-
- Town
112,663
65%
$84,119
34.5%
America/Los_Angeles
93611 93612 93619
Welcome:
The WikiXM 'Clovis' platform is your gateway to becoming an active part of our vibrant community, regardless of your age or how long you've called 'Clovis' home. It's more than just a news platform; it's a thriving hub where the collective wisdom of every 'Clovis' resident converges to ignite discussions, foster learning, and empower one another with knowledge about our beloved town.
Here in 'Clovis', we have a diverse tapestry of residents. Some have roots that run deep, their knowledge steeped in the rich history of our town. Others are students, dedicated to keeping us updated on school activities, while many are committed to sharing the ebb and flow of daily life.
What's more, from a civic and political perspective, there are countless opportunities for you to join in. Many in our community offer updates on policies and decisions, offering their unique insights. This platform is where all these local perspectives meld together, creating a better place for everyone to live, regardless of your age or how long you've been a part of 'Clovis'.
So, whether you're a long-time resident or a newcomer, young or old, WikiXM is your invitation to dive into the heart of our community, to engage, and help us all create a more vibrant, inclusive, and connected 'Clovis'. Join us and let's make a difference together!
Clovis, CA - History
We would like to provide the residents of Clovis a basic history overview.
Welcome to the Clovis Home page. The Clovis Home page provides as much information as possible on Clovis. Knowing Clovis’s history is essential to guiding its future. Within Clovis’s Home page, you will also find Clovis’s Founders, Holiday, and Birthday sections.
Clovis has a population of 112663. 49.3% of Clovis’s inhabitants are Male, and 50.7 are female. 51.5% of Clovis is married and 65.1% own their own home. The Average Home price is $339,230, and the average rent is $1,247. Household median income in Clovis is $84,119, and the individual median income is $38,632. Clovis’s Ethnic is the following: White(67.1%), Hispanic(32.7%), Asian(10.9%), Multiple(9.1%), Other(9%), Black(2.7%), Native(1%), Pacific(0.2%).
The city of Clovis began as a freight stop along the San Joaquin Valley Railroad. Organized on January 15, 1890, by Fresno businessmen Thomas E. Hughes, Fulton Berry, Gilbert R. Osmun, H.D. Colson, John D. Gray, and William M. Williams, in partnership with Michigan railroad speculator Marcus Pollasky, the SJVRR began construction in Fresno on July 4, 1891, and reached the farmlands of Clovis M.
Cole and George Owen by October of that year. The railroad purchased right-of-way from both farmers, half from each – the east side from Cole and the west side from Owen – and ran tracks up the borderline between the two properties. The railroad agreed to establish a station on the west side of the tracks and to call it "Clovis." The Clovis station, which was named after Clovis Cole, was positioned on the Owen side of the track. Cole and Owen later sold land to Marcus Pollasky for the development of a townsite.
Fresno civil engineer Ingvart Tielman mapped the townsite on behalf of Pollasky on December 29, 1891. The original townsite featured streets named for the officers and principal investors of the railroad: (Benjamin) Woodworth, (Marcus) Pollasky, Fulton (Berry), (Thomas) Hughes, (Gerald) Osmun, and (O.
D.) Baron. The townsite, named "Clovis" after Clovis Station by Pollasky, was laid out on what was originally Owen's land. The railroad was completed as far as the town of Hamptonville (now Friant) on the banks of the San Joaquin River, just 26 miles (42 km) from its point of origin in Fresno. Articles of Incorporation for the San Joaquin Valley Railroad indicate that the corporation intended to build 100 miles (160 km) of track, including sidings and spurs, through the agricultural acreage east of Fresno, then north to the timber and mineral resources of the Sierra foothills.
At the time, Hamptonville was called "Pollasky". A celebration of the completion of track-laying was held at the Pollasky terminus on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving of 1891 with a reported 3,000 Fresnans attending. The railroad began official operation in January 1892. The first year of operation of the railroad coincided with the beginnings of a deep national economic decline.
Farmers were unable to get a profitable return on their crops, banks and railroads failed nationwide. The SJVRR was unable to generate sufficient revenues to pay its debt, was leased to the Southern Pacific Railroad and subsequently bought by SPRR in 1893. By reducing the railroad's schedule of operation and trimming costs, the Southern Pacific was able to turn a small profit in the first years after its acquisition. At the same time that the railroad was being planned, a group of Michigan lumbermen began acquiring thousands of acres of timber in the Sierra Nevada about 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Fresno.
A dam was built across Stevenson Creek to create a lake that would enable them to move freshly cut timber to a mill beside the lake. They then constructed a 42-mile (68 km), 25-foot-high (7.6 m), V-shaped flume that started at the foot of the dam. As lumber was rough-cut at the mill, it was loaded into the flume and propelled by water to a planing mill east of the Clovis railroad station, where the Clovis Rodeo and Clark Intermediate School sit today.
The lumber mill and yard had its own network of rails to move lumber around the yard and to connect with the SJVRR just south of Clovis station. The completion in 1894 of the lumber flume and commencement of mill operations provided the impetus for further development of the area around the Clovis Station.
The town began to take shape as lumber yard employees built homes close to their employment. Service businesses, churches, and schools became necessary, and the town was begun. Clovis's first post office opened in 1895. An 1896 newspaper article describes the town as having a population approaching 500 citizens. Clovis was incorporated as a city in February 1912.
Principal streets in the town center were named for the railroad's officers. Fulton Street was later named Front Street, then Main Street, and is now Clovis Avenue. The lumber mill burned in 1914 and was not rebuilt. The grounds are now occupied by Clark Intermediate School and the Clovis Rodeo Grounds.
Clovis has a long history as a western town known for its slogan, "Clovis – A Way of Life". Since 1914, the Clovis Rodeo has been held on the last weekend in April, with a parade on Saturday morning, followed by the rodeo that afternoon and all day Sunday. Also contributing to the "Clovis way of life" are a number of street festivals, including Big Hat Days, ClovisFest, and the weekly Friday Night Farmer's Market held between mid-May and mid-September every year. The last surviving structure built by the railroad is a depot now located near the site of the original Clovis Station.
The earliest photos, from about 1910, show the depot situated in front of the Tarpey winery south of the intersection of Ashlan and Clovis Avenues. In 1999 it was moved to its present location in the town's center, at the northeast corner of Clovis Avenue and Fourth Street, and was restored by the Clovis Big Dry Creek Historical Society with financing, labor, and materials donated by local businesses and contractors. Marcus Pollasky was a lawyer, born in Michigan, living in Chicago just before he came to Fresno.
Throughout his life he tried to create several projects similar to the SJVRR, including projects in Eureka, California, Virginia, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Few were ever actually built. In 1896, Pollasky sued Collis P. Huntington in Los Angeles courts over the money he lost in Fresno, "while engaged in a joint venture with the defendant, Huntington".
It has long been speculated that Pollasky was an agent of the Southern Pacific, and this "joint venture" suit seems to prove that point.Many buildings in the town core have been renovated. Older storefronts on Clovis Avenue, the main street running through town, have been restored and new buildings have been designed with facades that resemble those found in the early 20th century.
The historic center has been reborn as "Old Town Clovis".
With various live chat features, you can engage with locals in a virtual conversation.
Create & post topics in "town" you love like Sports, Entertainment
Ask questions about local services, where to find local activies or get other local advice from those that live in your town.
Create a local group in an area of your interest like Mt. Bikiing, Hiking, a book group.
See what we've included about your town and how can get to know your towns history much better and participate in its future.
The Clovis, CA founder's page is dedicated to those people in the Clovis, CA area that initially made the Clovis, CA WikiXM news a reality. Without their initiative, foresight and social fortitude the Clovis, CA WikiXM news would not have happened.
No Founding Member in Clovis, CA.
The Clovis, CA founder's page is dedicated to those people in the Clovis, CA area that initially made the Clovis, CA WikiXM news a reality. Without their initiative, foresight and social fortitude the Clovis, CA WikiXM news would not have happened.
No Articles in Clovis, CA.
The Clovis, CA's Reporters play an important role in keeping their communities informed. They investigate stories, write articles, and inform the public about what is happening in their area.
No Reporters in Clovis, CA.
Start a discussion, not a fire. Post with kindness.
Sign in Now to take part in the Live Chat
No Live Chat in Clovis, CA
KNOW YOUR TOWN REPRESENTATIVES
CLOVIS Representatives
Fresno County REPRESENTATIVES
Fresno County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector
Fresno County District Attorney
Fresno County Assessor-Recorder
ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVES
SENATE REPRESENTATIVES
FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES
Access Denied
Introducing Your Local Garage where you can post and sell everything you have wanted to sell.
Post upto 5 items for free. After that it's just $20 a year to post up to 50 items in your own Garage.
Directly Communicate with buyers.
Get direct feedback from Buyers to improve your postings.
Receive updates and reminders on items posted but not sold to improve sales.
Selling analytics
Your Garage will come with more selling features to help you get your items sold fast!
The site is protected by reCAPTCHA
