Hanford or Like? (Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia: amusement park, crime, homes)

[rainedancer1]

So my husband and I have narrowed it down to a place to move. He does not like too much congestion, although some is fine so while I would like to move to SoCal he would like to find a place a little more rural. Pricewise we are looking at the Hanford area because it seems more of a town. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Or are there any other places that you can recommend in California that has a town feel? Employment does not matter because I am self employed and I free lance. Also I have a 6 year old and a 1 year old so a community where there are things for kids to do and be involved in would be nice and I would like to be within several hours driving from the LA area. I appreciate any input thanks so much!

[tinasgt2005]

Originally Posted by rainedancer1

So my husband and I have narrowed it down to a place to move. He does not like too much congestion, although some is fine so while I would like to move to SoCal he would like to find a place a little more rural. Pricewise we are looking at the Hanford area because it seems more of a town. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Or are there any other places that you can recommend in California that has a town feel? Employment does not matter because I am self employed and I free lance. Also I have a 6 year old and a 1 year old so a community where there are things for kids to do and be involved in would be nice and I would like to be within several hours driving from the LA area. I appreciate any input thanks so much!

I think it really what you are looking for. I lived about 30 minutes from Hanford for about 15 years. Hanford is a smaller town but is growing fast. It is an agricultural town. Alot of farming. It is right outside of Lemore which has a Naval Base there. There is quite a bit of diversity there do to the agriculture market. Hanford is about 3 hours from L.A. Hanford is basically just flat land, high heat in the summer, thick fog in the winter(due to agriculture). One thing to consider about the Central Valley is air quality sucks. I have lived in Bakersfield since 1985 so I can attest to all these things.. On other threads I have recommended Tehachapi. It is about the size of Hanford but in the mountains East of Bakersfield. It is beautiful and is about 2 hours to L.A. They do get snow during the winter but not an unbearable amount.

[rainedancer1]

Thanks for the information, I will definitely look into Tehachapi. My husband likes snow and I don't so something in the middle would be great.

[MWJamesLDS]

Tulare is a smaller area, much like Hanford, with the exception of no indoor mall, though it is only 5 miles to Visalia from Tulare. Tulare has about 50,000 people, Visalia 117,000. Both of these are about 15 miles or so from Hanford. All the negatives of Hanford apply to these as well. Porterville is as similarly small town, however the crime seems to be exceptionally high, so I would probably avoid it. A truly nice area in my opinion is Atascadero, CA. It has a population of about 28,000. It is in the hills of the central coast, about 40 miles inland from Pismo Beach. Due to the hills and valley's you can have some nice secluded homes. It is decently developed due to the central coast being a vacation spot for the central valley. Its also rather close to SLO, with a 4yr university. The Temps get hot during the day during the summer, but tend to cool down much better then the valley at night. Unfortunately all this comes at a cost, an average 3bed 2 bath homes is in the range of $450,000. That’s a bit cheaper than SoCal but nearly twice that of the valley. I grew up in, and currently have moved back to Visalia. Keep in mind that the valley doesn't appeal to many people already from CA. Many are spoiled by the bay area and SoCal weather. However, It's temps get about 10-20 degrees hotter than the SoCal Coast during the summer, and a bit cooler than in the winter. Even though it doesn't have the "perfect" weather of SoCal, compared to many parts of the country it is still great weather. Just remember, the air pollution sucks and the crime can be higher than average in many valley cities. Good Luck!

[cherrierogers]

Can someone help me out i live in Indiana and my son is going to live with his brother in Hanford.
How is the school and do they have trouble there.

Thank's to anyone who replies.

Cherrie

[Niners fan]

I graduated from Hanford High School but I only moved there my part way through my senior year (from Texas). The school is fine. It is pretty large and divided into two campuses about 10 minutes apart. As far as being a good school, well, let's just say it is a California high school. I have hardly ever met a CA high school senior that had to take a full class load the entire senior year. But the school is safe (at least it was when I was there 20 years ago). I still have some family in the area so I think I would have heard if it had gotten too bad.

[KRIT23]

North Hanford is expanding...the water tastes and smells like rotten eggs. Visalia and Tulare are good towns, you just have to find the right neighborhood.

[the city]

Tulare is a lot more expensive of a city to live in, but nicer.

Hanford is at 50,000 population. ITs HOTTEST CITY IN CENTRAL VALLEY. They have a super wal-mart, and r building a costco. they have the indoor mall, metro and cinemark theater, a casino, an amusement park, bowling, a fair, rollerskate rink, paintball, an okay downtown, a shopping strip mall, and a race-car speedway in lemoore. they have okay schools in hanford and r building more schools in hanford.

crime wise and gangs, traffic, smog, it's like any other city with problems in california.

Fresno is the largest city in central california, los angeles and san diego are the largest cities in southern california, and san jose is the largest city in northern california.

[centralcali19]

I myself am a Hanford resident, and its a pretty nice town. with 52,000 residents its grown , bringing more traffic and more social problems, but above many other towns in quality of life. Tulare and Hanford are very similar, and Tulare is more expensive, both towns have nice retail zones, from Hanford Mall to to Tulare Outlet Shops. and just to leave it clear, Hanford is nicer than Tulare... You should check out North Hanford, a pretty nice upscale area.

[rkb0305]

The negatives have already been mentioned - heat, fog, air quality, smelly water. You might also try Kingsburg. It has a small town feel similar to Hanford, but has easier access to hwy 99. The weather and air quality are about the same as Hanford.