Church · Downtown
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church
The oldest Armenian Apostolic church in the western United States, at Ventura and M Streets. The congregation dates to 1900; the current church opened in 1914 and is a National Historic site.
People & communities · Բարի գալուստ
Armenian Fresno
For more than 140 years, Fresno has been one of the great centers of Armenian life in America. As someone who came here from Yerevan, I found churches, bakeries, a university program and neighbors who spoke my language. Here is the community you are joining.
1881The first Armenian family, the Seropians, settles in Fresno
40%of Fresno County’s raisin acreage owned by Armenians by 1930
75,000+Central Valley residents with Armenian roots
A valley that felt like home
Hagop Seropian and his half-brothers moved to Fresno from Massachusetts in 1881, partly to escape New England winters. They found a climate much like Armenia’s and wrote home about it. Their letters brought relatives and neighbors west.
Larger waves followed the Hamidian massacres of the 1890s and the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Families settled in Fresno and in valley towns like Fowler, Selma, Kingsburg, Parlier, Del Rey and Reedley.
Armenians brought new grape varieties and became leading raisin growers, fig and melon pioneers, and fruit packers. The Seropians’ packing house was the first to ship Fresno oranges and figs to Eastern markets.
Life was not always easy. For generations Armenians faced discrimination and were not fully accepted into community life until the 1950s. That is part of why they built their own churches, newspapers and benevolent societies, and why the community stayed so close-knit.
Armenian Town grew on the southeast edge of downtown, beside the railroad tracks. Its churches were the center of daily life.
Key dates
Armenian Fresno through time
- 1881Hagop Seropian and his half-brothers arrive in Fresno.
- 1894A large wave of immigration follows the Hamidian massacres.
- 1897First Armenian Presbyterian Church is built.
- 1900Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic congregation formally organizes.
- 1908William Saroyan is born in Fresno. The Asbarez newspaper is founded here.
- 1914Holy Trinity’s new church opens at Ventura and M Streets after a fire.
- 1915Survivors of the Armenian Genocide find refuge in the Central Valley.
- 1930Armenians own 40% of the county’s raisin acreage.
- 1940Saroyan wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Time of Your Life.
- 1977Fresno State starts its Armenian Studies Program, and the Armenian Community School of Fresno opens.
- 2007A gift from Charlie Keyan buys land for a permanent school campus; the school is renamed in his honor.
- 2015The Armenian Genocide Monument is unveiled at Fresno State before more than 4,000 people.
- 2018The William Saroyan House Museum opens.
Places to know
Visit, pray, remember
Church
St. Paul Armenian Church
An Armenian Apostolic parish that also hosts concerts and cultural events.
Churches
Armenian Protestant churches
First Armenian Presbyterian Church (1897) and Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church (1901) are among the community’s oldest congregations.
Museum
William Saroyan House Museum
The home where the Pulitzer-winning writer spent his last two decades, with interactive exhibits and a hologram of Saroyan. Tours by appointment.
Theater · Downtown
William Saroyan Theatre
Fresno’s convention-center theater, renamed in Saroyan’s honor after his death in 1981.
Museum
Armenian Museum of Fresno
Collects and shares the story of Armenian Americans in the valley, with the companion site armeniansfresno.com.
Memorial · Fresno State
Armenian Genocide Monument
On the Maple Mall at Fresno State, unveiled on April 23, 2015, before more than 4,000 people.
University
Center for Armenian Studies
Fresno State’s program since 1977: a minor in Armenian Studies, scholarships, the student newspaper Hye Sharzhoom, the Armenian Students Organization, and free public lectures.
Heritage
Ararat Armenian Cemetery
Resting place of the Seropian brothers and many community pioneers, civic leaders and artists, with an Armenian Genocide memorial among tall cypress trees.
For families · Armenian school
Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School
Families moving to Fresno often ask where their children can keep up their Armenian. This private school in Clovis teaches a full, standards-based curriculum in English, with Armenian language, history and culture every day.
- Since 1977Founded as the Armenian Community School of Fresno; first held classes at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church.
- Pre-K to 6th gradePreschool from age two, then kindergarten through 6th grade.
- Eastern and Western ArmenianStudents learn to read, write and speak Armenian, with teachers of both dialects.
- AccreditedK–6 by WASC; Pre-K by NAEYC.
- Beyond the classroomChristian education, art, choir and performing arts.
At the table
Taste of home
You will find Armenian flavors all over Fresno, from cracker bread at holiday tables to lavash, cheeses and spices at the local Armenian markets.
- Valley Lahvosh Baking Co. Fresno’s Armenian cracker-bread bakery and a holiday tradition for many families.
- Ararat Market A local Armenian grocery for the breads, cheeses, spices and pantry staples of home.
- Kharabagh Market A local Armenian grocery for everyday shopping and familiar flavors.
- Hye Market A local Armenian grocery for traditional ingredients and specialty foods.
Words you will hear: lavash, lahmajoun, dolma, khorovats, gata.
Literature
Saroyan’s Fresno
William Saroyan was born on the edge of downtown Fresno on August 31, 1908. He won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for The Time of Your Life and an Academy Award for the story of The Human Comedy, set in a town modeled on the valley.
He wrote about Fresno’s Armenian families his whole life and returned here for his last two decades. His house on Griffith Way is now a museum, and the city’s main theater carries his name.
Born in Fresno
Kirk Kerkorian
Kirk Kerkorian was born in Fresno on June 6, 1917, to Armenian immigrant parents who farmed in the valley. The family later moved to Los Angeles, where young Kirk left school early, worked odd jobs and boxed as an amateur.
He learned to fly, and during World War II he ferried warplanes across the Atlantic for the Royal Air Force Ferry Command, one of the most dangerous jobs in aviation. After the war he built a charter airline, then turned to Las Vegas, where he built the International Hotel and the original MGM Grand, and he later owned the MGM film studio.
He never forgot where his family came from. Through his Lincy Foundation he gave more than a billion dollars to Armenia, for roads, housing, schools and earthquake recovery, usually without putting his name on it. He died in 2015 at 98.
Moving from Armenia, Russia or the diaspora?
I can help with neighborhoods, schools, documents and local systems in Armenian, Russian or English.