Town file
Sunnyside, California
Sunnyside, California (Fresno County, California) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 579, "Millions To Murder" (13 March 2025). Sunnyside, California, is a census-designated suburb of Fresno, in Fresno County, in the central valley, about three hours' drive from San Francisco and four from Los Angeles.
- Town
- Sunnyside
- County
- Fresno County
- State
- California
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 579
- Approximate location
- 36.729, -119.694
Episode 579 / 13 March 2025 / 177 min / full
Millions To Murder
"We're going to California this week. We're going to Sunnyside, California... it's Fresno is what it is... This is in Fresno County, area code 559." about 0:04:39
The case: Murder of the Ewell family (April 1992). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 4,468
- Median age
- a little over 41
- Median household income
- $87,250 a year
- Median home value
- $398,500
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,260 a month
- Cost of living
- 104
- Religious
- 53%
- Property crime
- ▼ just below the national average
- Violent crime
- ▼ just below the national average
History, in brief
- Sunnyside was originally known as Malter Morrow, named after postmaster George H. Malter, before being renamed Sunnyside because it sounded more welcoming. about 0:06:16
- Fresno is Spanish for ash tree. about 0:06:54
- Early settlers faced land disputes, floods and fires. about 0:06:59
- In 1882 a fire wiped out an entire block of Fresno, and another big fire followed in 1883. about 0:07:10
- Sheep were brought to the area in 1865. about 0:07:23
- The local economy moved from sheep to wheat and then to raisins. about 0:07:30
- Raisins were discovered by accident when a grower could not pick his grapes for wine and they dried on the vine. about 0:07:38
- Oil was found in 1910; the Coalinga Oil Field was the largest in Fresno County and the most richly productive in California. about 0:08:07
- A 1909 gusher was the biggest in California at the time and shut the Los Angeles Stock Exchange for a day. about 0:08:17
- The Coalinga field still produces oil and is the eighth largest field in California. about 0:08:39
- Fresno is about three hours from San Francisco and four hours from Los Angeles. about 0:05:12
- Sunnyside's area code is 559. about 0:06:10
The reviews read out
4 stars
"The mayor and many volunteers help keep the city clean by cleaning the highways and streets."about 0:08:51
3 stars
"A lifelong resident says the overall experience has been okay, some days better than others, and rates it about 7 out of 10."about 0:09:23
2 stars
"A giant, hot, muggy and filthy valley with lots of drugs and violence, and police shootings almost daily, though the fire department is great."about 0:09:47
1 star
"Too hot and boring with no activities, too hot to enjoy the entertainment, and the buses stop running early."about 0:10:06
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Springville, California64 miles
- Olancha, California99 miles
- Cottonwood, California103 miles
- Milpitas, California130 miles
- South Lake Tahoe, California153 miles
- Minden, Nevada154 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.