The Fresno chile is a rather young variety of chile. It was developed and released for commercial cultivation by Clarence Brown in 1952. Brown named the chile "Fresno" in honor of Fresno, California. Fresno chiles prefer warm to hot and dry climates with long sunny summer days and cool nights for optimal growing conditions. They are grown throughout California, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, which is considered the most productive agricultural region in the world.