Town file
Springville, California
Springville, California (Tulare County, California) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 667, "The Most Interesting Murderer In The World" (22 January 2026).
- Town
- Springville
- County
- Tulare County
- State
- California
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 667
- Approximate location
- 36.121, -118.823
Episode 667 / 22 January 2026 / 182 min / full
The Most Interesting Murderer In The World
"We are going to Springville, California" about 0:05:32
The case: Murder of William T. Ashlock (February 1973). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- about 960
- Median age
- 37.5
- Median household income
- zero dollars a year
- Median home value
- $387,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,170
- Cost of living
- 99.6
- Religious
- 42%
- Property crime
- ▲ about 25% above
- Violent crime
- ▲ about 10% above
History, in brief
- The original name of the town was Daunt, after William Daunt, a settler who opened the first store in the town in 1860. about 0:06:34
- It was changed to Springville in January 1911, in reference to the soda springs found in the area. about 0:06:51
- Tulare County gave its name to tularemia, caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis and also known as rabbit fever. about 0:07:52
- It is about three hours from Los Angeles and about an hour and a half from Fresno. about 0:05:53
- It is the gateway to Sequoia National Forest, and the Tule River passes through the town. about 0:08:43
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Only a few reviews and all pretty positive; a gateway to Sequoia National Forest, the Tule River passes through town and there are historical points of interest."about 0:08:28
4 stars
"Small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains with fewer than a thousand people, very friendly, beautiful surroundings, near Sequoia National Forest, many recreational activities and one of the lowest crime rates in the state."about 0:09:16
3 stars
"A small mountain community that is very friendly and very quiet, surrounded by hills and mountains."about 0:09:38
3 stars
"Quiet and peaceful but not too much to do; decent restaurants, an amazing coffee shop, and not far from hiking or shopping in Porterville."about 0:09:46
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Olancha, California47 miles
- Cottonwood, California54 miles
- Sunnyside, California64 miles
- Lomita, California163 miles
- Canyon Lake, California190 miles
- Milpitas, California192 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.