., and William B. Secrest, Jr. ''A Portrait of Fresno, 1885–1985'': A Publication of the Centennial History Committee. Fresno: Centennial History Committee, 1985.
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;Published in the 21st century
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Periodicals

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* "Fresno Past and Present", ''Quarterly Journal of the Fresno City and County Historical Society''. Fresno: The Society, 1959-
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series
of articles about Fresno)
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Travel guides

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External links

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Items related to Fresno
various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)

Materials related to Fresno, California
various dates (via US Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division)

{{Fresno

History of Fresno, California
Timelines of cities in California, fresno