Neighborhood guide · Fresno

Van Ness Extension the boulevard's run to the river

Van Ness Extension is an established residential corridor in northwest Fresno along North Van Ness Boulevard, which runs about 2.8 miles from Shaw Avenue north to the San Joaquin River bluffs. Its homes range from mid-century houses on tree-lined streets to custom homes near the private San Joaquin Country Club at the river end.

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Street plan of Van Ness Extension with the area this guide covers outlined in gold
Van Ness Extension, drawn from OpenStreetMap and Census street data. The gold line marks the area this guide covers.
At a glance
Where
N. Van Ness Blvd from Shaw Ave to the river bluffs, between about West Ave and Marks Ave
City or county
Mixed: Fresno County around Bullard, City of Fresno north of Herndon. Check each parcel.
ZIP codes
93711
Size
About 2.8 miles of boulevard; no official boundary
HOA
Not documented; varies by tract. Check each listing.
School district
Mostly Fresno Unified, with Clovis Unified near the river at the north end. Confirm attendance boundaries with the district.
Today

Van Ness Extension today

Van Ness Extension is a local name for the neighborhoods along the northern piece of N. Van Ness Boulevard; no city or county map defines it. Redfin describes tree-lined streets and mostly mid-century single-family homes with some townhouses, with Herndon Avenue running through.

Van Ness is really 2 roads. The southern piece, with Christmas Tree Lane, ends at Shaw near Palm Avenue. The northern piece starts at Shaw about 1.3 miles farther west and runs due north past Bullard, Herndon and Alluvial to the bluff. Our Fig Garden guide covers the southern end.

City or county status changes along the way. In 2020 Census boundaries, the stretch around Bullard to just south of Herndon is unincorporated Fresno County, while the blocks north of Herndon are inside the City of Fresno. Services and rules vary by parcel.

Nearby, the Veterans Boulevard interchange at Bullard and Highway 99 opened in late 2023, and Fig Garden Village was sold in May 2025. The planned River West extension of the Eaton Trail would end at Spano Park, about 1.5 miles east of the corridor's north end; see our Bluffs guide.

Boulevard
About 2.8 miles, Shaw to the bluff
Nearest freeway
Highway 99
Golf
San Joaquin Country Club (private)
Jurisdiction
County around Bullard, city north of Herndon
Most visited

Christmas Tree Lane, at the other end of Van Ness

The most visited stretch of Van Ness is on its southern piece: Christmas Tree Lane, from Shields to Shaw in Old Fig Garden. Its north end at Shaw is about 1.3 miles east of where Van Ness Extension begins. More than 100 years old, the Lane has about 140 decorated homes along a nearly 2-mile drive and draws tens of thousands of visitors each December.

The 2025 season, the 103rd, ran Dec. 3 to 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with northbound-only traffic and no walk-only nights. Officials warned of weekend crowds. The 2 ends of the boulevard share a history: the Forkner-Giffen plan called for ornamental trees along Van Ness all the way to the river.

Where
N. Van Ness Blvd, Shields to Shaw
When
Early December to Dec. 25
Hours (2025)
6 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 6 to 11 p.m. Friday to Sunday
Around the neighborhood

Where people go nearby

  • Fig Garden Village

    Shaw Ave and Palm Ave, about 1.6 miles east

    One of Fresno's oldest shopping centers, open since 1956. New owners took over in May 2025 with plans for upgrades and more tenants.

  • San Joaquin Country Club

    3484 W. Bluff Ave

    A private 18-hole, par-71 course on the bluffs, with a pool, tennis and pickleball. The river runs along holes 1, 2 and 18, and the club co-hosted the 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur with Fort Washington.

  • Sierra Sky Park fly-ins

    4344 W. Spaatz Ave, about 1.7 miles west

    EAA Chapter 376 runs the public End O' Summer Fly-in & Car Show at the residential airpark; it's held each October (the 39th was Oct. 11, 2025), so check the chapter's calendar for this year's date. See our Sierra Sky Park guide.

  • Spano Park

    Palm Ave and Nees Ave

    A small City park on the bluff, planned as the west trailhead of the River West trail.

  • Woodward Park

    East of Highway 41 on the river

    Fresno's 300-acre regional park, opened in 1968, with the Shinzen Friendship Garden. See our Woodward Park guide.

Homes

What the homes are like

Lots and settings

Many homes sit on large lots, often with pools, and the north end has golf-course and river-bluff settings around San Joaquin Country Club. Condos are on W. Bluff Avenue and N. Forkner Avenue.

Age and style

Mostly mid-century single-family homes, with custom, single-story and mid-century modern designs in the listings, plus some townhouses. Build years vary; check each listing.

Neighborhood names

Listing text uses names such as Northwest Van Ness Estates and the Royal Coach neighborhood.

Builders

No production builder is documented here.

HOA and taxes

HOA dues, gates and any Mello-Roos or CFD assessments are not documented. Check each listing.

City or county

Services and rules vary by parcel between the county and city stretches. Confirm which applies before you buy.

Location

Getting around, and schools

Freeways

Highway 99 is closest, with exits at Shaw (140), Veterans Boulevard (141, opened late 2023) and Herndon/Grantland (142). Highway 41 is east by way of Herndon (exit 134) or Shaw (exit 132).

Distances

In a straight line from the middle of the corridor: about 6.7 miles to downtown Fresno, 7.3 miles to central Clovis and 7.4 miles to Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Driving distances are longer.

Shopping

Fig Garden Village at Shaw and Palm is about 1.6 miles east of Van Ness and Shaw. For more of the city, see our Fresno guide.

Schools

Census school-district maps put most of the corridor in Fresno Unified and the river end, around the former golf club, in Clovis Unified. Bullard High, 5445 N. Palm Ave., is the nearby Fresno Unified high school; other assignments depend on the address. See our Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified guides. Boundaries change, so confirm any address with the district.

Map of Van Ness Extension, California, outlining the area this guide covers Van Ness Extension Shaw Ave Herndon Ave Van Ness Blvd Marks Ave West Ave 1San Joaquin Country Club 2Fig Garden Village
  1. 1San Joaquin Country Club
  2. 2Fig Garden Village
Gold outline: the area this guide covers. It's our approximation, so confirm any address. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors; local streets from the U.S. Census Bureau. Open in Google Maps
History

Fig gardens, a streetcar and a beach on the river

In 1912 J.C. Forkner took an option on 6,000 acres of hardpan between Fresno and the San Joaquin River for his fig gardens. In 1914 he partnered with the Fresno Traction Company to run the streetcar about 11 miles from downtown to the river, north through Fig Garden and then down the bluffs, where he built River View Park, with a merry-go-round, a dance hall and Fresno Beach. Cars and the Depression ended the trolley trips by 1932.

The Forkner-Giffen landscape plan called for 100,000 ornamental trees along North Van Ness Boulevard from the city limits to the river, and by 1919 more than 20,000 were in the ground. In October 1958 Fig Garden Golf Club opened at 7700 N. Van Ness Blvd., an 18-hole semi-private course designed by Nick Lombardo. It closed at the end of 2018 after 60 years.

In the 1960s, federal plans included a 65-foot Fig Garden Dam near Highway 99 that would have flooded about 10 miles of river bottom; the idea was dead by the 1980s. In 2000 the Fresno County Office of Education bought the former Boy Scout camp at the old Fresno Beach site, now Scout Island.

  1. 1912J.C. Forkner takes an option on 6,000 acres for his fig gardens.
  2. 1914The streetcar reaches the river, where Forkner builds River View Park.
  3. 1919More than 20,000 trees of a planned 100,000 have been planted.
  4. 1958Fig Garden Golf Club opens in October.
  5. 2000The County Office of Education buys the old Boy Scout camp, now Scout Island.
  6. 2001San Joaquin Country Club co-hosts the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
  7. 2018Fig Garden Golf Club closes at the end of the year.
  8. 2023The Veterans Boulevard interchange at Highway 99 opens.
  9. 2025Fig Garden Village sells in May; Christmas Tree Lane runs its 103rd season.
The corridor

Van Ness Extension, by the numbers

2.8miles of N. Van Ness from Shaw to the bluff
11miles of streetcar line from downtown to the river, 1914
100,000trees in the Forkner-Giffen plan for Van Ness
60years Fig Garden Golf Club was open
85acres at Scout Island
Worth knowing

Stories from the corridor

  • The streetcar ended at a beach

    From 1914 to 1932, seasonal trolley trips ran down the bluffs to River View Park and Fresno Beach, on a horseshoe bend of the river close to where Fig Garden Golf Club later opened. The site is now Scout Island, an 85-acre outdoor-education center that the Fresno County Office of Education runs for school field trips.

  • A lake that never came

    Had the 1960s Fig Garden Dam been built, the river bottom below these bluffs would sit under a lake about 20% the size of Millerton Lake.

  • The river plays the 18th hole

    At San Joaquin Country Club, the river runs along the entire left side of the finishing hole, and the course has elevation changes of up to 60 feet.

FAQ

Van Ness Extension questions

Where is Van Ness Extension in Fresno?

Along North Van Ness Boulevard north of Shaw Avenue in northwest Fresno, running about 2.8 miles to the San Joaquin River bluffs near Bluff Avenue. It is a local name, not an official boundary.

Is Van Ness Extension in the City of Fresno?

Partly. In 2020 Census boundaries, the stretch around Bullard to just south of Herndon is unincorporated Fresno County, and the area north of Herndon is in the city. Check each parcel.

What ZIP code is Van Ness Extension?

93711.

Which school district serves Van Ness Extension?

Mostly Fresno Unified, with Clovis Unified near the river at the north end. Confirm with the district for any address.

How is Van Ness Extension connected to Christmas Tree Lane?

Both are on N. Van Ness Boulevard. Christmas Tree Lane runs on the southern piece, and its north end at Shaw is about 1.3 miles east of where Van Ness Extension starts.

Is Scout Island open to the public?

Scout Island is an 85-acre outdoor-education center that the Fresno County Office of Education runs for year-round school field trips. It is run for school groups rather than as a public park.

Buying or selling here

Thinking about Van Ness Extension?

Baylen and Chris can help you check city or county status, school district and lot details for any home here, or price yours for sale.

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Trafton Home Team, brokered by Real (DRE #02022092). Baylen Trafton, DRE #02026482.

Sources and photo credits