California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State) is a public comprehensive university and one of 23 campuses within the California State University system.[5] It is located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, approximately 58 miles (93 km) from the entrance to Yosemite National Park, and sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the San Joaquin Valley. The city of Fresno is the fifth largest city in California. The university is within an hours drive of many mountain and lake resorts and within a three-hour drive of both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
History
Fresno State was founded as the Fresno State Normal School in 1911 with Charles Lourie McLane as its first president.[13] The original campus was what is now Fresno City College. In 1921, Fresno State Normal School In 1956, Fresno State moved its campus to its present location in the northeast part of the city, and FCC bought the old campus and moved back in.[14] Fresno State College became a charter institution of the California State University System in 1961. In 1972 the name was officially changed to California State University, Fresno.[13]