Tulare, Charter city in Tulare County, California, US
Tulare is a charter city in Tulare County, California, set in the middle of the Central Valley where irrigated fields and pastures spread in every direction. The streets run in a grid, interrupted by low commercial buildings, residential neighborhoods and scattered clusters of trees that provide shade.
The town incorporated on April 5, 1888, when settlers moved into the Central Valley and established farms that took advantage of the fertile soil. The railroad soon linked the place to other California cities, promoting the transport of fruit and vegetables north and south.
The name comes from the Spanish word for tule reed that once grew around nearby Tulare Lake, marking the early character of the region. Today residents use the town as a hub for shopping, schooling and community gatherings that shape everyday routines across the valley.
Several highway exits lead directly into town, where you find gas stations, grocery stores and small restaurants along the main roads. Summer days get very hot, so light clothing and plenty of drinking water are helpful when spending time outdoors.
The vanished Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, but today only the town name remains as a reminder of that vast body of water. Heavy rains sometimes refill shallow depressions nearby, revealing where the old shoreline used to reach.
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