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Old 03-15-2012, 03:43 AM
 
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Hi folks. I have been considering a move back to California for quite a while and have created a few threads on the subject that some of you might be familiar with: (The first having to do with the Fresno to Bakersfield area primarily) http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...kersfield.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...d-country.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...o-redding.html

Anyway, I finally got to come and visit a month or so ago and drove up from Bakersfield up to Chico looking into and visiting several areas. We really liked the Visalia area as well as a couple other cities more up north. We, however in our deliberation back here in Colorado, still keep going back to Visalia.

The biggest concern we had for Visalia, was the SMOG. Now, I must tell you folks, prior to our visit last month I had never been to the South Valley nor have seen anything below Merced and have been out of California for nearly 4 years. I was pretty surprised by the amount of air pollution from Bakersfield to Fresno though many of you warned me. We stayed down there for a few days and after looking at Bakersfield, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia and some smaller communities, we decided that we liked Visalia the best. It seemed like a nice community based off of a day or two of driving around, thats it.

What we saw as far as smog/air pollution goes (from Bakersfield area to Fresno area), was a thick haze of grey-ish-looking, smoke-like substance lingering in the air....everywhere. The mountians were barely visable and driving down city streets it just seemed so hazy in all the neighborhoods and surrounding agricultural countryside.

I suppose my question for you is: Is it ALWAYS that hazy in the Visalia area? Or was what we saw for a couple days some kind of unusual experience from a fire or something else?

After two days there or so, my throat was sore and was worried I may have impending respiratory issues if I were to live down there. I don't have asthma, but I do have a sensitive respiratory system with seasonal allergies and have issues with high humidity found in the Midwest and South.

Please be detailed and as informative as possible because we are very interested in moving there, but probably won't if the air pollution is always as bad as when we were there which was early to mid February of this year. We might have to stay further north. But we really liked Visalia. Thanks for all your help.
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:29 PM
 
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It is always that bad. Worse in the winter because of the stagnant air, fog (dec-march) and lack of winds until a storm moves in and clears the air, than hit repeat and the cycle goes again. Summer is the same way. The valley traps the smog, heat makes it worse and you can have some really bad air days. While i have not lived in that area, I did live in the Modesto area for about 8 years. My daughter had some really bad allergy issues due to pollen and smog. While you body might get accustomed to it, I would steer clear with a sensitive respiratory system anywhere in the Central Valley (i.e. Chico to Bakersfield). sorry, the valley just is a natural pollutant trap sounded by hills on both sides, drifting pollution from the Bay Area and LA, coupled with smog from Point Sources and Dust from farms, it just a bad overall area for people with respiratory problems. Try the coast.
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Old 03-15-2012, 10:27 PM
 
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I've heard Redding actually has some of the best air in the country, but I suppose that's too far north in the valley.

The other poster is right about moving to the coast. Here in the Bay Area, we rarely have poor air quality, as the ocean breeze is typically very strong and blows the smog over to the valley. However, near the coast in Southern Cal, the breeze is less strong and the smog gets trapped against the mountains, so the air is worse even by the coast (not as bad as in the San Joaquin Valley though).
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Old 03-16-2012, 12:48 AM
 
307 posts, read 976,659 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn_Estrada View Post
It is always that bad. Worse in the winter because of the stagnant air, fog (dec-march) and lack of winds until a storm moves in and clears the air, than hit repeat and the cycle goes again. Summer is the same way. The valley traps the smog, heat makes it worse and you can have some really bad air days. While i have not lived in that area, I did live in the Modesto area for about 8 years. My daughter had some really bad allergy issues due to pollen and smog. While you body might get accustomed to it, I would steer clear with a sensitive respiratory system anywhere in the Central Valley (i.e. Chico to Bakersfield). sorry, the valley just is a natural pollutant trap sounded by hills on both sides, drifting pollution from the Bay Area and LA, coupled with smog from Point Sources and Dust from farms, it just a bad overall area for people with respiratory problems. Try the coast.
I grew up in the Sacramento area and have lived north and south in the Sac/SJ valleys. I have only been gone from California less than 3 years. Honestly, I have never had a problem with smog living between Yuba city and stockton...but I have never seen smog such as that in the Fresno to Bakersfield area. I am quite familiar with Modesto as well as Oakdale is on our short list of places to move. I have absolutely no problem with the smog in that vicinity nor in Sac/Stockton or the North Valley such as Chico. The air pollution in Visalia say, is way worse than Modesto or Sacramento in my opinion, and it is virtually obsolete in the North Valley.

I am only concerned, regarding air pollution, with the Visalia area as we really liked that town. However, if it is always that bad we may need to stay further north. We don't want to live along the coast at all.
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Old 03-16-2012, 02:04 AM
 
2,093 posts, read 4,674,473 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by countryway View Post
Hi folks. I have been considering a move back to California for quite a while and have created a few threads on the subject that some of you might be familiar with: (The first having to do with the Fresno to Bakersfield area primarily) http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...kersfield.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...d-country.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/calif...o-redding.html

Anyway, I finally got to come and visit a month or so ago and drove up from Bakersfield up to Chico looking into and visiting several areas. We really liked the Visalia area as well as a couple other cities more up north. We, however in our deliberation back here in Colorado, still keep going back to Visalia.

The biggest concern we had for Visalia, was the SMOG. Now, I must tell you folks, prior to our visit last month I had never been to the South Valley nor have seen anything below Merced and have been out of California for nearly 4 years. I was pretty surprised by the amount of air pollution from Bakersfield to Fresno though many of you warned me. We stayed down there for a few days and after looking at Bakersfield, Porterville, Tulare, Visalia and some smaller communities, we decided that we liked Visalia the best. It seemed like a nice community based off of a day or two of driving around, thats it.

What we saw as far as smog/air pollution goes (from Bakersfield area to Fresno area), was a thick haze of grey-ish-looking, smoke-like substance lingering in the air....everywhere. The mountians were barely visable and driving down city streets it just seemed so hazy in all the neighborhoods and surrounding agricultural countryside.

I suppose my question for you is: Is it ALWAYS that hazy in the Visalia area? Or was what we saw for a couple days some kind of unusual experience from a fire or something else?

After two days there or so, my throat was sore and was worried I may have impending respiratory issues if I were to live down there. I don't have asthma, but I do have a sensitive respiratory system with seasonal allergies and have issues with high humidity found in the Midwest and South.

Please be detailed and as informative as possible because we are very interested in moving there, but probably won't if the air pollution is always as bad as when we were there which was early to mid February of this year. We might have to stay further north. But we really liked Visalia. Thanks for all your help.
Since respiratory health is a real concern, I wouldn't move to anywhere in the San Joaquin valley while you have a choice. Smog is a concern everywhere in California, but the central valley is hit hardest due to the geographical area and hot climate during the summer.

Most of the smog gets blown into the valley from the coastal areas....
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Old 03-16-2012, 03:03 AM
 
Location: Folsom
5,128 posts, read 9,785,404 times
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No, Visalia is not always hazy. It has incredible views of the sierra's on clear days. I suspect the haze ("a thick haze of grey-ish-looking, smoke-like substance lingering in the air....everywhere. The mountians were barely visable and driving down city streets it just seemed so hazy in all the neighborhoods and surrounding agricultural countryside") that you may have seen was just fog. Your description sounds very much like the Tule Fog that is so prevelant in the winter....did it look like any of these? http://www.google.com/search?q=tule+...w=1024&bih=561 February is typically one of the foggier months, as a matter of fact, they used to have a fog festival, and I see now a fog run. Oh yea, the Tule fog is a lot of fun...you should read about it. Here's more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBDG3mQiIhM I have family & friends in Visalia, and lived there for many years.

All of the south central valley has a higher density of pollutants due to the surrounding mountains trapping the air. Not only do these cities have their own pollutants (from agriculture, emissions, etc) but that wonderful delta breeze blows the northern valley smog down into the valley, plus, you've got the fog layer that again traps it. The other thing, the population has exploded due to the cost of living, so that is huge factor in the current smog status.

The URI crud is a seasonal thing down there, and when I say seasonal, it starts in the fall and may last throughout the entire winter. Plus, the seasonal allergies are awful. There is a saying along the lines, that no matter how long you live in the valley, eventually you will develop allergies. This even happens to life long residents born & raised there. The good news - there's lots of allergy specialists in the area, and they give a lot of immunotherapy. *Fun*Fun*. So glad to be out of there.

Fresno, Visalia, Porterville & points south have always (at least for the past 20 years) had the highest central valley pollutant levels....just thinking about some of the reports we used to recieve at the local hospitals.

On the good side, Visalia is a wonderful, friendly town, probably one of the better towns in the south central valley....although other smaller towns that are nice would be Exeter, Hanford, Reedley....depending on what you are looking for. Visalia's downtown & downtown events beats most of the communities around Sacramento. I don't even have a weekend farmer's market in Folsom. It's pathetic. And yes, I've been to the Sacto FM under the freeway, but in Visalia, I only had to drive 10 minutes to an outstanding FM vs 30 minutes plus parking time now. The abundance of fresh seasonal fruit & veggies is amazing in Visalia.

Last edited by caligirlz; 03-16-2012 at 03:14 AM.. Reason: clarification
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Old 03-16-2012, 04:19 AM
 
307 posts, read 976,659 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caligirlz View Post
No, Visalia is not always hazy. It has incredible views of the sierra's on clear days. I suspect the haze ("a thick haze of grey-ish-looking, smoke-like substance lingering in the air....everywhere. The mountians were barely visable and driving down city streets it just seemed so hazy in all the neighborhoods and surrounding agricultural countryside") that you may have seen was just fog. Your description sounds very much like the Tule Fog that is so prevelant in the winter....did it look like any of these? tule fog - Google Search February is typically one of the foggier months, as a matter of fact, they used to have a fog festival, and I see now a fog run. Oh yea, the Tule fog is a lot of fun...you should read about it. Here's more
Tule Fog in California Will End Soon - YouTube I have family & friends in Visalia, and lived there for many years.

All of the south central valley has a higher density of pollutants due to the surrounding mountains trapping the air. Not only do these cities have their own pollutants (from agriculture, emissions, etc) but that wonderful delta breeze blows the northern valley smog down into the valley, plus, you've got the fog layer that again traps it. The other thing, the population has exploded due to the cost of living, so that is huge factor in the current smog status.

The URI crud is a seasonal thing down there, and when I say seasonal, it starts in the fall and may last throughout the entire winter. Plus, the seasonal allergies are awful. There is a saying along the lines, that no matter how long you live in the valley, eventually you will develop allergies. This even happens to life long residents born & raised there. The good news - there's lots of allergy specialists in the area, and they give a lot of immunotherapy. *Fun*Fun*. So glad to be out of there.

Fresno, Visalia, Porterville & points south have always (at least for the past 20 years) had the highest central valley pollutant levels....just thinking about some of the reports we used to recieve at the local hospitals.

On the good side, Visalia is a wonderful, friendly town, probably one of the better towns in the south central valley....although other smaller towns that are nice would be Exeter, Hanford, Reedley....depending on what you are looking for. Visalia's downtown & downtown events beats most of the communities around Sacramento. I don't even have a weekend farmer's market in Folsom. It's pathetic. And yes, I've been to the Sacto FM under the freeway, but in Visalia, I only had to drive 10 minutes to an outstanding FM vs 30 minutes plus parking time now. The abundance of fresh seasonal fruit & veggies is amazing in Visalia.
Thank you for your response. The Fog idea certainly is a valid one and some of those pics looks very similar to what we saw. However, my concern would be, that we were mostly there in the afternoon and it was around the mid-70s, so I am not sure if what we saw would be fog. Fog usually exists in the evening, late night and early morning, correct? Living in the Sac area most all of my life we had fog that was pretty awful and dangerous but never in the afternoon, so I am not positive whether what we saw was fog, smog or both...anyone? It really seems to me that it was heavy smog/pollution. You could smell it too. My throat began to get sore after the 2nd day there.

Yes, I always had seasonal allergies in the Valley, that is pretty common. After I left CA and have lived in the Midwest as well as here in Northern CO I have not had seasonal allergies, thankfully. I am prepared to endure them upon returning to my home state.

I am not sure what "URI Crud" is? Can you elaborate?

It does certainly seem on my visit there that the Fresno to Bakersfield area had the worse pollution. Sac was just as I remembered it, but I haven't been gone that long...only 3 1/2 years or so.

Folsom, used to have a Farmer's Market. Have you been to the one in Roseville? Denieo's? We used to go there when I was a kid but it was a mess of people then in the late 80s.

I am glad to hear you concur that Visalia is a nice community. We really liked it and I am very selective. But, we only drove around and toured the area for two days then headed up to Oakdale. Then on up to Sac. We also visited Chico among some others and really liked Chico but were concerned about it being too isolated. We have not made up our minds yet. Thanks for the info on Visalia and for confirming that the town is a good place to live. We thought it was the best from what we saw in that area.
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Old 03-16-2012, 05:40 AM
 
Location: Here&There
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Fog/Haze (even in the afternoon), whatever the correct term is for whatever it may be, though if it were smog that thick, you'd think people would be dropping like flies and, yes, despite the city being one of the worse for bad air quality. Oh and the choking, that could be the smell from all the wonderful farms surrounding the city -- get use to it if you choose Visalia; the smell usually lingers for a day or two every week. Enjoy.

Yes, I've lived there for some time, years -- finally got the hell out. By the way, I was healthy as healthy can be when I moved there, after a few years I've developed some allergies, not the seasonal kind either. Though I can't really blame the area as doctors have told me that one can develop allergies at any point in their life from anywhere, then again these doctors may have been not all that great to begin with despite their pedigree.

But hey, the CV has seen some population growth and people seem to be surviving through it, seemingly fine. And if Visalia is your ultimate dream city to be and you're worried about air particles you can check out airgov or something similar, maybe airnow.gov, look it up -- you can check out air quality by the hour. I think the ALA may have a periodical ongoing report.

I wouldn't exactly call Visalia a town by the way. Having a Costco does a city make, at least in that region.
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Old 03-16-2012, 01:18 PM
 
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Air quality in Visalia has been improving. 2011 had the fewest number of high ozone (a precursor to smog) days in 2 decades. Only 17 days in Visalia were over the federal ozone standard in 2011 vs Southern California's 31 days in Santa Clarita, 68 days in Riverside or 80 days in Redlands.

Number of ozone violations in Visalia by year:
MRGDSITEMYR Display

You can compare that to Southern California numbers by clicking any of the cities listed here to see its annual high ozone days.
MRGDASRPT Display

What you were seeing might have been the result of this unusual dry winter. Winter weather conditions trapped particulates (dust, soot, etc) in the air. There have been several winter days with unusual high winds stirring up dust. But the lack of rain kept particles suspended in the air. The Valley this winter has so far seen about 1/3 its normal rainfall totals.

The lack of rain this winter has made the last few months some of the worse Valley winter air quality in decades. But this has been much worse than normal.

Visalia is a nice town (or city since it is about 125,000 residents). I sometimes enjoy the restaurants and activities it has to offer. Seems like something new to discover every time. A new spot just opened downtown (Mearle's on Main) that serves the very excellent Superior Dairy Ice Cream. That means I no longer have to go to Hanford to get Superior, I can visit Visalia instead.

In terms of allergies, everyone is individual and different in terms of what they deal with. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation does a twice a year ranking of in terms of living in an area with allergies. They look at pollen counts, medication usage, and ratio of allergists to population. Visalia is not reviewed due to its size but in the Fall 2011 rankings the larger Valley cities ranked as better places to live with alleriges than most of the US.
http://www.aafa.org/pdfs/Public%20LI..._2011%20v2.pdf
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Old 03-16-2012, 05:49 PM
 
Location: SW MO
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One of my rules in life is to never again live anywhere with air I can see!
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