Yettem: A town founded by Armenian-American immigrants
It’s a small Tulare County town with an unusual name and is a prime example of the cultural diversity of our region. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Yettem.
Located about 11 miles north of Visalia, along Avenue 384, Yettem is truly unique. Scholars claim it is the only community in the United States founded by Armenian immigrants and the only one bearing an Armenian name. In the Armenian language, the word Yettem means Eden.
The story of the town goes like this. The first Armenian American immigrants came to the Central Valley in the early 1880s, settling in Fresno. They found the soil and climate similar to that of their homeland. Despite facing discrimination, they established roots and a vibrant local community in the Fresno area. In 1901 a group of Armenians from Fresno went south to Tulare County in search of new land, and founded the town of Yettem that year.
They built a school and St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, which became the center of the community. Soon more Armenian families came. The original church burned down but was rebuilt in the 1940s in a style reminiscent of the cathedral of Etchmiadzin in Armenia, which is considered the oldest cathedral in the world.
While most of the original Armenian families left Yettem over the years, St. Mary’s church still serves Armenian families from across the region to this day.
