Christmas Tree Lane two miles of lights on Van Ness

Christmas Tree Lane today

Where people go nearby

• Fig Garden Village

  Shaw and Palm avenues, at the Lane's north end

  Built in 1956 as one of Fresno's first suburban shopping centers, with reclaimed timbers, cedar shingles and shaded walkways. The Lane's website points visitors to parking here.

• Wilson Avenue homes

  N. Wilson Ave, Lansing to Rialto, in Old Fig Garden

  Historic Fresno's walking tour covers eight homes that Charles H. Franklin and Ernest J. Kump Jr. designed between 1936 and 1942, from California adobe ranch to early International style.

• The first tree

  Van Ness Blvd at Pontiac

  As of 2025, the deodar cedar first lit in 1920 still stood here, marked by a sign, and a clone was set to be planted beside it.

• Van Ness Extension

  N. Van Ness Blvd north of Shaw

  The northern piece of Van Ness starts about 1.3 miles west of the Lane's end and runs to the river bluffs. See our Van Ness Extension guide.

What the homes are like

Lots

Forkner and Giffen sold this land in 1919 as one-acre and half-acre plots, marketed as a "Garden Home Acre that equals 10 city lots." KVPR describes the lots sold along Van Ness south of Shaw as large. Sizes today vary, so check each listing.

Age and style

KVPR reports that most of Old Fig Garden was developed before World War II, so many homes are older. Build years and styles vary widely; check each listing.

Builders

No production builder is documented. Homes come up as resales.

HOA and taxes

The Fig Garden Home Owners Association is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. Whether membership or dues are required is not documented, and neither is Mello-Roos or CFD status. Check each listing.

Living on the Lane

About 140 homes decorate each year, and during event hours the boulevard carries one-way traffic and heavy crowds. Whether taking part is expected of a new owner is not documented, so ask before you buy.

City or county

The south end near Shields is inside the City of Fresno, and the blocks farther north are unincorporated county land. Confirm the jurisdiction for each address.

Trees

The association's Legacy Tree team plants cloned deodar cedars along the Lane to replace trees that have to come down.

Getting around, and schools

Freeways

Highway 41 is the closest freeway. In December, the Lane's website suggests taking the Ashlan exit, heading west on Ashlan, south on Blackstone and west on Shields to reach the entrance, which keeps traffic off the off-ramp.

Distances

Driving estimates without traffic, from the middle of the Lane: about 5.5 miles (8 minutes) to Fresno City Hall and 5.8 miles (11 minutes) to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

Shopping

Fig Garden Village, at Shaw and Palm, is at the north end of the Lane. For more of the city, see our Fresno guide and our Old Fig Garden guide.

Schools

Census mapping places the Lane in Fresno Unified. Wikipedia lists most of the Old Fig Garden census area as zoned to Powers-Ginsburg Elementary, Wawona K-8 and Bullard High, but assignments depend on the address, especially at the south end inside city limits. See our Fresno Unified guide. Boundaries change, so confirm any address with the district.

Christmas Tree Lane Shaw Ave Shields Ave Palm Ave Old Fig Garden

From one tree to a two-mile tradition

1. 1919Forkner and Giffen subdivide the land; more than 20,000 ornamental trees are planted.
2. 1920The first tree is lit on Van Ness at Pontiac.
3. 1941The Lane goes dark because of wartime restrictions.
4. 1956Fig Garden Village opens at Shaw and Palm.
5. 1973The Lane goes dark again during the energy crisis.
6. 2014The Lane appears on ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight.
7. 2020Arborists rate the first tree in serious decline, and cloning begins.
8. 2022The Lane marks its 100th year.
9. 2025Cloned cedars arrive for planting along the Lane, and the 103rd season runs with no walk-only nights.

Christmas Tree Lane, by the numbers

Stories from the Lane

• A cloned first tree

  Cuttings from the original deodar cedar went to an Oregon nursery, which grafted them onto cedar rootstock. The saplings grew at Fresno's Belmont Nursery, and in 2025 crews planned to plant 87 along the Lane and 6 at the original home, including one next to the first tree.

• Dark only twice

  The Lane has gone dark twice: in 1941, for the war, and in 1973, during the energy crisis.

• A county island

  Old Fig Garden, about 1.7 square miles, is entirely surrounded by the City of Fresno. It first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2010 Census.

• Trees planned to the river

  The 1919 Fig Gardens plan called for ornamental trees along Van Ness from the city limits to the San Joaquin River, and more than 20,000 were in the ground that year.