Porterville is a city at the base of Southern Sierra Nevada mountains on the eastern side of San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States.

Serving as the economic hub of the Southern Sierra, the Sequoia National Forest is nearby, offering outdoor recreational opportunities such as hiking, camping, and fishing.

Swamps stretched out into the Valley floor lush with tall rushes or "tulare" as the Indigenous people called them.

Starting in 1854, Peter Goodhue operated a stopping place on the Stockton - Los Angeles Road on the bank of the Tule River.

Wagon trains of gold seekers passed through the village, but other travelers found the land rich and remained to establish farms.

A store was set up in 1856 to sell goods to miners and the Native Americans, who lived in tribal lands along the rivers.

He bought 40 acres of land and built a two-story store and a hotel on the highest point of the swampy property, which is now the corner of Oak and Main.

The need of a burgeoning California population for food provided the impetus that led to the permanent development of the east side of the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Porterville incorporated in 1902, as miners moved into the area to extract magnesite ore, and the Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1907.

The Walmart Distribution Center, National Vitamin, Beckman Instruments, Standard Register, Sierra Pacific Apparel, Royalty Carpeting and other small companies have facilities in Porterville.

[13] The Native Americans living in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains were relatively undisturbed by early Spanish colonization.

Although a treaty was signed with the local tribes in 1851, defining a proposed reservation and 200 head of cattle per year, the US Senate failed to ratify it, with every member either abstaining or voting no.

[16] Mobs of armed settlers were organized to counter the perceived menace, despite the peaceful intentions of the Native Americans.

Foster DeMasters, failed to dislodge a numerically superior Native encampment while wearing ineffective makeshift body armor consisting of cotton-padded jackets.

After falling back, the mob then proceeded to wage a scorched-earth campaign by destroying Native American supply caches.

[17] Finally, in May 1856 army troops under the command of LaRhett Livingston assaulted the encampment and succeeded in driving off its defenders.

Porterville is located on the Tule River at the base of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada and easternmost section of California's Central Valley.

The geologic instability involves numerous faults, which cause many earthquakes every year, but most are of low intensity and are not felt.

Another major event that affected the Porterville area was the Kern County sequence of shocks that occurred on the White Wolf Fault during July and August 1952.

Owing to geography, heavy reliance on automobiles and agriculture, Porterville suffers from air pollution in the form of smog.

The Porterville area and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley are susceptible to atmospheric inversion, which holds in the exhausts from road vehicles, airplanes, agriculture, manufacturing and other sources.

More recently, the state of California has led the nation in working to limit pollution by mandating low-emission vehicles.

Smog should continue to drop in the coming years due to aggressive steps to reduce it, electric and hybrid cars and other pollution-reducing measures taken.

Porterville and Tulare County voters voted over 75% in favor of Prop 8, among the highest levels in the State of California, during the election.

The taxiway rehabilitation project is part of planned multi-phase enhancements that will construct significant upgrades to the Airport over the next several years, including a shift of the runway to increase the runway length from currently approximately 6,000 feet to 7,800 feet, making it possible to support the operation of large jet aircraft.

The city of Porterville has purchased the former SP right-of-way, and eventually the tracks will be re-laid as part of the Cross Valley Corridor.

In May 2017 San Joaquin Valley College opened a branch on Main Street; SJVC will be located in the former Family Health Care Network corporate offices and will use 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of the building per city policies until the city decides if it will allow the branch to operate as a full campus.

Completed in fall 2013, the $93 million courthouse — which was built by Sundt Construction Inc. and designed by CO Architects — provides the necessary space for expansion and enhanced security, enabling the court to greatly improve access and services.

The building includes high-performance glass, window-shading devices to prevent direct sunlight, and better-insulated walls and roof, and a rain screen system.

It has more energy-efficient mechanical units, which incorporate the partial use of chilled beam passive cooling and radiant heat.