Strathmore is located along the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains and in the southeastern portion of Tulare County. The community is approximately 60 miles north of Bakersfield and 70 miles southeast of Fresno. State Highway 65 is located in the westerly portion of the community and State Highway 99 is located about 17 miles west of State Highway 65; both highways serve as the primary regional access routes to the Strathmore area.

The history of Strathmore dates back more than 200 years to the time when Spanish missionaries and explorers were looking for areas to settle. The Yokuts Indians had established trails in the area that were later utilized by the scout Kit Carson and the explorer and soldier John C. Fremont. These Indian trails were transformed into roads are the population of settlers grew, and in 1858, the Butterfield Stage line was established using these routes.

In the 1870s cattle ranchers and wheat farmers moved into the area. In 1875 John and Peter Roth came into the area, and within a few years they owned several thousand acres in the area planted to oranges and grain. The Southern Pacific Railroad brought rails to the Strathmore area in 1888, prompting even more citrus and grain plantings along the rail route. The rail siding and post office helped create a hub that became commonly referred to as “Roth’s Spur.” In 1880 the Roth brothers sold their lands to a subsidiary of Balfour Gutherie, an English company, and for a time the community was known as “Balfour.” The company plotted out a townsite and in 1906, the wife of the company’s resident agent, named the community after her family home in Scotland, “Strathmore.”

To this day, Strathmore remains heavily dependent on citrus production and ag development.