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              FRESNO   COUNTY
EMPLOYMENT-LEADING MANUFACTURERS
3RD QUARTER 1957
(Ranked by Payroll)
Food & Kindred Products	
Transportation Equipment  	
Lumber and Wood Products . . .
Machinery (except electrical) .
Chemicals and Allied Products
Printing and Publishing  	
Total   	
Number
ol Firms
Employees
Payrolls
117
6,712
$ 6,240,227
14
2,349
3,228,509
37
1,389
1,688,539
37
1,204
1,443,287
15
782
1,079,756
45
724
920,516
265
13,160
$14,600,834
BUSINESS PATTERNS 3RD QUARTER 1957
Mining   	
Manufacturing
Construction
Utilities  	
Trade    	
Finance   	
Service    	
Other   	
Total   ....
Retail Trade
Food Group	
Eating-Drink. Places   	
General Merchandise	
Apparel	
Furniture-Household Appl	
Automotive	
Service Sta. & Parts	
Lumber, Hardware & Implements
Drug Stores  	
All Other Retail	
Total   ■.	
The Market Picture
The comments above reflect location factors relative to industrial
markets in the immediate Fresno
County area. Naturally you will consider location in respect to specific
markets for products and availability
of raw materials.
Before examining the national advantages of a Fresno County location,
let's pause for a brief look at the consumer markets and population characteristics of the immediate region:
Fresno County, as the central distribution area of a specific part of
California, serves locally four counties—Fresno, Kings, Madera and
Tulare.
The' best population estimates of this
market area at the beginning of 1959
Number
of Firms
Employees
Payrolls
51
1.039
$ 1,594.347
374
15,168
16,964,452
657
5,698
8,332,128
303
6,559
7,953,628
2,972
8,911
23,455,021
360
2,963
3,340,249
1.727
8,236
6,455,201
36
63
44,028
6,573
66,003
$69,124,888
% Change
1956
1957
1956-57
(In Tr
lousands)
$101,404
$109,431
7.9
28,364
29,620
4.4
41,828
42,598
1.8
23,596
24,113
2.2
22,975
21,800
—5.1
64,900
69.071
6.4
44,200
47.091
6.5
49,143
48,956
—0.4
12,550
13.786
9.8
64,389
67,472
4.8
$453,349
$473,938
4.5
put the total population at slightly
more than 570,000. The total retail
sales to this population reached more
than $750 million.
The Fresno Bee in its 1959 Consumer Analysis reported that the effective buying income of Fresno County
rose from $360.7 million in 1948 to
more than $597 million in 1958.
Taking the state of California alone
as a market, economists have estimated that it will be the nation's most
heavily populated state by 1965. This
estimate is based on the state's rate of
growth since 1940 which is 104% as
opposed to the national average of
29%.
A comprehensive study of the
Fresno Metropolitan Trade Area is
now under way by Victor Gruen As
sociates. The research firm was retained by the City of Fresno, the
"Fresno Hundred Percenters" (a private group of downtown businessmen,
property owners and merchants), and
by the Redevelopment Agency of the
City of Fresno in the fall of 1958 to
study the future and make plans for
the redevelopment of the entire central area of the city of Fresno. Some
of the facts developed to date in the
study are pertinent to this report.
The accompanying charts were prepared by the Division of Business of
the Fresno State College and represent
findings presented in the Gruen study.
The first tabulation projects population for twenty-one years in the
Fresno Trade Area. Growth in Fresno
County is seen to be more rapid than
other counties in the area. Thus,
while only 51.02 per cent of the Trade
Area Population resided in Fresno
County in 1958, it is estimated that
57.05 per cent will be in the county
by 1980.
The second tabulation presents estimates of buying power (presented in
terms of constant dollars of 1958 buying power) in the area for selected
years between 1958 and 1980. Estimates are based on data presented in
Table One and the following assumptions: (1) buying power is estimated to be 70 per cent of disposable
personal income; (2) "real" incomes
(living standards) will rise 1.8 per
cent per year; (3) an additional
amount equal to 7 per cent of personal
income will be spent by business firms
in retail stores and shops.
The rate of growth of buying power
exceeds that of population for the entire Fresno Metropolitan Trade Area
and for each of the counties included
in the area. This, of course, follows
partly from the assumption (2) above,
but as the Gruen study states, it is
also ". . . due to the [Fresno] area
exerting itself as a true metropolis and
regaining certain of its sales which are
presently lost to the San Francisco
and Los Angeles metropolitan areas."
There are several reasons why
Fresno County offers much for manufacturers seeking to reach this mammoth market. First, even though the
county is within convenient overnight
surface freight distance from both the
Bay Area and the Los Angeles area,
it is not congested. Having planned
for long-range growth, Fresno Coun-
tians can observe a growing population
without experiencing "standing-room-
only" problems. Second, modern high-
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INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
September, 1959
FRESNO   COUNTY
ways and transportation services are
developed to accommodate considerably more traffic than is immediately
foreseeable. In fact, plans for additional facilities are more than enough to
meet even the most exacting demands.
Third, there is no power problem.
Each of these factors will be treated
separately  later.
Colorful History
The county has an interesting and
colorful history. It has experienced
much the same sort of turbulent,
rapid growth which is a characteristic
of the west.
The original citizens of the county
were Yokut Indians. Originally numbering over 10,000, the Yokuts were
a healthy, energetic people enjoying a
primitive, though efficient, society.
The coming of the white man marked
the virtual extinction of the Yokuts
who eventually succumbed to many
of civilization's ills. Today only a few
remain.
The actual creation of the county did
not occur until April 19, 1856 when
the California legislature formed it
from parts of Merced and Mariposa
Counties. Small settlements of gold
miners had been established along the
streams and rivers. The largest of these
settlements was Millerton, which was
proclaimed the county seat.
The history of these early days reads
like a novel of the wild west. Progress
was debatable, though growth was
swift. A succession of hard-case
sheriffs and harder-case outlaws
roamed the Valley floor. However-
this era was rather mercifully shortlived and a succession of floods,
and outraged citizens imposed order
and peace in the County.
Fresno County's real era of progress
opened with the establishment of a
Central Pacific railhead and telegraph
office. It was named "Fresno Station."
Before long, citizens of the area began
to recognize the wisdom of having the
county seat adjacent to the railroad
and the new Fresno was brought into
being in 1874. The city was officially  incorporated   in   1885.
The colorful, aggressive spirit which
is part of the county's history is very
much in evidence today in the "boom-
town" atmosphere and enthusiasm of
the people.
Transportation
Geographical characteristics of
Fresno County have dictated an
unusual transportation network. Both
GRUEN STUDY TABULATIONS
TABLE I
Present and Projected Population, Fresno Metropolitan Trade Area, 1958-1980
1958
Fresno County     344,400
Tulare  County     151,200
Merced County    86.900
Kings County    47,800
Madera County    39,910
Mariposa County  4,870
Total      675.080
% Increase
1965
1970
1980
1958-1980
442.000
503,000
650,000
88.73%
165.000
179,000
212,000
40.21%
104.300
117,000
142.000
63.41%
64.000
72,000
85,000
77.82%
41,200
42,200
44,000
M.75%
5.400
5.500
5,700
17.04%
821,900
918,700        1,139,300        68.77%
Source: Victor Gruen Associates, Central Area—Fresno, California, Vol. I, Research and
Basic Planning.
Population growth is projected for a twenty-year period. The counties tabulated are considered
part of the Fresno Trade Area. Note that while only 51.02 per cent of the total Trade Area
population now resides in Fresno County proper, by 1980 it is estimated that 57.05 per cent
will be in the county.
Buying Power—Retail Sales to 1
Area   (000),   1958-1980.
TABLE 2
idividuals and Fam
'lies in the
Fresno Metrop
slitan Trade
1958
1965
1970
1980
% Increase
1958-1980
Fresno County . . .
Tulare County  . . .
Merced County . .
Kings County   . . .
Madera County . .
Mariposa    County
$404,479*
174,108
100,065
55,040
45,957
5,608
$   594,502*      $
213,937
136,659
82,982
53,420
6,315
718,333*
250.639
163,826
100,817
59,088
7,702
$1,065,674*
340,792
228,266
136,635
71,693
9,161
163.5%
95.7%
128.1%
148.2%
56.0%
63.4%
Total    	
$785,257
$1,077,815        $1,300,405
$1,852,221
135.9%
*Dollars of 1958 purchasing power.
Source:  Victor Gruen  Associates,  Central Area—
and Basic Planning.
-Fresno,  California,  Vol.
1,   Research
These estimates of buying power are presented in terms of constant dollars of 1958 buying
power. It is assumed that buying power is 70 per cent of disposable income and living standards
will rise by a factor of 1.8 per cent per year. Part of the total represents retail purchases of
business firms.
the eastern and western parts of the
county are mountainous and have
caused most of the population and industry to gravitate toward the central
or narrowest part of the area. A highly
developed system of national, state,
county and city roads is designed
primarily on a north-south grid connecting all parts of the area conveniently. The major north-south
highway, U.S. 99, is a multilane expressway and construction of a full
freeway through the county is nearing
completion. State highways 41, 145,
168, 180, and 198 radiate from the
metropolitan center to the national
parks, the Sierras and to the coast. In
the county there are nearly 500 miles
of state highways and about 4,000
miles of county roads of which about
one-fourth are primary roads. The projected super highway No. 5 will tra
verse the west side of the county in a
direct north-south line between Los
Angeles and San Francisco. Twenty-
one major trucking firms operate frequent scheduled and non-scheduled
services.
Both the Southern Pacific and Santa
Fe Railroads run main lines through
the county. Connections with a series
of branch lines make virtually every
community in the county accessible by
rail.
Three municipally operated airports
in addition to thirteen private fields
make Fresno county unusually air-
minded. Two scheduled airlines operate out of the Fresno municipal airport—United Airlines and Trans World
Airlines. In addition three feeder lines
are currently applying for C.A.B.'s
permit for service within the area. The
main county airfield is new and well
September, 1959
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
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