Fresno VS Los Angeles (Sacramento: central)

[Jarndyce]

Original Poster---
DO NOT CHOOSE BETWEEN LA AND FRESNO! That is NOT FAIR to either place. Fresno is an ugly, boring, tired little provincial Agriculture Area. There is LITERALLY NOTHING to do here especially if you have had any exposure to a "big city" i.e. S.F, Boston, NYC, Chicago, San Diego...

Look at the stores that the poster "the city" described above me. Do you consider any of them "upscale"? They are downscale in terms of what any LA person has access to.
I have been here almost 7 years and can not leave anytime soon enough. There is no 30's singles life here AT ALL. Everyone here looks at "non-natives" and "non-farmers" with great suspicion.

Crime and Gangs are not on the scale of LA but the region is becoming compartmentalized--the wealthy live in Fig Garden Fresno, the middle class moves to Clovis, the working class/immigrants get the farm towns and the areas close to downtown.

There is no downtown in a traditional sense. It is a forgotton, never travel to unless you have to kind of place. I've been here awhile and I can't name a single significant project...maybe the minor league baseball stadium, I suppose, but the Save Mart Center opened a couple of years ago and that relegated Selland Arena to dumpsville.

You should go to LA and not give Fresno a serious thought. This is the place time forgot and time continues to forget....

[the city]

Los Angeles-4 million (metropolis)
San Diego-1.2 million
Long Beach-600,000

San Jose-1 million
San Francisco-800,000 population

Take your pick.

Fresno-500,000 (big city)

[Jarndyce]

"We have a winner..."-----> San Jose-1 million

[rkb0305]

Having spent my entire life in Fresno, up until 7 months ago, I have a hard time choosing between defending my home town, and pointing out the reasons we left. Honestly, I'd still choose it over LA because of the traffic, cost of living, and because it is "home" to me. Unfortunately a lot of the negatives pointed out on this forum are true. It does have a gang problem. It does have awful air (so does LA). Compared to a larger city, there isn't that much to do. Fig Garden Village is as "upscale" as the shopping gets there - Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, Sharper Image, Pottery Barn. Personally, I'd rather shop at a nice outlet mall. I worked downtown for 10 years. It needs some redevelopment badly. However, I've also been to downtown LA, and saw a lot of similarities. Anyway, I think LA and Fresno have some similar problems. It just depends on how big of a city, what kind of entertainment, and what kind of shopping the OP is comfortable with.

[the city]

Fresno doesn't have as much people as LA, thus there is less to do. But they do have 2 water parks in the area and an a amusement park with go-karts and miniature golf, laser tag, and an arcade. But, that's more teenage stuff. They have lots of nice and cheap theaters, and a very real nice winerys and pubs.

I do agree though, that there downtown needs help. And maybe a little more population will bring a bit more upscale shopping.

[kposey2001]

I have always lived in Fresno/Clovis. We do have great parks and night spots around town. Tower district is great and North Fresno is really booming. My husband and I enjoy the many venues that come to the Savemart Center, watching hockey and baseball at the Chukchansi ball park, and local casinos on occasion. We live in Tollhouse about 30 miles outside of town and have great views, fresh air, privacy, and our home wasn't that expensive. We enjoy the drive into town each day and occasionally get an inch or so of snow.

Check out employment and salaries because yes, like someone said, homes are a lot cheaper because salaries are a lot less, comparibly. If you are looking for employment and have a background in sales or automotive, take a look at Lithia Motors Inc Sells New and Used Vehicles. Driving America with the best in sales, service and parts. Lithia.com, Americas Car and Truck Store. Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Toyota, Honda, BMW, Ford for opportunities. They are always hiring and are a great employer to work for. Lithia has 108 dealerships in the U.S. and is one of the top 3 in the nation making them a very stable employer when everything else in Fresno seems to be so volitle. Other employers that I hear are good are Community Hospitals and Pelco.

[fresnofresno]

It woulld't be fair to the state's sixth largest city to put bakersfield in the same sentence.

[fresnofresno]

It wouldn't be fair to the state's sixth largest city to put bakersfield in the same sentence.

[KRIT23]

fresno blows...you always got to watch your back for crime,the air sucks, and everyone has an attitude problem. if I were to live in Ca I would choose somewhere near Sacramento or Monterey-both beautiful places

[pistola916]

If i had to choose a Central Valley city, it would be Sacramento.