Fresno is the closest big city to the geographical center of California (in North Fork), and it’s near several renowned recreation destinations, including Yosemite National Park and Sierra National Forest.
So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that the area is attracting new residents. Between July 2015 and July 2016, the metro area’s population grew from 972,130 to 979,915, a growth rate of .8 percent, according to the latest census data.
Some of that recent population growth comes from new births and immigration, but a lot of it is due to people moving into Fresno from other places, especially other places in California. From 2011 to 2015, 31,581 people moved to Fresno County from elsewhere in the U.S., according to another census study that covers those years. The Fresno metro area is in Fresno County, and, according to the census definitions, the two have the same borders and same population.
That same study gives us a good idea of where those new Fresno residents are coming from. The vast majority, 81 percent, is coming from within the state, and 19 percent is moving to Fresno from out of state.
Among the out-of-state pool, the top 25 counties of origin are quite spread out. There is also a surprisingly large number of movers from Alaska.
Below are rankings for the top five counties of origin for movers to Fresno County:
Movers outside of California:
- Clark County, NV (Las Vegas)
- Josephine County, OR (Grants Pass)
- Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix)
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK (southwest of Anchorage)
- Multnomah County, OR (Portland)
Movers from California:
- Los Angeles County
- Tulare County
- Kern County
- Madera Cruz County
- Kings County
Above are the top places inside California that people moved to Fresno County from over the five-year period 2011-2015. Numbers represent the number of movers from that place during the period.
Sources:
USGS Feature Detail Report for North Fork
U.S. Census Bureau
