Sometimes a city's name can be kind of opaque, with its meaning lost to most people. Some names honor a founder or early resident. But others are straight-forward and tell of a town's origins. Take for example Orange Cove. We explore the town's story today on KVPR's Central Valley Roots.
Nestled up against the foothills of the Sierra, Orange Cove is in eastern Fresno County, near the Tulare County line. The surrounding hills and slight rise in elevation here create an area sheltered from the frost that can kill many citrus trees planted elsewhere. And there's no doubt, this is citrus county. You’ll see miles and miles of orange, tangerine, lemon and mandarin groves here.
The city's roots date to 1913 when the Orosi Orange Land Company began subdividing land here. Led by Elmer Sheridan, who is considered the town's founder, Orange Cove incorporated as a city in 1948.
The post war years changed both California and Orange Cove in a big way. As Los Angeles and Orange County grew, Southern California's icon orange groves gave way to homes and factories. Many of Southern California’s citrus growers sold their land and moved north to the Central Valley, expanding their operations in places like Orange Cove.
A bitter freeze in the winter of 1990 & 1991 destroyed much of the citrus crop and damaged groves, but new innovations like seedless mandarins have since revitalized the citrus industry.
