The City of Sanger

The City of Sanger was founded in or around the year of 1888. It is not quite certain as no official records
exist to pinpoint an exact date on which the city was founded. It is known, however, that the town was named
after Joseph Sanger, Jr. of Indiana.

The City of Sanger developed around the lumber industry. The spot was picked because it was a junction point
for the Southern Pacific Railroad. In the late 1800's the lumber industry thrived in the San Joaquin Valley,
especially in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The loggers built a huge flume to transport the large redwood trees
from the mountain side down to the Sanger area for pick up by the railroad. When established, the city of Sanger
boasted 13 saloons and several other necessary stores.

Sanger is also known as the Nation's Christmas Tree City. As the story goes, in 1924 Mr. Charles E. Lee, the
Treasurer of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce was up in the Sequoia National Forest in the Grant Grove
admiring the magnificent redwoods. As he stared up in awe of a majestic giant a little girl approached him.
Mr. Lee then heard a small voice say "What a wonderful Christmas Tree that would make." He never learned
her name, but Mr. Lee could never forget what that little girl had said. In December of 1925, Mr. Lee wrote a
letter to the President, Calvin Coolidge, requesting that the majestic tree be named the nation's Christmas tree.
On April 28, 1926, President Coolidge adopted Mr. Lee's suggestion and Sanger was officially named the
Nation's Christmas Tree City.

Sanger is located fourteen miles East and just a little South of Fresno. The elevation is 370 feet. The current
population is 18,563. Sanger is a general law city governed by five council members who are elected by the
citizens of Sanger. The Mayor is the council member elected by the council. The city is just over 4 square miles
in size. Sanger is nestled at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and is with-in a short driving
distance of Yosemite National Park. There are numerous other "natural wonders" that are with-in a short
commute: the Blossom Trail, Pine Flat Dam, Sequoia National Forest, Huntington Lake just to name a few.

The City provides many services to its residents such as: public safety, fire protection and emergency medical
aid services, animal control, building safety regulation and inspection, street and park maintenance, refuse
collection, street lighting, planning and zoning, a full range of recreational and cultural programs for citizen
participation, and general administrative services. Independent special districts provide library, education, and
utility services to Sanger citizens.

For additional information about the great City of Sanger visit the Sanger District Chamber of Commerce
website.