About Hanford

Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260), which encompasses all of Kings County, including the cities of Hanford and Corcoran. The ZIP Code is 93230 (93232 for post office boxes). The city of Hanford is surrounded by communities that do not fall within the city limits but use the same zip code. These communities include Grangeville, Hardwick and Home Garden. Hanford is 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Fresno city and 18 miles (29 km) west of the city of Visalia.

Hanford is located at 36°19′39″N 119°38′44″W (36.3275, -119.6457). It is situated in the south central portion of California's San Joaquin Valley, 28 miles (45 km) SSE of the city of Fresno, at an elevation of 249 feet (76 m) above sea level. The terrain is level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6 square miles (43 km2), all of which is land not covered by water. The only natural watercourse is Mussel Slough, remnants of which still exist on the city's western edge. The Kings River is about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Hanford. The People's Ditch, an irrigation canal dug in the 1870s, traverses Hanford from north to south.

The Hanford area was inhabited by the Tachi Yokut Indians for several thousand years prior to Euro-American contact. They occupied areas along watercourses such as creeks, springs and seep areas (such as sloughs), along perennial and seasonal drainages, as well as flat ridges and terraces. Therefore, the areas along streams are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Permanent villages were usually placed on an elevation above the seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were used for hunting and seed, acorn, and grass gathering.

Hanford is named for James Madison Hanford, a railroad executive, after the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were laid through a sheep camp in the year 1877. According to History of Kings County : "It was but a short step from sheep-camp to village and with the railroad as an attraction the village flourished and became a town within a few historic months."