Visalia Metropolitan Area

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**Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area**
[[Image:{{{map}}}\|200px\|center\|Map of the {{{name}}}]] Common name: {{{name}}}
Largest city Other cities	Visalia - Tulare - Porterville - Dinuba - Orosi - Lindsay - Exeter - Cutler
Population	Ranked 114^nd in the U.S.
- Total	410,874^[1]
- Density	/sq. mi. /km²
Area	sq. mi. km²
State(s)	California
Elevation
- Highest point	{{{highest_ft}}} feet ({{{highest_m}}} m)
- Lowest point	{{{lowest_ft}}} feet ({{{lowest_m}}} m)

The Greater Visalia Area is a metropolitan statistical area in Central California known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. With a population estimated at 410,874, it is the sixth largest metropolitan statistical area in California's expansive Central Valley, following Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, and Modesto. Statewide it is ranked 15th in population, while it is the 114th largest metro area (MSA) in the United States.

1 Population Centers
2 Agriculture
3 Air Pollution
4 "Sequoia Valley. As Big As It Gets."
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Population Centers

There are three main population centers in the Visalia Metropolitan Area: Visalia (population 117,774), Tulare (population 55,935) and Porterville (population 51,467).

Visalia is the main regional center with a vibrant downtown and a strip known as Mooney Boulevard, which includes 2 indoor malls and numerous big-box shopping centers.

The large population of the area is somewhat deceiving, as it is spread out among miles of farmland. Most of the population is centered in the Visalia-Tulare area, accounting for almost half of the entirety of the residents of the area. Porterville and Dinuba, the two other population centers, are a nearly 30 minute drive each in either direction from Downtown Visalia.

[edit] Agriculture

Agriculture forms the backbone of the Visalia area. The cities are surrounded by fertile land that export an abundance of crops, most notably cotton and milk. Tulare County, which encompasses the metro area, is the most productive county in the United States in terms of agricultural revenues, making US$3.5 billion in 2001.

[edit] Air Pollution

The geographic location of the Visalia Metropolitan Area (between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Francisco bay), along with widespread agricultural burning, has led to the area being identified by the American Lung Association as one of the United States' metropolitan areas with the worst air pollution. [1]

[edit] "Sequoia Valley. As Big As It Gets."

Recently the area has become known as "Sequoia Valley" due to its close proximity to Sequoia National Park. Local officials have proposed this name in an effort to ignite business interest in the area and spark its lagging tourism industry.

"The list of superlatives in Tulare County is amazing," said Don McEachern, CEO of North Star Communication Strategies. "You've got the tallest mountain, the largest tree and the most milk production of any county in the nation. And no one knows about it." [2].

It is important to note that this name does not designate "Sequoia Valley" as separate from the San Joaquin Valley. It simply designates the area around Visalia-Porterville as a distinct community.