Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-16-2015, 11:07 AM
 
22 posts, read 25,277 times
Reputation: 22

Advertisements

The people in that area would love education (and do). That town petitioned very hard to have UC put its 10th campus in Merced, a demonstration of its commitment to many things (i.e., education, economic development). If you would like to see how Latinos are embracing education throughout the US, look into reports about how Latina/o college enrollment now is greater than so-called White enrollment among recent high school grads: Among recent high school grads, Hispanic college enrollment rate surpasses that of whites | Pew Research Center

You will find that SES (socoioeconomic status) has everything to do with it. I honestly don't see Merced turning into a college town ever due to this issue (i.e., the economic disparity). The poverty rate is so high and unemployment rate so high and public school quality so low that there are few options for many of the surrounding area (not just Merced, including entire central valley). Already you see two different Merceds: one near the UC (North) and "the rest." The town of Merced has been pretty upset with the UC for not employing more "locals" (though they likely had an unrealistic expectation at how quickly a university could change the local economic landscape). At best I think it will turn into another Fresno State area (i.e., decent university but still unsafe area right around it) or potentially UC Riverside area (i.e., nice near the university only).

I hope change will happen to Merced. It is a cute town with a ton of potential. UC Merced was supposed to be a huge part of that, enrolling students from the valley primarily (hence the location geographically) but it quickly started enrolling far more Bay Area and So Cal students percentage wise (to be fair, this is largely due to the low number of adequately prepared students from the central valley high schools). It is a systemic issue with many, many components. The increasing water crisis is probably not going to help the valley. Some pin their hopes on the high speed rail line, but that is a whole other conversation...

I have heard people say their children were "just fine" in the high schools and things. Probably depends on your standards (for me, having 7-8/10 ranked public schools in a state that is already among the lowest in the nation is not "just fine"). I know that some UC Merced parents were trying to get together to start a charter school and stuff like that. Not sure that's the answer to help the entire town, but it will certainly help anyone affiliated with UC Merced. Either way, I think the town will require many, many decades of concentrated effort to see increases in its school rankings or decreases in its crime rate(s). It's tough times in the valley, and has been that way for a long time! Too bad, really, because it has so much potential.

Think I said this already, but if I were still at UC Merced I would definitely move to the Clovis school district in North Fresno. 10/10 schools. To my knowledge, there are no private high schools in Merced and the private schools (K-8) are Christian and Catholic. If you're okay with that, they seem to be good options. My child is worth the drive, but an hour each way (more with Tule fog) may or may not be what you're looking for, and it definitely takes away from family time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-16-2015, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Pluto's Home Town
9,982 posts, read 13,723,305 times
Reputation: 5689
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSnob View Post
The people in that area would love education (and do). That town petitioned very hard to have UC put its 10th campus in Merced, a demonstration of its commitment to many things (i.e., education, economic development). If you would like to see how Latinos are embracing education throughout the US, look into reports about how Latina/o college enrollment now is greater than so-called White enrollment among recent high school grads: Among recent high school grads, Hispanic college enrollment rate surpasses that of whites | Pew Research Center

You will find that SES (socoioeconomic status) has everything to do with it. I honestly don't see Merced turning into a college town ever due to this issue (i.e., the economic disparity). The poverty rate is so high and unemployment rate so high and public school quality so low that there are few options for many of the surrounding area (not just Merced, including entire central valley). Already you see two different Merceds: one near the UC (North) and "the rest." The town of Merced has been pretty upset with the UC for not employing more "locals" (though they likely had an unrealistic expectation at how quickly a university could change the local economic landscape). At best I think it will turn into another Fresno State area (i.e., decent university but still unsafe area right around it) or potentially UC Riverside area (i.e., nice near the university only).

I hope change will happen to Merced. It is a cute town with a ton of potential. UC Merced was supposed to be a huge part of that, enrolling students from the valley primarily (hence the location geographically) but it quickly started enrolling far more Bay Area and So Cal students percentage wise (to be fair, this is largely due to the low number of adequately prepared students from the central valley high schools). It is a systemic issue with many, many components. The increasing water crisis is probably not going to help the valley. Some pin their hopes on the high speed rail line, but that is a whole other conversation...

I have heard people say their children were "just fine" in the high schools and things. Probably depends on your standards (for me, having 7-8/10 ranked public schools in a state that is already among the lowest in the nation is not "just fine"). I know that some UC Merced parents were trying to get together to start a charter school and stuff like that. Not sure that's the answer to help the entire town, but it will certainly help anyone affiliated with UC Merced. Either way, I think the town will require many, many decades of concentrated effort to see increases in its school rankings or decreases in its crime rate(s). It's tough times in the valley, and has been that way for a long time! Too bad, really, because it has so much potential.

Think I said this already, but if I were still at UC Merced I would definitely move to the Clovis school district in North Fresno. 10/10 schools. To my knowledge, there are no private high schools in Merced and the private schools (K-8) are Christian and Catholic. If you're okay with that, they seem to be good options. My child is worth the drive, but an hour each way (more with Tule fog) may or may not be what you're looking for, and it definitely takes away from family time.
Thanks for all this information. And for your honest assessment of the town and its prospects. One of the biggest question marks is the eventual changes as a result of UC Merced.

What I find interesting about the "public school quality so low" story is that is basically means that there are a lot of minority kids, who bring down the test scores. In some cases, say far out in the rural areas of the valley, it is also true that the schools are underfunded and weakly staffed. In a small city like Merced, I have a hard time believing they do not fund the schools reasonably well and have good teachers and resources. What "good schools" seems to mean is schools with almost exclusively white (or Asian), upper class families, and correspondingly good test scores. Kind of covert racism if you ask me. I am not sure I don't feel similar as far as where I would like my child to attend, but blaming the schools for their demographics has always struck me as disingenuous. I don't mean to pick on you, because this is the lingo used everywhere, but it is just wrong, IMO. We seem to find it easier to blame the schools than to admit the obvious, black and Hispanic minorities have lower test scores, and the higher the proportion of such kids the lower the averages. The school professionals have no control over this critical variable, but get blamed for it. By this yardstick, a school composed of only UC Merced progeny and a crop of recently graduated teachers would probably instantly be a 10/10 school. If it were nested within a larger population of locals, it would drop to, say, 6/10, but I am not sure that would not dumb down the bright kids-their parents will still be very bright, highly educated, and education-oriented.

I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, and it did not kill me, and I eventually earned a PhD, but I do remember getting in fights with a number of kids growing up, in recollection, all Hispanic boys. All my siblings finished college and became professionals, so we were not scarred for life, though we hit our share of bumps like anyone else.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-16-2015, 02:13 PM
 
22 posts, read 25,277 times
Reputation: 22
(Perhaps I should say that I am a Latina originally from a very poor city in So Cal to give some context. I, too, earned a doctorate. Just didn't want there to be confusion about where my perspective is coming from.)

Public education is a very complex issue. SES has everything to do with it. Test scores. Quality of text books. How crowded classrooms are. How many parents volunteer as aides in the classroom. How much time and support there is for homework at night. Quality of sleep, nutrition, air quality (also very poor in the central valley). Funding for special education programs, learning disability programs, college prep programs, etc. Fluency in the English language. Not to mention stereotype threat, microaggressions and other sociodemographic factors we have long known affect academic performance.

Are race/ethnicity and SES confounding variables? Absolutely. Are they the CAUSE of low test scores? Absolutely not. It truly is not that simple, and even poor Asians and poor Whites do not score as high on tests as their higher SES counterparts anywhere, not just California.

What we often find in 10/10 schools is super involved parents, an incredible focus on test scores (also as a way to maintain funding from the local and state tax base) and a lot of pressure on kids to perform without necessarily teaching them critical thinking. This is why I personally choose private schools (smaller class size, lower teacher:student ratios, more resources for labs and things) but I am NOT arguing that as a solution, because I believe that the public owes better education to its taxpayers and private, college-prep schools really aren't good at serving students with learning differences. Again, larger issue.

Regarding safety: I would also like to remind folks that there are White and Asian gangs (also present in Merced and the central valley) and gangs are a product of complex sociodemographic variables as well. In fact, the Hells Angels (i.e., a White gang) pretty much own the central valley, though some argue that that keeps some other gangs from getting too powerful. That really hasn't been a problem for me given where I tend to hang out, but wanted to throw out the fact that it's not just Latina/os and Black people in gangs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-17-2015, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Pluto's Home Town
9,982 posts, read 13,723,305 times
Reputation: 5689
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSnob View Post
(Perhaps I should say that I am a Latina originally from a very poor city in So Cal to give some context. I, too, earned a doctorate. Just didn't want there to be confusion about where my perspective is coming from.)

Public education is a very complex issue. SES has everything to do with it. Test scores. Quality of text books. How crowded classrooms are. How many parents volunteer as aides in the classroom. How much time and support there is for homework at night. Quality of sleep, nutrition, air quality (also very poor in the central valley). Funding for special education programs, learning disability programs, college prep programs, etc. Fluency in the English language. Not to mention stereotype threat, microaggressions and other sociodemographic factors we have long known affect academic performance.

Are race/ethnicity and SES confounding variables? Absolutely. Are they the CAUSE of low test scores? Absolutely not. It truly is not that simple, and even poor Asians and poor Whites do not score as high on tests as their higher SES counterparts anywhere, not just California.

What we often find in 10/10 schools is super involved parents, an incredible focus on test scores (also as a way to maintain funding from the local and state tax base) and a lot of pressure on kids to perform without necessarily teaching them critical thinking. This is why I personally choose private schools (smaller class size, lower teacher:student ratios, more resources for labs and things) but I am NOT arguing that as a solution, because I believe that the public owes better education to its taxpayers and private, college-prep schools really aren't good at serving students with learning differences. Again, larger issue.

Regarding safety: I would also like to remind folks that there are White and Asian gangs (also present in Merced and the central valley) and gangs are a product of complex sociodemographic variables as well. In fact, the Hells Angels (i.e., a White gang) pretty much own the central valley, though some argue that that keeps some other gangs from getting too powerful. That really hasn't been a problem for me given where I tend to hang out, but wanted to throw out the fact that it's not just Latina/os and Black people in gangs.
Very well argued. I was feeling like I had picked on you, but I see you can defend yourself and then some. I agree with much of what you say here, and I appreciated your candor on this thread.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-17-2015, 08:47 PM
 
22 posts, read 25,277 times
Reputation: 22
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-15-2018, 06:55 PM
 
81 posts, read 93,953 times
Reputation: 91
Default Living in the San Juaquin Valley

Quote:
Originally Posted by gohawks3 View Post
I applied for a job at UC-Merced and I am just wanting to learn a little bit more about the area in order to make sure it is a place I would want to live. I have read most of what there is to read about the Merced area and it has been somewhat helpful.

I would like to know where the safest and nicest place to live within a 45min drive of UC-Merced is. I have heard the northern parts of Merced, closer to the University is nice, as well as Mariposa, parts of Turlock, and parts of Madera. Getting more specifics would be great. I realize that these areas are smaller cities and that is fine with me. I have also heard there is quite a bit of crime in certain areas and I obviously would like to avoid that. All I am looking for in amenities are a variety of grocery stores, some good restaurants & bars, etc.

I have heard that this area has an abundance of recreational options. I love the outdoors so this is very appealing to me. It looks like there are a lot of lakes, reservoirs, and rivers nearby as well as the mountains. Can anyone speak to this?

Also the geographical location is appealing to me as well. 2hr drive from Sacramento, SF, the coast, and Yosemite, an hour from Fresno, and 4hrs from LA. That is a lot of possibilities for day or weekend trips.

Thanks in advance for your help!
When I was studying at U.C. Davis in the 70's, we were excited that the Sierra and San Francisco were only an hour a way. But we were so busy that we rarely went to either.
Personally, I hate the Valley. It is very hot in the summer and the air quality is bad. Fresno has some of the worst in the country. If you want "a variety of grocery stores, some good restaurants & bars, etc.," I doubt Mariposa would suffice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-15-2018, 07:02 PM
 
81 posts, read 93,953 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSnob View Post
The people in that area would love education (and do). That town petitioned very hard to have UC put its 10th campus in Merced, a demonstration of its commitment to many things (i.e., education, economic development). If you would like to see how Latinos are embracing education throughout the US, look into reports about how Latina/o college enrollment now is greater than so-called White enrollment among recent high school grads: Among recent high school grads, Hispanic college enrollment rate surpasses that of whites | Pew Research Center

You will find that SES (socoioeconomic status) has everything to do with it. I honestly don't see Merced turning into a college town ever due to this issue (i.e., the economic disparity). The poverty rate is so high and unemployment rate so high and public school quality so low that there are few options for many of the surrounding area (not just Merced, including entire central valley). Already you see two different Merceds: one near the UC (North) and "the rest." The town of Merced has been pretty upset with the UC for not employing more "locals" (though they likely had an unrealistic expectation at how quickly a university could change the local economic landscape). At best I think it will turn into another Fresno State area (i.e., decent university but still unsafe area right around it) or potentially UC Riverside area (i.e., nice near the university only).

I hope change will happen to Merced. It is a cute town with a ton of potential. UC Merced was supposed to be a huge part of that, enrolling students from the valley primarily (hence the location geographically) but it quickly started enrolling far more Bay Area and So Cal students percentage wise (to be fair, this is largely due to the low number of adequately prepared students from the central valley high schools). It is a systemic issue with many, many components. The increasing water crisis is probably not going to help the valley. Some pin their hopes on the high speed rail line, but that is a whole other conversation...

I have heard people say their children were "just fine" in the high schools and things. Probably depends on your standards (for me, having 7-8/10 ranked public schools in a state that is already among the lowest in the nation is not "just fine"). I know that some UC Merced parents were trying to get together to start a charter school and stuff like that. Not sure that's the answer to help the entire town, but it will certainly help anyone affiliated with UC Merced. Either way, I think the town will require many, many decades of concentrated effort to see increases in its school rankings or decreases in its crime rate(s). It's tough times in the valley, and has been that way for a long time! Too bad, really, because it has so much potential.

Think I said this already, but if I were still at UC Merced I would definitely move to the Clovis school district in North Fresno. 10/10 schools. To my knowledge, there are no private high schools in Merced and the private schools (K-8) are Christian and Catholic. If you're okay with that, they seem to be good options. My child is worth the drive, but an hour each way (more with Tule fog) may or may not be what you're looking for, and it definitely takes away from family time.
You making a distinction between Catholic and Christian? That's pretty weird.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-15-2018, 08:05 PM
 
22 posts, read 25,277 times
Reputation: 22
Ever heard of Martin Luther??? There is a huge distinction between Catholics and [Protestant] Christians...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-05-2018, 11:03 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,003 times
Reputation: 10
Default Living in Madera

For Go Hawks 3: I just thought you might want to hear a different perspective on living in Madera. We (my wife and children) have lived here for over 35 years and it is a peaceful, quiet, big, little city. It has everything a family would want growing up and if not, Fresno is a mere 25 minutes away. Madera is a family oriented city and the people here are down to earth and are very friendly. The cost of living here is the best in the entire valley. You can easily purchase a home and live a comfortable life on an average salary ($50,000). You can't say that about many other places in California. There are several hospitals within the Madera/Fresno area for your wife to work. They include: "Valley Children's Hospital, Madera Community Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, Fresno Community Hospital and Clovis Community Hospital."



In Madera, you are about 2 1/2 hours from the ocean, 1 1/2 hours from the mountains/hills/snow and 3 and 4 hours from San Francisco (and the Giants, 49ers, Warriors, etc.) and Los Angeles respectively if you enjoy the night life. The climate here in Madera can not be beat. You do have to get acclimated to the heat in the summers, but that happens easily enough. There are many lakes and rivers within a short drive so if you have a boat or you like fishing or water skiing you are in luck. We have little league baseball, softball, soccer, football, and basketball leagues for the kids and our schools are decent. There are private and charter schools here if you choose that path and there are some excellent public schools (Lincoln, John Adams, Pershing, Howard and Berenda Elementary Schools; Thomas Jefferson Middle School; and Madera High and Madera South High Schools. There is a lot to like here.



I work in Merced County and I would avoid living in Merced at all costs. It is too big and has a lot of gang and drug problems. I am a high school administrator so I deal with these kinds of issues all the time. Turlock and Atwater are decent places, Mariposa has two fairly major problems. 1) It is very expensive to live there as it is way off the beaten path and 2) The school district has a very difficult time keeping good employees because of the busing problems. It cost the district a fortune to pick up all of its students because it can take up to 2 plus hours one-way for one bus route. They are in a financial hole. The only way out is to raise home owners and builder's taxes and fees. Otherwise, Mariposa is a beautiful place to live. Lots of trees and steep hills and good ole boys.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-05-2018, 11:45 AM
 
Location: Oroville, California
3,477 posts, read 6,480,247 times
Reputation: 6789
There isn't a dime's worth of difference between Merced and Madera gang wise or crime wise. Madera has 65,000 people and Merced has 83,000. Do you honestly think there's any difference in quality of life? I will say this, Merced is a MUCH nicer looking city with better shopping. Plus it has an independent community college (not a satellite campus) that's been there over 50 years and the University of California. Madera is more or less a big Chowchilla. Commuting from there to UC Merced would be an utterly worthless move.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top