What is Fresno like for a 25 year old? (San Jose, San Francisco: home, school district)
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Nothing wrong with hsr. Fresno cant force the
Federal government to help with funding it, all it can do is wait it out. With Republicans set to be pushed out of DC, you'll be seeing interest in hsr returning before you know it. Distribution centers aren't bad because they bring in tax revenue, but the quality of jobs they bring in are bottom rung. Hopefully, the city moves away from distro centers and starts focusing on higher quality job markets(tech, health, etc). I've talked to Fresno higher ups about bringing in better jobs, they know they need to do better.
The brain drain is a little bit overblown, and it's an issue all 2nd/3rd tier cities have to deal with. People know about Fresnos brain drain because the media likes hyping up negative Fresno news(it's easy clicks). With all the hip parts of the west coast now overpriced, you'll be seeing it slow down some in Fresno.
I think river Park gets a bad rap, I don't think it's as bad as made out to be. What river Park needs is housing. A good chunk of that area needs to be turned into mixed used housing. If you could walk from work/house straight into riverpark, id do a lot to spice up that area.
I think the city needs to focus on the arts more. If the city could turn south Fresno into an art district or at least an art influenced area, id do wonders for it.
Ofc Fresno needs to fix up it's river area and build a new high-end spot(Santana row?),but jobs need to be created first for all that to work out.
As long as Fresno keeps voting democract(council, future mayors), I think Fresno will be fine. The local democract politicians know all about the past mistakes, and want to actually improve things.
Oh yeah, the foothills around Fresno need investment. They're too damn beautiful to sit empty. I don't know who to talk to about that, but I def want to chat with someone about it. Maybe I should talk to that baseball player developer, lol.
Good to hear that fresno higher ups realize they need to bring in better jobs. Ive heard the argument on both sides, that bringing in these low quality jobs is better than no jobs at all--in a city that has always had issues with its high unemployment rate. Fresno has shown it can bring the bottom rung jobs, and now its time to focus on bringing in higher end ones. If not at least show people in the bay area who are all moving to sacramento while working remote, that fresno is a cheaper alternative. At least those high income earners can spend their money in fresno and buy luxury or higher end homes and bring in that property tax.
No issues with riverpark. I love riverpark. It's an area you bring people to who are not familiar with the area and they see all the big name stores and nice developments and it gives them a better impression of Fresno.
The river (san joaquin river access from fresno) issue seems on going. How many years has it been now they have been trying to come up with a solution for river access. That would be a great amenity/feature/activity for locals and visitors alike.
To continue about the brain drain, this is just my opinion and speculation. When they constantly do ratings of most uneducated big cities, fresno is always up there. With a city this big that has multiple colleges both 2 year and 4 year in the area (fresno state, pacific, ucsf fresno, fresno city, covis community, etc) why it is ranking on top with cities that dont have as much college options. The studies are for residents in the city. And why I say all the talent leave which i correlate with lack of white collar jobs.
The high speed rail is a flop and the big distribution centers are an okay more. Even big cities need those. Jobs are jobs and every city needs them no matter if they're sexy or not. But the downtown revitalization was/is a must. Every city that is taken seriously as far as culture, cuisine, architecture, culinary, etc has to at least have their downtown area on the upswing if not fully there already. Even LA with other major districts and attractions like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach etc. had to finally get their downtown on track as a pride factor and to solidify its world class city status. Fresno, with no beach or body of water nearby, has no choice but to get the downtown scene on the upswing. All the architecture and art is downtown and the nearby Tower District has the charm, hipster, and bohemian vibes. Link them both up together in 3-5 years and you have something to work with. North Fresno is basically suburbia with chain restaurants(the good ones though) and typical shopping malls. If somebody came to Fresno to shoot footage for a food or travel show they would be somewhere in either downtown or the Tower District. They're not going to PF Chang's or Ruth Chris in North Fresno.
One thing Fresno screwed up on imo was letting the soccer team, Fresno FC, go to waste because nobody wanted to give/donate some land to them to build a soccer specific stadium. They had a good fanbase in that one and only season they were there.. and its a growing sport plus you get to play against all the teams, big and small, in the state. You could've had Fresno FC vs The LA Galaxy, LAFC, Sac Republic, San Jose, etc. I know a team should be able to buy their own land but the team was in its infancy and I still couldn't believe the city or a private land owner couldn't donate 15 acres or so or at least charge them/delay payment a year or two later. That was a big blow towards change and something that could've grown into a movement over the course of time imo.
high speed rail yea is a current flop. its a hail mary of an xfactor that wouldve/couldve done wonders for the entire central valley--notably fresno once it connected to san jose and the rest of the bay area. You are right, jobs are jobs. All these distribution facilities and jobs that came with it made true to mayor's promise. Lowered umployment which has always been an issue in fresno. I hope Fresno just things bigger and can get higher paying industries to the central valley.
As for downtown, yea I agree that downtown fresno is a big part in the entire city's process of improvement. It's been a few years and some parts are nice, and on occasions you see the potential of what could be when its lively with crowds during art hop or something. But how about on the majority of the rest of the time? It's still dead. People in north fresno and clovis arent treking to downtown for family time or to go out and spend money there or support the businesses. Within other fresno groups thats been topic of discussion as to why? What would bring high income earners of north fresno and clovis to go to downtown to spend money there that they cant do staying north. Grizzly games that seem to be losing fans year after year, the now defunct fresno soccer team that showed great potential in bringing people in, the maybe few big names that go to Saroyan? Most of the stuff happens at Save Mart center. There is something missing that is preventing it all from working in downtown. Ideally it would be nice like you said if downtown was hustling and bustling everyday and it extended over to tower. Basically model what downtown sacramento has with it's midtown and those other lively areas around downtown sac. But what do they have that fresno doesnt? A lot of gov jobs--which pay well, so workers would want to actually live there, and with those people living there allows more businesses to open up as there would be enough people with more disposable income to do stuff there. Not to mention golden 1 center is there now which is home to top tier professional team. Not entirely sure what the city of fresno and downtown can do at this point. They did the revitalization project, now what?
And people passing by fresno on the 99, they may see downtown fresno and have that be their first and only impression of the city and even today its lacking for a city of it's size.
Good to hear that fresno higher ups realize they need to bring in better jobs. Ive heard the argument on both sides, that bringing in these low quality jobs is better than no jobs at all--in a city that has always had issues with its high unemployment rate. Fresno has shown it can bring the bottom rung jobs, and now its time to focus on bringing in higher end ones. If not at least show people in the bay area who are all moving to sacramento while working remote, that fresno is a cheaper alternative. At least those high income earners can spend their money in fresno and buy luxury or higher end homes and bring in that property tax.
No issues with riverpark. I love riverpark. It's an area you bring people to who are not familiar with the area and they see all the big name stores and nice developments and it gives them a better impression of Fresno.
The river (san joaquin river access from fresno) issue seems on going. How many years has it been now they have been trying to come up with a solution for river access. That would be a great amenity/feature/activity for locals and visitors alike.
To continue about the brain drain, this is just my opinion and speculation. When they constantly do ratings of most uneducated big cities, fresno is always up there. With a city this big that has multiple colleges both 2 year and 4 year in the area (fresno state, pacific, ucsf fresno, fresno city, covis community, etc) why it is ranking on top with cities that dont have as much college options. The studies are for residents in the city. And why I say all the talent leave which i correlate with lack of white collar jobs.
Fresnos population was pretty small until about the late 80s/early 90s. So you're comparing a "new" big city to established big cities, I don't think that's exactly fair. It's easy to keep talent when you're a legacy city with old fortune 500/1000 companies all over.
Fresno State was a small/medium sized school until very recently (about 10-12yrs ago?) Its only been in recent times that it became known for pumping out grads. Give it some time.
I go to hobknobbing events from time to time in downtown Fresno and I'm starting to notice more quality transplants moving to Fresno. I know people in real estate and they're telling me that they've seen an uptick in coastal buyers and coastal interest. The belief that Fresno cant attract good outside talent is hogwash. It's not the 1990s anymore, the days of Fresno being a dumping ground for poor socalers are over(that class of people is heading to places cheaper than Fresno or out of state)
As long as the locals keep voting Democrat, Fresno will be on the right track. Relax.
Edit: Fresno had to build those distro jobs, cause if Fresno didn't Madera would have! Now that the city has a few large distros, it can move away from them.
Last edited by dontbelievehim; 08-10-2020 at 06:34 PM..
A 25 year-old should live in NYC, LA, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Hawaii - NOT FRESNO.
It is the armpit of CA (along with Bakersfield).
I don't get why anyone would want to live there.
That's crazy, many young people starting out in Life, do not have the money to live somewhere like San Francisco or New York. There is nothing wrong, starting out somewhere affordable, save some money & live well. It makes a lot more sense than living in a tent on the sidewalk in San Francisco. I love SF, & lived there for many years, but it is not a place for young people to start off, unless they are in tech.
I think its worth considering. The things I look for are relatively simple: I like nightlife and want to meet women and go out drinking. I am a shallow guy, thats pretty much it.
Fresno doesn't offer much options for nightlife and opportunities to meet women.
Better off getting a remote tech job and living in Vegas.
A 25 year-old should live in NYC, LA, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Hawaii - NOT FRESNO.
It is the armpit of CA (along with Bakersfield).
I don't get why anyone would want to live there.
fresno is the 5th biggest city in the state of CA. It's also the 34th most populated city IN THE NATION.
You know what i dont get, is how people making $100K a year in SF/bay area are living like sardines, renting a room in a 4 bedroom home with 6 other people, or renting a rundown apartment in the worse part of town that is crime ridden with bad school districts. Many who have kids stay in shacks or 10 x 10 rooms, old cockaroch infested old homes, all while making 6 figures.
i dont get why anyone would want to have that quality life.
I look, see, hear about those people with 60-80K house hold incomes in fresno in new or newish 1500-2000 sq ft homes with AC on a 5000 sq ft lot, some build swimming pools for the heat in the summer, and their kids go to safe new schools. oh im sad for those people that they have to live that ridiculous lifestyle in the armpit of CA. I rather take the former experience living somewhere in the bay area.
Fresno doesn't offer much options for nightlife and opportunities to meet women.
Better off getting a remote tech job and living in Vegas.
got the clovis and north fresno girls.
las vegas is fresno covered up with shiny fake sequins and jewels. but at least fresno is still in CA and CA > NV, especially for those wanting to raise a family as nevada ranks last or near last for the last several years consecutively in their school system
las vegas is fresno covered up with shiny fake sequins and jewels. but at least fresno is still in CA and CA > NV, especially for those wanting to raise a family as nevada ranks last or near last for the last several years consecutively in their school system
He's single. The issue with vegas is economy and the housing bubble. Vegas was ranked as the number #1 real estate market most likely to implode. Id stay far away until the economy got under control(2-3 years?)
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Good to hear that fresno higher ups realize they need to bring in better jobs. Ive heard the argument on both sides, that bringing in these low quality jobs is better than no jobs at all--in a city that has always had issues with its high unemployment rate. Fresno has shown it can bring the bottom rung jobs, and now its time to focus on bringing in higher end ones. If not at least show people in the bay area who are all moving to sacramento while working remote, that fresno is a cheaper alternative. At least those high income earners can spend their money in fresno and buy luxury or higher end homes and bring in that property tax.
