Oval Park, Visalia, California Explained

Oval Park
Nickname:The Oval
Settlement Type:Neighborhood
Pushpin Map:California
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in California
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:California
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Tulare County
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Visalia
Coordinates:36.3383°N -119.2924°W
Elevation M:101
Elevation Ft:331

Oval Park (also known as Lincoln Oval Village or simply The Oval) is a neighborhood in Visalia, California.

History

Oval Park is Visalia's oldest neighborhood.

The first high school in Visalia was located on what is now the Lincoln Oval Park.

Webster Grammar School was located in the West Village on Northwest Third Avenue near Pearl Street. It opened in 1917. In 1950, the building was declared unsafe as a school and was later converted into a maintenance shop and storage building. In 1961, fire damaged the structure beyond repair. The Visalia Police Department Substation now sits on the site.[1]

Boundaries

According to the Oval Park Historical Society (OPHS) There are no official boundaries for Visalia's Oval Park neighborhood. It is documented that the western part of Oval Park was separated from its eastern section by the construction of highway 63. Also, Murray Avenue cut off a large southern section of the neighborhood on its most southern part. History proves, however, that there are some general boundaries:

Western Boundary: Willis Street

Northern Boundary: Houston Avenue

Eastern Boundary: Santa Fe Street

Southern Boundary: Murray Avenue

Oval Park itself consists, in whole or in part, of the neighborhoods of Oval Park (the area immediately surrounding the park), Visalia Heights, the East Village and the West Village.

Government and infrastructure

Local government

Visalia Fire Department Station 51 serves the area.[2]

Visalia Police Department operates the District 1 Police Station at 204 NW 3rd Ave, serving the neighborhood.[3]

County, state, and federal representation

The United States Post Office Town Center Post Office serves the area.[4]

Education

Public schools

Oval Park is zoned into Visalia Unified School District.[5]

Residents are zoned to Houston Avenue Elementary School and Highland Elementary School.

Most residents are zoned to Green Acres Middle School or Divisadero Middle School.

Residents are zoned to Redwood High School or Mt. Whitney High School.

Private schools

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno operates George McCann Memorial School, located at 200 East Race Street.

Public libraries

The Visalia Branch Tulare County Public Library serves the area.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Terry L. Ommen, Then & Now: Visalia, Dignified Dwellings and Public Service, (Charleston, South Carolina: 2008):87.
  2. http://ci.visalia.ca.us/depts/fire/info/facilities/station51.asp Visalia Fire Department - Station 51
  3. http://ci.visalia.ca.us/depts/police_department/default.asp Visalia Police Department
  4. "Post Office Location - VISALIA." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on November 12, 2009.
  5. http://vusd.org/ Visalia Unified School District