how is fresno?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Jay100

Here are some pics of the OK neighborhoods. There is some wealth there.

I think these houses are tacky looking.

[SarahPalinIsHot]

First off, pretty much anything south of Bullard now is garbage. Yes River Park is nice but once you've been their 3 or 4 times is just the same old thing. You will run into nice considerate people but it is definitely not a normal occurrence. The schools are horrible with a drop out rate of over 50%. They keep talking about revitalizing downtown. Yeah right! There are a couple of decent restaurants but most are chains. One great one though is (and most will cringe when reading this but those are the ones who have never tried it) the taco truck at Chestnut and Clinton. They have a nice patio cover and are really the only reason to go south of Shaw. I think Manchester mall now has maybe 6 or 7 stores in the whole mall. Fashion fair is decent but Sierra Vista mall is on its last leg even with the remodel. The gang problem is ridiculous. There has been three officer involved shootings in just the last two weeks. The "Culture" is still the same with wanna be san Franciscans walking around down in tower district. South of Shaw a good 40% of the signs on buildings and such are written in both English and spanish or no English at all. Jobs are scarce unless you have some sort of a skill which not to many people under the age of 25 do because the education system is so ridiculous.

But on the bright side, the coast is two and a half hours away and the mountains about an hour. Also we are done with the 105 degree days for the year!

[ghost123]

[quote=Jay100;5918115]Here are some pics of the OK neighborhoods. There is some wealth there.


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Where did you get those pictures from?? I haven't seen those homes in the Fresno area. ( I wonder who the builder is??)

Anyway, yes there are a lot of beautiful homes in Fresno, it's just that you have to watch which areas you go to if you want to enjoy the nicer parts of Fresno. Actually, the downtown area of Fresno I think is scary..
I don't see police patrolling on-foot like I do in other cities in other states. I wish that they would actually do that in California. I haven't really seen it here. It would make me feel safer.

[rkb0305]

[quote=ghost123;11536151]

Originally Posted by Jay100

Here are some pics of the OK neighborhoods. There is some wealth there.


************************************************** ******
Where did you get those pictures from?? I haven't seen those homes in the Fresno area. ( I wonder who the builder is??)

Anyway, yes there are a lot of beautiful homes in Fresno, it's just that you have to watch which areas you go to if you want to enjoy the nicer parts of Fresno. Actually, the downtown area of Fresno I think is scary..
I don't see police patrolling on-foot like I do in other cities in other states. I wish that they would actually do that in California. I haven't really seen it here. It would make me feel safer.

they patrol the Fulton Mall area on bike.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by SarahPalinIsHot

The schools are horrible with a drop out rate of over 50%.

That number is very flawed.

The same study also said that San Francisco had a 43% drop out rate; Los Angeles a 56% drop out rate; Las Vegas a 55% drop out rate; Albuquerque a 51% drop out rate; Omaha a 50% drop out; Boston a 41% drop out; etc.
http://www.reuters.com/article/press...09+PRN20090422

I can't believe numbers from anyone who says that education is failing in all cities at that rate. We have problems in education in the US but not at that level.

Originally Posted by SarahPalinIsHot

They keep talking about revitalizing downtown.

Granville Homes (one of the largest developers in Fresno) has turned towards building new housing in downtown after building suburban homes all over the area for decades. After seeing the success that one "renegade" member of the family has had with small downtown lofts, the main family members now see it as viable also.

I don't think a big house, large lot builder would invest money downtown unless they are convinced it is going to work. Their first project is 2 blocks north of the Fresno Met Museum. Rental prices are moderate to high, designed for young professionals instead of low-income.

This project joins the smaller artist studio/lofts done in what is now being called the Cultural Arts/Mural District north of the Fulton Mall.

http://www.gvurban.com/
http://blog.gvurban.com

[SarahPalinIsHot]

I'm sure the Granville Homes will be nice but why would a professional want to live down there? What’s the incentive to have a nice place with nice things around an area in such distress? Don't get me wrong I would like to see downtown fixed but it's just the same old thing with you people. You people talked like this when the stadium was built, "This is the first step in the revitalization of downtown". Well you've been on the first step for how many years now and not much is improving. In fact the Grizzlies are almost bankrupt due to the fact nobody wants to go down there. Fresno invest all this time and effort in crap like this stupid aquarium project that anybody with half a brain knows full well is going to fail. YOU’RE IN FREAKIN FRESNO! Now there are some things they have done that have added to the quality of this city. Two come to mind, the remodeling at the fairgrounds and the extensions of the bike/walk trails at WoodwardPark. They have done a great job on these two things. But 95% of the things they try or want to try are viewed by most people as retarded. Did anyone really think a Cabo Wabo would work here? Does anybody actually think an aquarium in Fresno is a great idea? Is a river walkway through downtown, like some idiot was proposing, ever going to happen? NO! If you answered yes to any of these you're a joke. We are not Los Angles or San Francisco, we are not nor will we ever be a "Destination". We are an average city let's be content with that. An "AverageCity" is not a bad thing. Take care of the residents like in the two examples above and stop trying to be something we are not.

[FresnoFacts]

"You people"? LOL. I moved here from the coast years ago and I'm a realist about what Fresno is and isn't.

If no one goes to a downtown stadium, why were the Grizzlies #7 out of 16 league teams in attendance this year? They were just behind #6 Memphis in attendance but ahead of cities like Omaha, Oklahoma City, Portland, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, and others. In 2008 the Fresno team was #5 in attendance, in 2007 they were #6.
http://pacificcoast.league.milb.com/...d=112&sid=l112

Improving a downtown area can happen but takes time. I remember in the 60s and 70s when San Diego's Gaslamp area was full of porn shops and similiar businesses; when Old Sac was for the homeless; and when no one would be in much of downtown San Jose after dark (San Jose's city hall even left its downtown in 1958). It took a lot of long hard work (successes and failures) to finally improve those areas.

Lets also remember, the US recession means people reduced spending which means businesses and organizations have struggled or closed not just here but all over the US.

Heck the symphony in Honolulu just filed bankruptcy last week and cancelled all of its planned concerts because of the recession. Everywhere is hurting.

The recession stopped lending and business investment. Now that the economy is slowly improving, there are things happening again like Kohls is going to Sierra Vista mall next year, Granville's downtown project, a couple of other downtown apartment/condo projects are starting, Fresh&Easy wlll finally open a market downtown in the next 2 months, etc.

If you haven't visited, you might be surprised by who is already living downtown at H St. Lofts and other new developments near the museums. I know some college educated well paid people renting down there. Its not hype, there really has been small, slow improvement downtown. Not big yet, but it has happened.

Originally Posted by SarahPalinIsHot

We are not Los Angles or San Francisco, we are not nor will we ever be a "Destination". We are an average city let's be content with that. An "AverageCity" is not a bad thing. Take care of the residents like in the two examples above and stop trying to be something we are not.

Oh I agree exactly, I don't try to compare Fresno to SF or LA. Rather I try to compare Fresno to other cities the same size elsewhere. Shouldn't we have similiar amenities to Omaha and other like cities??

For example:

Originally Posted by SarahPalinIsHot

Does anybody actually think an aquarium in Fresno is a great idea? Is a river walkway through downtown,

Omaha is the same size as Fresno, way inland in farm country but it has a nice aquarium. I visited it when on a business trip years ago, the walk-through shark tunnel is neat.
http://www.omahazoo.com/index.php?p=...=scottaquarium
There are aquariums in Chattanooga, TN, and other smaller non-destination cities also.

River Walkway? Oklahoma City has one downtown,
Visit Oklahoma City | Bricktown Water Taxi
OKC is only a little bigger than Fresno and not necessarily a "Destination" city either. I visited OKC before the courthouse bombing and didn't see much in its downtown either, but now its very different because someone tried something that benefits residents.

So why shouldn't ideas like those be considered in Fresno? The other cities with them aren't much different than Fresno. Will it work here, I don't know. But at least someone is trying.

I think it is better to work and try but fail then not try at all.