FRESNO

city, seat (1874) of Fresno county, central California, U.S., in the San Joaquin Valley. Settled in 1872 as a station on the Central (later Southern) Pacific Railroad, it became an agricultural community after the introduction of irrigation in the 1880s. It processes and markets cotton, grain, fruits, wines, sugar beets, and dairy products and is the site of the huge Sun Maid Raisin processing plant. Fresno (Spanish: Ash Tree) is headquarters of the Sierra National Forest and is a gateway to resort areas of the Sierra Nevadas. It is the home of California State University, Fresno (1911), Fresno Pacific College (1944), and Fresno City College (1910). Inc. 1885. Pop. (1990) city, 354,202; Fresno MSA, 667,490.