General Information

Before any towns existed within Kings County, a handful of pioneers called it home.
The Landmark tree, a huge sycamore located on Lacey Boulevard near Avenue 18-3/4, stood as a beacon to guide early settlers over the otherwise barren valley floor. Cattlemen and gold miners initially settled along the Kings river; and farmers, storekeepers and oilmen later followed.

In 1877, the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad brought additional growth and new arrivals from around the world.
In 1893, local voters approved the formation of a new county when a portion of Northern Tulare county was divided to form Kings County.

Today, Kings County combines its relation with it's colorful past history with a optimistic and enthusiastic vision for it's future.

County Seat: Hanford
County Population: 154, 434
Population per Square Mile: 104.05
Total Assessed Value: $5.9 Billion
Land Area (Square Miles): 1,391
Earthquake index: 0.4
Railroads: Burlington Northern & Santa Fe, Union Pacific & San Joaquin Valley Railroad.

Major Roads: Interstate 5, Highway 41, Highway 43 & Highway 198
County Elevation: 175 feet above sea level at Tulare Lake to 3500 feet above sea level at the Kings County/Monterey County Boundary.

Agricultural Information

Total Acres: 890,545
Total Harvested Crop Acreage: 655,132
Foreign Ownership: 4009 Acres
Total Farmland: 749,100 Acres
Public Ownership of Land (acres):

Federal - 27,313.76
State - 4,015.99
County - 1.421.61
Local Agencies - 3,587.01

Average length of growing season: 257 days
Average date of last spring frost: March 3
Average climate:
196 sunny clear days, 74 partly cloudy days & 95 cloudy days
Average date of first fall frost: November 18