Porterville, Charter city in Tulare County, United States
Porterville is a small city in Tulare County, California, spread at the base of the Sierra Nevada across the eastern San Joaquin Valley. Nearby Success Lake offers water sports and recreation in an otherwise dry landscape surrounded by orange and olive groves.
Royal Porter Putnam founded Porter Station in 1864, a simple stopping point that later became a hotel and laid the foundation for present-day Porterville. The settlement grew rapidly when the railroad and irrigated farming transformed the region's economy.
The Tule River Indian Tribe maintains strong connections to the area, representing Yokuts, Yowlumne, Wukchumnis, Western Mono, and Tübatulabal communities. This presence remains visible in the daily life of the town, bringing centuries-old traditions into the present.
The town sits roughly 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of State Highway 99 and roughly an hour from Bakersfield or Fresno. Access from the valley to the Sierra runs through open farmland and soon reaches the first foothills.
Three buildings in town appear in the National Registry of Historic Places: the Zalud House, the Art Deco Post Office, and the Gothic Revival First Congregational Church. Each one shows a different era of local architecture and tells the story of how the town developed.
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