Fresno Tutors Come To You

Considered the “Gateway to Yosemite,” Fresno, California, located in the Central Valley, is the fifth-largest city in the state. Some believed Leland Stanford crazy when he founded the city as a station for the Central Pacific Railroad in 1872. After all, the area was little more than barren plain with a few oak and ash trees. Stanford, however, saw its potential and not long after the establishment of Fresno (the name is Spanish for ash tree) farmers flooded into the valley, irrigating a wide variety of crops with water from the nearby San Joaquin and Kings rivers. Residents of nearby Millerton, the original seat of Fresno County, began moving into Fresno to escape the flooding San Joaquin. Fresno grew quickly with more than 10,000 residents by 1890. The city’s diverse population included Chinese who came to build the railroad, Scandinavian and Japanese farmers, Germans, Russians and a large group of Armenians led by the Seropian Brothers who were the first Armenians to set up a business in Fresno. After the Ottoman Empire’s genocide attempt against the Armenians during World War I even more came to the Fresno area making them, for a time, the largest minority group in the valley. As the farms and orchards began to prosper, Mexican farm laborers also came to Fresno. Agricultural expansion meant growth for other businesses in Fresno and streetcars were introduced in 1892 as the city spread out across the valley. Today, Fresno is at the center of the most important agricultural region in the nation with sales exceeding $3 billion a year. Major crops include cotton, almonds, grapes, citrus and tomatoes.

It’s likely that a Fresno tutor will keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take time away from the books to enjoy the exciting things to do in Fresno and the surrounding area. Just two hours from Fresno, Yosemite National Park is arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Carved out of granite millions of years ago, Yosemite is an amazing combination of rock cliffs, towering waterfalls, crystal-clear creeks, giant Sequoia trees and quiet meadows. Hikers will revel in the more than 800-miles of trails within the park’s boundaries. From the main parking lot, it’s just a half mile to the stunning views at the base of Bridalveil Falls. More adventurous trekkers may challenge Half Dome Trail, a grueling 14-miles with an elevation gain of nearly 5,000 feet.

Opened in the early 1900’s, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is 39-acres in Roeding Park. The zoo is home to 190 species of animals with mammals such as African elephants, lions, Malayan tigers and red kangaroos and birds such as flamingos and brown pelicans. Attractions include the African Adventure, a 13-acre area which creates a naturalistic habitat mimicking the plains and savannas of Africa. Animals include cheetahs, white rhinos and giraffe. Roo Walkabout takes visitors through an exhibit which features kangaroos, emus and kookaburras. For youngsters, Valley Farm is a petting zoo with farm animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.

Inspired by Fresno’s often scorching summer temperatures, Italian immigrant Baldasare Forestiere went underground, building an amazing architectural structure below Fresno’s surface. The Forestiere Underground Gardens include summer and winter bedrooms, a kitchen, bath, parlor with a fireplace and a fish pond. Plants and trees benefit from the skylights throughout the structure as well as the constant temperatures. Some of the vegetation is over 100-years old. The Gardens are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.