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White Eyes Rural SchoolPhoto: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Fresno

Fresno’s post office opened in 1905, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1911 on.

1905first post office
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Fresno began

When was Fresno founded?

1905

The Fresno post office opened in 1905, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 140121 years
Founding year: the first Fresno post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Fresno’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fresno are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Fresno’s homes were built before 1942.On the map since 19116 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1993. Watch Fresno change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fresno’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fresno’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Fresno came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fresno.

Read it all →

Fresno was originally called Jacktown. The residents apparently didn't like the name Jacktown, and the community was renamed Avondale by popular vote. A post office was established under the name Avondale in 1875, and the name of the post office was changed to Fresno in 1905.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Fresno on the map, 1911 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fresno. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fresno on the 1911 USGS mapFresno on the 1943 USGS mapFresno on the 1961 USGS mapFresno on the 1978 USGS mapFresno on the 1984 USGS mapFresno on the 1993 USGS map1911Newcomerstown sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fresno.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Fresno

Nobody well known was born in Fresno itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
V
Vesta WilliamsAmerican R&B singer · b. 1957
Alexander Helwig WyantAmerican painter · b. 1836
William BurressAmerican actor · b. 1867
Arthur P. LamneckAmerican politician · b. 1880
Benjamin Harrison EatonUnion Army officer · b. 1833
Bob BrenlyAmerican baseball player, manager, and commenta… · b. 1954

Questions about Fresno’s history

What year was Fresno founded?

The Fresno post office opened in 1905, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.