Opinions about Hanford? (San Diego, Fresno, Visalia: real estate, to rent, high crime)
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I have been offered a job in the Hanford area and I would love to hear from anyone who has an opinion about what it is like to live there. I grew up in San Diego but have been in the midwest for a while. I have school-age children, so I'm particularly (but not exclusively) interested in school quality, crime, and things of that nature. Your input will be greatly appreciated.
Yikes! It's been over 15 years since I've been to Hanford and I'm thinking that they might have grown a tad since then, but basically a small farming community, located not far from a CA prison (Corcoran).
I just took a look at their population on this site and I'd imagine by now they might even have a few bog box stores.
Otherwise, I'm not of much help as it's been some time since I've been there.
Hanford is very very hot in the summer so be ready for that. The town seems to have high crime and drug use. I did weed abatement there in the summers and I can tell you that there is a lot of iv drug use from what we would find on the ground. Bottom line is I would never move there.
As with many smaller agricultural communities here in CA, there is a very large Hispanic population which brings its own set of pluses and minuses. I've never spent much time there, but dated a girl in college who hailed from Hanford.
We lived there 10 yrs ago while dh was in training at NAS Lemoore. We put in for a transfer back there and will move back this summer. It is a really small town (so is Lemoore), there wasn't a lot to do there 10 yrs ago, get the impression there is still not a lot to do, but I thought is was suited fine for family life. There are a couple of private schools, not sure about the public schools, but we plan to homeschool except for preschool age though. There are a lot of military (mainly Navy, few Marines) that live there and in Lemoore. Many that we spoke with that had kids liked it. Fresno was not so great and most of us avoided it. Not sure how it is now, guessing not much better. That was where we were told most the crime was at.
Let's see....the Sequoia National Forest is about 45 minutes away. We used to do a lot of camping there. That was one reason we requested to be transferred there again this year. We'd also do weekend trips to Tahoe (several hours away), as well as Monterey and LA. There is not a lot of shopping at the local mall, so we did save a bit of money in that aspect. We'd make monthly day long shopping runs to our favorite places at LA malls & Ikea.
I remember the water in Hanford not being great (may be better now), so we did bottle. This time around we'll get a whole house filtration system if it is a problem in our rental. I heard Lemoore's was better, not sure if that is true. Also remember smelling cows in the summer. And, of course you'll hear jet noise from time to time (F-18s).
Me-N-Ed's pizza in town had a valley chicken veggie pizza that was really good. So, if you do go, check that out. There were a couple decent steakhouses if memory serves.
I think we are in for an adjustment as since we last lived there we lived in San Diego for 5 1/2 yrs, Phoenix for 3 yrs and now Wilmington, NC for a little over a year and are used to gourmet grocery stores and a decent level of shopping (Williams Sonoma, Macy's, etc) and kids' activities. However, for us it was worth the trade off as dh really wanted the training slot there (to be home with our kids), he also really enjoys 4x4ing (has a Jeep Rubicon Unlimited w/mods), and we enjoy camping...two activities we can do nearby.
I'd definitely take a trip out and look around before you committ.
I'll throw in a small amount of info, Hanford isn't bad, I have been there a few times last year and they have rebuilt the down town area and there was some nice new areas also, i don't live there but it looked fine to me.
Hanford is a growing town. Just last year a Super Walmart went it. Its a very nice store. There are some nice larger stores there now. Housing is not bad since its in the valley. Hanford is a much nicer area than Fresno which is just east of it. The smog level really isn't that bad in Hanford.
Many thanks to all who have replied so far, your comments have definitely been helpful. I am going on Monday for a job interview. It sounds like a nice place to work and raise a family, which is why I am considering it. Keep the opinions coming!
Hanford can be boring if you are a young adult, but there are all kinds of things for kids, soccer clubs, swimming teams, girl scouts, YMCA etc...
Yes there is some crime and lower income areas. Isn't there everywhere? I have to be honest, I lived in the north side of town and was completely unaffected by drugs, gangs etc... I new it was there but that's about it. Traffic is considered bad because it now takes 15 minutes to get across town and there can be a line getting out onto the main streets during 5:00 traffic, you might have to wait for 4 o 5 cars to get moving. Anywhere you go there is a trade off, I miss Hanford, we aquired great friendships and a quality of life I appreciated being able to raise my children in. I always felt safe and connected. Oh, and we got Target, Michaels, Pet Smart, Marshalls, etc.. in the last couple of years. The Hanford Mall is O.K. while not huge it has most of what you need, if not you drive 40 minutes to Fresno for Macy's.
Good Luck on your interview.
I am new to the Hanford area as well. Moved here in August of 2006 for a three year tour with dh. First off, it is not a small town. They have a mall, Target, Super Walmart, and all the fast food joints you can eat.
Water - I have to tell you that the biggest problem I have with this area is the water. The city did not tell us that there were high levels of arsenic. Thankfully the school did notify us. The notes we received from the school include the risks of cancers from the high levels of arsenic. (of course it is required to scare you, LOL) But be prepared to rent a water filtration tank instead of drinking it. The water also smells very foul too!!!
Air quality - The air qaulity is very poor here. (this covers all of Kings county) Because of all the spraying and the pollution from the flat lands, it settles here with us. I have asthma and so does my son. I havbe currently going thru a small spell due to the accumulation of gunk and it is not even that bad right now.
Our son attends Pioneer. It is labeled the best in the are (according to our military friends who have lived here) I cannot make a really good comparison because we just left a very good school in Sandiego. (I am biased) so far my son is placing in the 97% for all his classes. The teacher has recognized he needs to be challenged more, and I work more with him at home to make sure he is prepared for our next duty transfer. Overall I am pretty pleased with his teachers assertiveness.
IT IS HOT Here!!!
Real Estate - It is a buyers market right now in Kings County - If you choose to buy with a pool be prepared for high electric bills. Our bill runs at least 250 a month. (we keep our home temp at 66 in the day at 64 at night) so it is definitely the pool!! The builders stopped building because homes are not being purchased like they were
TRAINS!! We were told to live in the Stonecrest subdivision. BUT, when we were looking we did not see or hear any trains. Well, they come thru about every thirty minutes day and night, and they are required to lay on their horns - Go by the homes and camp out for a while - If you can hear train in the daytime, chances are you will hear it at night too, (several times) I was told I would get use to it - I have adjusted to less sleep.
Camping, yes lots of good camping, my husband is a cyclist. There is a Visalia cyclist group. Tobin James winery is very small but good wine. Tulare is about 20 miles and has a lot of cool outlet shops. LA is only three hours away and so is Disneyland.
Other than athletics, we have not found a whole lot of stuff to do for the kids in the local vicinty.
Medical - I am pleased with medical on base, and my children go to children's hospital for all their visits. The overall medical care in Hanford is not very good. I Have heards from many women having babies as well as other doctors that do not trust the local hosptials in this vicinity.
I have lived many places being military spouse, brat and veteran myself. I consider this a true opinion of the good and bad that I can think of.
My final thought is that unless this is a really good paying job or a job offering promotion opportunity leading you somewhere else, I would not take it. I hope this information was very helpful.
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Regarding Hanford Living
