Kingsburg, California

Kingsburg was established as a railroad town, its site set by the Central Pacific Railroad when it completed the Valley Line in 1873. In the early 1870s, Swedish natives settled in a railroad town called "Kings River Switch". Kingsburg started out as a flag stop on the Central Pacific Railroad called Kings River Switch. In 1874 Kingsburg was called Wheatville and had a post office, later that year they changed the name to Kingsbury. During this time period, Josiah Draper and Andrew Farley each owned a quarter section, about 160 acres (65 ha), Draper on the east side of the railroad tracks and Farley on the west side of the tracks. So it was suggested that the east side be called Drapersville and the west side called Farleyville. Two years after that it became Kingsburgh and in January 1894 took on its present spelling, "Kingsburg", which was finally established as a town in 1908. By 1921, ninety-four percent of the population within a three-mile radius of Kingsburg was Swedish-American, giving the community the nickname of "Little Sweden". To keep up with the town's Swedish history most retail businesses are designed in Swedish architecture.

For much of the town's history, the fields around Kingsburg were mostly grape vineyards which produce mainly raisins and table grapes; in 2002 a large surplus of raisins and grapes drove the price for these commodities down to an all-time low. Subsequently, farmers were forced to replant the fields with stone fruit, or (particularly on the west side of town) sell their land to developers to help cope with the rising population. Kingsburg was the headquarters of Sun-Maid Growers of California, a producer of raisins and other dried fruits. Fresno is the Corporate Headquarters. Kingsburg is home to the world's largest box of raisins, built by students at California State University, Fresno.[8]

Swedish coffee pot water tower over Kingsburg

One of the notable landmarks in the community is the Kingsburg water tower, which is shaped like an antique Swedish coffee pot. The water tower was originally built in 1911 and was modified in 1985, inspired by a resident's visit to the similarly decorated water tower in Stanton, Iowa; the Kingsburg coffee pot water tower is 122 ft (37 m) tall, lit at night, and visible from SR 99.[9] The Kingsburg pot is slightly larger than the Stanton one, at 60,000 and 50,000 US gal (230,000 and 190,000 L), respectively; the Stanton pot was taken down from its tower in 2015 and preserved, as it had been superseded by a larger water tower in the late 1990s.[10]

The Swedish immigrant heritage of the community is principally preserved with festivals. The Kingsburg Swedish Festival, which is one of the biggest and best known festivals that bring people in from all over the country, is held annually during the third weekend in May. Activities include a Swedish pancake breakfast, a parade and the coronation of the Swedish Festival Queen. Many booths, rides and activities are set up all along the side of Downtown Kingsburg's Draper Street. This festival, which has traditionally been held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, was scheduled for only Saturday and Sunday in 2009 after the town's centennial due to the suffering economy, but in 2011, Thursday activities were added to the festival.[11][12]

Mural in downtown Kingsburg

Kingsburg is located at 36°30′50″N 119°33′14″W.[7] Kingsburg is located in the central portion of the Central Valley of California. The town is two hours away from The Sierra Nevada Mountain range and the coast. It is about 3–4 hours away from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.

Kingsburg Elementary schools operate on a charter school system. Kingsburg's elementary school system is unique in that all students in Kindergarten through 8th grades will all go to the same schools together. The school year starts during the later weeks of August. Washington Elementary serves as a Kindergarten only school. First grade is at Roosevelt Elementary. Second and Third grades are at Lincoln Elementary. Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grades are at Ronald Reagan Elementary. Seventh and Eighth grades are at Rafer Johnson Junior High School. Kingsburg High School serves as the community high school, and its district is separate from that of the elementary school system. The elementary school district also operates Central Valley Home School which serves as a supplement to traditional home schooling.

• Andrew Vorhees, American football offensive guard for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC.
• Tyler Bray, former quarterback for the University of Tennessee and NFL free agent quarterback
• Marcus Cabello, 2003-2008 Fresno Fuego, Professional Soccer Player 2009 USL
• Monte Clark, Monte Dale Clark was born in Kingsburg and was an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams: the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions
• Larry Hillblom, co-founder of DHL Worldwide Express
• Jimmy Johnson, cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers
• Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold-medal decathlete
• Slim Pickens and Easy Pickens, Western film actors, born in Kingsburg
• Kody Swanson, 2014, 2015 & 2017 United States Auto Club Silver Crown Series Champion
• Jake Woods, former Major League Baseball player

• Official website
• Kingsburg Recorder Newspaper
• Kingsburg High School Multi-class Reunion site
• Kingsburg Joint Union High School District
• Valkommem to Kingsburg "The Swedish Village"