What are the best reasons to live in Fresno? (Berkeley: apartment complex, travel)

[bigdave01]

I think the best reason to live in fresno is its affordability compared to the rest of california.

[ruthian3]

I grew up in the Fresno area, and am currently back here again after stints in some other cities. Fresno is hardly perfect (but which city is?), but it does offer some attractive features:

1) Affordability (within CA)

2) Abundance and quality of locally grown/raised fresh food and wine

3) Proximity to so many of CA's great resources, from the biggest cities, to the coast, mountains, and all the outdoor activities one could want, year-round. There is so much good stuff to do within a 4-hour radius of Fresno, I doubt it could all be explored in one's lifetime.

4) Traffic is better than in any similarly sized or larger city I've spent time in. Even the "heaviest" traffic of the day is a joke compared to what one goes through in most large metro areas.

5) As much as some people might complain about summer heat or winter fog, the weather in general is generally very nice. No snow, ice is rare, rain is fairly infrequent, and generally nonexistent from May through October. The heat is easier to combat/tolerate due to low humidity. And it is just about as sunny as anywhere in CA north of Tejon Pass.

[rkb0305]

To respond to the original question, Clovis Unified Schools have higher test scores. You can live in NE Fresno and be in Clovis Unified. Fresno Unified has some magnet schools for performing arts, gifted and talented ed, and international baccalaureate programs. Northwest and northeast Fresno are "nicer" areas of town. Some of the newer development in NW is in Central Unified. I don't know much about the schools. I grew up in northwest Fresno and lived with my own family in northeast for about 8 years (Woodward Park area). If you can stay in those areas, crime is low, there aren't security guards outside the grocery stores, no noticeable gang activity. If you can't afford those areas or prefer an older area, it gets more sketchy. If you have any more specific questions you can private message me.

[BearBranch]

Fresno:

Check out:
Fig Garden
Woodward Par
Tower District
Clovis

All good choices.

[Starrynight227]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

I wouldn't be comfortable in an area where crime tends be to be high enough to warrant needing security guards t a grocery store.

I know this is a little off subject but I have to agree with Sicko. I just moved from Monterey, CA and I think we can all agree that it's a low crime are and we had a security guard at the Longs. Probably just as a precaution for the late night workers. That said, Cleosmom is right about the high crime of the Fresno area.

I would have to agree with other posters, check out Clovis. It's a nice area with a decent downtown area. Beware of the stifling heat in the summer. The real estate prices are somewhat better than the rest of California, although in some areas thats not the case. Traffic and congestion can be a problem. The biggest plus, I think, is that you're close to Yosemite and Bass Lake!

[thinboy]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

As a whole I can't really say there is a best reason to live in Fresno. I was raised there and got out as fast as I could. My sister still currently lives there, however her husband landed a job in TX and they too are moving.

If you must live there choose the northern side of town as another poster said or Clovis. Otherwise, choose elsewhere.

We lived in the Mayfair area and it's since gone downhill in a dramatic way yet somehow the homes there are going to for $225,000 plus!

Clovis schools tend to be better than Fresno.

Safety? Look behind, under and in your car before getting in and better yet don't go out after dark if it can be helped. I flipped when I ran to the Safeway one night just after 10 o'clock and they had a security guard at the door! That was enough for me.

Areas to stay away from: Mayfair, west side, south side, Highway city, Bulldog Lane and by now Pinedale. (current residents, feel free to correct me on these)

i am going add more info where not to go

west side- below the zoo and west of downtown

highway city- by highway 99 and shaw ave, those apartment complexs

Pinedale- the intra city up by hermon st or ave?

south side- do you mean everything else below mckinney ave?

bulldog lane- six and shaw, by the college.

mayfair- its over by west of blackstone i assume.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by thinboy

i am going add more info where not to go

west side- below the zoo and west of downtown

highway city- by highway 99 and shaw ave, those apartment complexs

Pinedale- the intra city up by hermon st or ave?

south side- do you mean everything else below mckinney ave?

bulldog lane- six and shaw, by the college.

mayfair- its over by west of blackstone i assume.

Mayfair would be the neighborhood inside Clinton, Cedar, First and McKinley

South I would consider anything of McKinley, especially the closer you get towards the fairgrounds.

[conovercourt]

Fresno is kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of California cities: "it don't get no respect." It is the largest US city without an interstate or U.S highway, all its freeways are state routes. Fresno has grown very fast, but much of its growth was not well thought out. The Tower District is fun and funky, Fig Garden is lush and affluent, but most other areas do not have alot of character.

I like Fresno, but it's a hard city to love. Its amenities have not quite caught up with its population yet.

Yes it gets hot in the summer, but most days a good water cooler will keep your house comfortable. (Dry heat, you know.) The famous Tule Fog gets a little old by the middle of January, but at least you don't have to shovel it! And you can't beat the location: halfway between LA and SF, and halfway between the high Sierra and Pismo Beach.

If you are considering moving to the San Joaquin Valley, and you are not committed to Fresno, you might want to consider Visalia, 50 miles to the South. It is a clean and beautiful city that is safer than Fresno, and has pretty decent schools.

I loved living in the San joaquin Valley, and by California standards it is cheap. The major issue is air quality, I hate when the Sierra is obscured by smog.

[thinboy]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Mayfair would be the neighborhood inside Clinton, Cedar, First and McKinley

South I would consider anything of McKinley, especially the closer you get towards the fairgrounds.

thanks, man i used to live near mayfair and even didnt know it.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by thinboy

thanks, man i used to live near mayfair and even didnt know it.

When I lived there it was a county island, I think it still may be.