The City of Visalia is in the process of updating its General Plan. The city council began this multi-year process in 2010 with the goal of creating a vision for the city's growth through 2030. Visalia is a relatively small, largely rural city with a bounded agricultural landscape and natural open space. However, with the population in the 125,000 range, the city is not isolated from other cities.
The city's boundaries include Highway 99, the St. Johns River, and the airport. The city has a rural-urban fringe that stretches beyond the central business district. The downtown core is located between Mooney Boulevard and Houston Avenue and is the original town site. During the early 20th century, the downtown core was a large, largely residential area. This area is now known as the "downtown core" and is the city's most historic area.
The city's police department is staffed at three different locations, including a fire station on N. Dinuba Boulevard, a fire station on Mooney Boulevard, and the headquarters of the Visalia Police Department. The Visalia Fire Department has six fire stations, including two aerial ladder trucks and four engines. In addition, the department staffs two regional specialty teams. Its budget consists of a total of 72 full-time employees and about sixty-four civilians. It also has a small volunteer force.
Overall, Visalia's quality of life is rated as average by 95% of respondents. Only 6% of respondents from the Northeast rated it as poor. The Fire Department's response rate is about average. Residents are also encouraged to recycle and bag their garbage. A number of ordinances require residents to recycle and compost to reduce solid waste sent to county landfills. In addition, more than one-hundred-ton of green waste is recovered each month in Visalia.