Pixley is a rural unincorporated community located in southwest Tulare County, approximately 25 miles south of the city of Visalia along the Highway 99 corridor. The community is predominantly a rural, agriculturally-related service center. Pixley is surrounded by croplands devoted largely to raising cotton, alfalfa, beans, grain and vineyards. There is also a robust dairy industry in the area.
Pixley was first settled in 1882. The Pixley townsite was incorporated in 1886 by three San Francisco businessmen, including Frank Morrison Pixley, for whom the community is named. Pixley served as state Attorney General under Governor Leland Stanford. Pixley was also editor of the San Francisco-based Argonaut newspaper and influential in statewide politics. He persuaded the railroad to make Pixley a mandatory rest stop, and soon thereafter the railside freight loading dock expanded into a full-blown depot and a three-story hotel was built. Pixley prospered as a major grain shipping point for many years.
Pixley’s growth in modern times has been largely influenced by its proximity to State Highway 99 and the Union Pacific Railroad line, both of which traverse Pixley in a north-south fashion and divide the community geographically. Considered to be a Prime Development Area, Pixley has immediate access to rail and highway. There are many prime Agricultural and Industrial properties available in this community.