Tulare County Economic Development
Corporation/Sequoia Valley
Sequoia Valley —
As Big As It Gets
The Sequoia Valley (Visalia–Tulare–Porterville MSA)
is located in Central California, an equal distance between the
Bay Area and Los Angeles. From the majestic Sequoia trees in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the rich agriculture land in the
valley, the Sequoia Valley offers the same abundant opportunity
for growing a business.
With a population of nearly 434,000, the region grew at a
rate of about 18 percent from 2000 to 2008 and is expected to
continue growing at double-digit and nearly double-digit rates
over the next five years. The residents are young and culturally
diverse, with distinct Hispanic, Anglo, and Asian communities.
The median age is 29. 6 years with an estimated 58 percent of
the population in the prime working age group ( 18 to 65 years
of age).
The region offers a great combination of affordability of
land and labor, having one of the largest inventories of industrial land and work force in California. The incentives are
unmatched in California, as Tulare County and the cities of Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Lindsay, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia,
and Woodlake are part of California’s only Business Incentive
Zone, a designation that combines local and state incentives
for targeted industries.
The Sequoia Valley is unique in that it is situated in the richest
agricultural region in the United States and is recognized as
number one in the nation for total milk production. Much of the
region’s commercial and industrial activity is directly related to
agriculture and food processing.
The rich natural resources and favorable business climate is
why companies like Kraft Foods, Land O’Lakes, Saputo Cheese,
Foster Farms, Odwalla, Best Buy, International Paper, Kawneer,
Wal-Mart, JoAnn Stores, VF Corporation, Beckman-Coulter, and
hundreds of others have major distribution and/or manufacturing
facilities here. CIGNA HealthCare operates one of the largest
call centers in the region, employing more than 900 people.
The region offers the only overnight UPS service to 98 percent of California, has access to Union-Southern Pacific and
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Rail lines, and Highway 99 offers
direct access to all major markets in the western United States.
Getting to and from California’s major ports is convenient by
both truck and rail. The region is served by three commercial airports offering daily air service to major western U.S. cities and
national and international connections.
And if all that is not enough — the Tulare County Economic
Development Corporation (EDC) has a 26-year history and experience in helping businesses find the right location. Receiving
dozens of project awards, the EDC is the only Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) in Central California
and one of a few in the state. The AEDO status (designated by
the International Economic Development Council) means you
receive the highest level of service expected from an economic
development organization.
Big trees, big companies, big farms, and big location — it’s
why we say that in Sequoia Valley, it’s “as big as it gets.”
Paul M. Saldana,
President/CEO
Tulare County Economic Development
Corporation/Sequoia Valley
4500 S. Laspina
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: 800.718.2332
E-mail: paul@edctulare.com
www.sequoiavalley.com
