287 articles
Fresno, California
Fresno, California: largest city of California's Central Valley and fifth largest in the state, founded 1872 as a Central Pacific Railroad station, incorporated 1885, county seat of Fresno County, population about 555,000, economy anchored by leading national agricultural production.
Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California: city in northwestern Orange County, founded 1887 by the Amerige brothers, incorporated 1904. Population 143,617 (2020), home of Cal State Fullerton, council-manager government.
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California: an Orange County city of about 170,000 founded in 1874 by Alonzo Cook and incorporated June 18, 1956, known for the Strawberry Festival, Little Saigon, and Christ Cathedral.
Gardena, California
Gardena, California: South Bay city in Los Angeles County, incorporated September 11, 1930 from Gardena, Moneta, and Strawberry Park. Known as the Freeway City, former berry capital, historic Japanese American community, and home of California's first licensed card club (1936).
Gig Harbor, Washington
Gig Harbor, Washington: a maritime city in Pierce County on Puget Sound, incorporated 1946, named for the Wilkes Expedition's captain's gig, population about 12,600, known for commercial fishing heritage and the Tacoma Narrows bridges.
Gilroy, California
Gilroy, California: city in southern Santa Clara County, about 25 miles south of San Jose, known as the Garlic Capital of the World; population 59,520 (2020), home of the Gilroy Garlic Festival and recent data center disputes.
Glendale, California
Glendale, known as the "Jewel City," is the fourth-largest city in Los Angeles County, California, incorporated in 1906 and a center of the Armenian diaspora community.
Grants Pass, Oregon
Grants Pass, Oregon: county seat of Josephine County on the Rogue River, incorporated 1887, population about 39,000; named for Grant's Vicksburg victory; home of Dutch Bros and the 2024 Johnson v. Grants Pass Supreme Court ruling.
Grass Valley, California
Grass Valley is a city in western Nevada County, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, incorporated in 1860 and known for its Gold Rush heritage and the Empire Mine.
Gresham
Gresham, Oregon: fourth-largest city in the state (114,247 in 2020), in Multnomah County east of Portland. Founded 1851 by the Powell brothers, incorporated 1905, named for Postmaster General Walter Quintin Gresham; former berry-farming town turned suburb.
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, about 25 miles south of San Francisco. Incorporated in 1959, formerly San Benito and Spanishtown, population about 11,300, known for farming, fishing, and the January 2023 farmworker shootings.
Hanford, California
Hanford, California: county seat of Kings County in the San Joaquin Valley, founded 1877 as a Southern Pacific railroad town, incorporated August 12, 1891, population about 60,000.
Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne, California: South Bay Los Angeles County city, incorporated 1922, founded 1905 and named for Nathaniel Hawthorne; home of Northrop Aircraft since 1939, Jack Northrop Field airport, and SpaceX headquarters.
Hayward, California
Hayward, California: Alameda County city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, incorporated 1876, population 162,954 (2020). Known as the Heart of the Bay, home to the Hayward Fault, CSU East Bay, and Chabot College.
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in Riverside County's San Jacinto Valley, incorporated in 1910, with a 2020 population of 89,833 and home of the Ramona Pageant.
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a 1.43-square-mile beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, incorporated January 14, 1907, with about 19,700 residents, a 1,228-foot pier, two miles of Strand beachfront, and high summer visitor attendance.
Hidden Hills, California
Hidden Hills, California: a guard-gated, equestrian city of about 1,900 residents at the western San Fernando Valley's edge, incorporated October 19, 1961 as Los Angeles County's 73rd city, with no commercial services and equestrian zoning on all parcels.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro, Oregon: county seat of Washington County west of Portland, Oregon's fifth largest city (about 110,000), and the center of the Silicon Forest, anchored by Intel's largest campus and a growing data center cluster.
Hollister, California
Hollister, California: county seat of San Benito County, founded 1872 and named for Colonel W.W. Hollister. Population 41,678 (2020), 45,695 (2025 estimate); agricultural center near the creeping section of the San Andreas Fault.
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California (Surf City USA): Orange County coastal city of about 191,000-199,000 residents, famed for surfing, its 1,850-foot pier, a 1920 oil boom, and recent state conflicts over voter ID and housing mandates.
Index, Washington
Index, Washington: a town of about 173 people in Snohomish County on the North Fork Skykomish River, platted by the Gunn family in 1893, incorporated 1907, now a recreation and climbing gateway.
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California: affluent Coachella Valley city in Riverside County, incorporated July 14, 1967 as California's 400th city; named for a Cahuilla well; home of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament.
Indio, California
Indio, California: Coachella Valley city founded 1876 as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop, incorporated 1930 as the valley's first city; date capital and home of the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, population about 94,000.
Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California: Los Angeles County city of about 102,000 near LAX; incorporated 1908, aerospace and aviation history, home of SoFi Stadium, the Forum, and Intuit Dome.
Irvine, California
Irvine, California: master-planned Orange County charter city incorporated December 28, 1971, built on the Irvine Ranch around UC Irvine under William Pereira's plan; population about 318,764 (2025).
Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah, Washington, a King County city about 17 miles east of Seattle, incorporated as Gilman in 1892 and renamed 1899; former coal, lumber, and dairy town, now a fast-growing Eastside city of about 40,000.
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick, Washington: largest of the Tri-Cities, on the Columbia River in Benton County. Incorporated 1904; 2020 population 83,921; retail hub; site of the 9,200-year-old Kennewick Man find.
Kent, Washington
Kent, Washington: Green River Valley city in King County, 6th largest in the state with 136,588 residents (2020). Aerospace hub home to Boeing and Blue Origin; incorporated 1890 after Kent County, England.
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland, Washington: Eastside King County city on Lake Washington's northeast shore, founded 1888, incorporated 1905, named for steel entrepreneur Peter Kirk. Population 92,175 (2020); annexed Houghton, Totem Lake, Juanita, Finn Hill, and Kingsgate.
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls, known locally as Oregon's City of Sunshine, is the county seat of Klamath County in south central Oregon, a city of about 22,000 on Upper Klamath Lake.