Fresno County (California, USA)
Fresno County, California, in the geographical center of the state, lies in the center of California's great interior San Joaquin Valley. It contains 5,950 square miles and had a population of 300,000 in the mid-1950s (930,000 in 2008). The raisin center of the world, it is the nation's largest grower of grapes, figs, and cotton. It also produces citrus fruits, grain, alfalfa, dairy products, livestock, melons, vegetables, poultry, petroleum, and lumber. The first Mennonite settlers arrived in the county in 1904. Approximately 2,300 adult Mennonites in 1954 lived in the south central part of the county, 70 percent of whom were Mennonite Brethren, 28 percent General Conference Mennonites, and the remainder Evangelical Mennonite Brethren and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren. Five churches served these groups. The Pacific Bible Institute (now Fresno Pacific University), operated by the Mennonite Brethren, is located in the city of Fresno. The Mennonite Home for the Aged, located within the county in Reedley, later known as Palm Haven, is owned by the Mennonite Brethren.
| Author(s) | John H Ensz |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Ensz, John H. "Fresno County (California, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fresno_County_(California,_USA)&oldid=141373.
APA style
Ensz, John H. (1956). Fresno County (California, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fresno_County_(California,_USA)&oldid=141373.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 395. All rights reserved.
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