Fresno

City in central California, USA, 260 km/161 mi southeast of San Francisco; seat of Fresno County; population (2000) 427,700. It is the processing and marketing centre for the San Joaquin Valley, one of the richest agricultural districts in the USA. It is irrigated by the Fresno River and the Delta-Mendota canal, and is a major producer of fruit and vegetables – especially grapes for raisins and wine making. Industries include glass, machinery, fertilizers, and vending machines, and the Fresno petroleum field is one of the richest in the state.

Fresno was settled in 1872, and was originally a stop on the Central Pacific Railroad; it was incorporated in 1885.

It is the seat of Fresno Pacific College (1944) and California State University-Fresno (1911). The Sun Maid raisin-processing plant is here. The writer William Saroyan was born in Fresno.