Fresno, California
Fresno is located in the central San Joaquin Valley 175 miles south of the San Francisco/Bay Area, 215 miles north of Los Angeles, and 110 miles east of the central coast. Overnight access to the state’s northern, southern and coastal markets is provided by connectivity to California’s two major Freeways: Interstate 5 and Highway 99. The county has a diverse population of approximately 1.5 Million people and is growing at a rapid pace. Covering an area of more than 6,000 square miles, Fresno is the state’s fifth largest city and remains California’s best kept secret.
Fresno is the larger principal city of the Fresno-Madera CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fresno (Fresno County) and Madera (Madera County) metropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 922,516 at the 2000 census. The MSA for Fresno and the surrounding area exceeds 1,500,000 people. Fresno serves as the economic hub of Fresno County and California’s San Joaquin Valley. The unincorporated area and rural cities surrounding Fresno remain predominantly tied to large-scale agricultural production.