The California Gold Rush led to the establishment of Fresno County in 1856. As part of its new Southern Pacific railway line, the Central Pacific Railroad built a station near Easterby's in 1872. In the years that followed, a store was built near the station, which grew into Fresno Station. Many Millerton residents who were worried about flooding in their town were drawn by the railroad's convenience and relocated to Fresno Station.

Millerton County residents decided in 1874 to move the county seat from Millerton to Fresno due to the rapid growth of Fresno Station. This is how Fresno became the county seat of Fresno County. Still, it did not become an incorporated city until 1885.

In the years following World War II, row crops, and orchards gave way to urban development. The discovery of oil in the western part of Fresno County, near Coalinga, sparked an economic boom in the 1900s. By 1910, the Coalinga oil field had grown to be the largest and most productive oil field in Fresno County.

Fresno County is in the state of California's central region. It is part of a thriving metropolitan area with a population of around a million people. It is the fifth most populous city in California, and with its rapid growth, it will undeniably rise higher.

Fresno is the Spanish for "ash tree." It received its name from the abundance of the scrubby local ash tree lining the San Joaquin River. It was once a traditional homeland for the people of Mono and Yokuts. Spaniards later settled there while in search of a suitable mission site. It became a part of the United States in 1846 because of the Mexican war.

Fresno County's settlement was not without its conflicts, border disputes, and other natural disasters. Floods and fires wreaked havoc everywhere, and the settlers of Fresno County were no exception. The most devastating of the early day fires wiped out an entire block of Fresno in 1882, and it was accompanied by another disastrous blaze in 1883. Electricity, irrigation, and extensive agriculture were introduced into the area by the Residents.