Opinions about Hanford?

[the city]

It's hot there. They have about the average problems as most california cities have.

There's 150,000 population with 25 miles of hanford.

There building a Costco there and other big box stores. the city just hit 50,000 population. they have an enclosed mall, amusement park, night club, casino, skate park, paintball, bowling, fair, a cinemark and metro movie theater, a race car speedway, laser tag, an okay downtown, drive-in theater, and that's pretty much it.

I would suggest you move there if u can afford for REALLY GOOD AIR CONDITIONING. It's hottest area in the central valley.

[visalian]

It really depends alot on what you want and are happy or not happy with. I live in nearby Visalia, and to me, Hanford is pretty small. But I have had some friends who've lived there that liked it fine.

All the Valley towns here have the same problems with the air quality (very BAD- mostly in summer... some days, I feel like I live in an ashtray), the summer heat, gangs, poverty, high unemployment rate, and to me, the Valley is ugly (except on the days you can see the mountains and the sky is blue- those are few and far between).

BUT there are pluses to this area- close to mountains, beach a couple hours away, it's central CA (in between L.A. and San Fran), earthquakes not too likely, no tornados/hurricanes/floods, etc, cost of living lower than most parts of the state (including housing).

[carminalegal]

Originally Posted by lala864

I was born in Hanford lived there until I was 15yrs I'm 27 now and I would never move back..Such a boring and hot town..I know it's everywhere but the drugs and alcohol and gambling are soooooo bad there.The water is brown smells like boiled eggs to me.. Take a job offer somewhere eles. This not the place you wanna be. It has it's nice parts and all but I wouldn't recomend it..

At 27 how could you even know where you want to live!!! I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles and I am a frequent visitor to Hanford. I love it here and plan on moving when I retire. As you said - drugs are everywhere and somehow or another if you do them (where ever you are) they will find you! Unfortunately I'm sure that most 27 year olds feel the same way that you do, but I'm sure when you are older and wiser you will come back home. See you soon.

[hsmomof4]

Well I know this topic is old, but I would like to put in my 2 cents. I have lived in Hanford for 42 years, yes I was born and raised here. Having said that I believe I can give some insight to this town. We have now reached over 50,000 people and it's not such a small friendly town anymore. The real estate market is awful, even for those who want to buy. The sellers have not quite figured it out that you can no longer ask for the same amount you did 2 years ago. The water is awful, everyone agrees on that so no need to talk about it anymore. The schooling is just as bad as the water, the high schools are having gang fights often. And speaking of gangs they are becoming more out in the open everyday. We have a large congregation of homeless people who have taken over the parks so you can't even go and have family time there. It is very hot during the summer and it is almost Dec. and we have still been having 80 degree weather. Why am I still living here you ask.....my husband has a well paying job (which are few and far between), so with the way the economy is we are staying for now. If you go downtown you will see just as many closed businesses as you see open. The small town Hanford no longer exists except in the memories of those who have left. This is how I see it....no rose-colored glasses for this gal.

[Des-Lab]

I live in Tulare, which isn't far from Hanford. Moved here at the end of June. I'm still getting famailiarized with the region in general. There isn't much I could add to the previous postings except that you should know that Hanford is an oddity, being isolated. For being as being as big of a town as it is, there is NO DIRECT FREEWAY ACCESS IN OR OUT OF TOWN. Anyone who's lived in any of the larger areas in CA should take heed. You don't even realize it at first. I guess in this respect, it's not at all dissimilar from Porterville. Except that Porterville, being nestled up against the foothills, has no easterly approach available.

Granted, there is a short stretch of the 198 (runs east/west) through town that's built to freeway standards. But on the either side of town, it drops back to a highway which as noted, can be painfully slow with all the slowpokes and big rigs that are in the Valley (and God knows there are plenty of both; the Central Valley isn't the place to live if you are in a hurry. I get the impression that 60 minutes in my SoCal world is actually about 75 or 90 on SJV time.) Anyway, 198 is a two lane highway all the way to the junction with the 99 some 15 miles east. East of the 99 all the way to the east side of Visalia, it is a freeway. 198 west past Lemoore and all the way to the 5 is likewise just highway.

The approaches from the north or south are all...you guessed it....country highway. There is 41 just to the west, which runs from Fresno to Kettleman City via Lemoore. And then there's 43, which runs Bakersfield to Selma via Hanford. Incidentally, I happen to like 43 because it runs parallel to the very busy BNSF railroad line. And from Corocoran south, it runs immediately alongside the highway. I happen to be a bit of a train buff. So my first exploration of that highway was to check out the trains. Hanford is very much a hot spot if you happen to like trains. But if not, then plan on settling as far from the tracks as possible. Because as noted, it is a VERY busy line with lots and lots of trains. And lots and lots of train horns.

Now mind you. I'm not saying that a lack of a high speed freeway is good, bad, or indifferent. I'm merely saying you should throw that into the equation and decide how much (if any) weight it should carry in your consideration.