Central Valley (Fresno, Newport Beach, Clovis: buying a house, employment, buying)

[rainedancer1]

I have gotten a lot of help on this site before. So I my husband and I have been planning to move to California for a while, currently we live in Connecticut so we are used to paying high prices for everything. My brother is moving out there and we are tired of the cold weather and would like a warmer climate. We have relatives in Northern and Southern California so we were thinking of the central valley. This way we would be several hours from both sets of relatives. I have found what seem like some good deals for houses in Lemoore. Does anyone know anything about this area, how the schools are and if the people are friendly? For employment I free lance and telecomute so I do not need to live in a certain place for work. My husband makes things such a concrete counter tops and sinks and also is a truck driver and my brother in Newport Beach suggested this area because he said there were oil truck driving jobs, does anyone know about that also? Thanks so much for your help.

[rkb0305]

Sorry to be so quick to point out the negative, but you should be aware of the horrible air quality in the entire central valley. It is supposedly getting better, but it is still really bad. You don't mention your budget for buying a house, or what kind of climate you are looking for. Lemoore is a military town with a NAS. You should definitely visit before you move.

[humboldtrat]

Check out north Fresno (north of Shaw Ave) or Clovis - both about halfway between northern/southern California. North Fresno is the newer part of town with many newer homes and shopping. Yosemite Park and other areas of the Sierra Nevada Mtns are nearby. The town is big enough where I think you could find jobs. The many times I have been there, I didn't find the air quality all that bad.

[rkb0305]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

Check out north Fresno (north of Shaw Ave) or Clovis - both about halfway between northern/southern California. North Fresno is the newer part of town with many newer homes and shopping. Yosemite Park and other areas of the Sierra Nevada Mtns are nearby. The town is big enough where I think you could find jobs. The many times I have been there, I didn't find the air quality all that bad.

Just because you don't notice the air quality doesn't mean it isn't bad.

[escape_fresno]

its not that bad here. i live here and i have lived in LA and the Inland Empire, i always noticed it down south. Dont fear fresno's air, fear the scorching temperatures in the summer!

[FresnoFacts]

But the Valley air is improving.

Heck Denver was horrible air quality in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember the brown cloud. But they started making changes in the late 80s and early 90s, adding things like fireplace restrictions. Today Denver's air is much improved.

The Central Valley just started some of the same steps like fireplace limits a few years ago. We are already seeing some of the improvement and should continue that in the future.

[rkb0305]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

But the Valley air is improving.

Heck Denver was horrible air quality in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember the brown cloud. But they started making changes in the late 80s and early 90s, adding things like fireplace restrictions. Today Denver's air is much improved.

The Central Valley just started some of the same steps like fireplace limits a few years ago. We are already seeing some of the improvement and should continue that in the future.

Denver still has a visible brown cloud on some days but the AQI is no where near as bad as the central valley. When they call a "red alert" day here meaning voluntarily don't use your fire place, don't mow in the middle of the day, etc, the AQI is the equivalent to a "moderate" in the valley. Moderate is almost as good as it gets in Fresno. What I mean is a bad day here is the same AQI as a good day in the valley.

[rkb0305]

If I did it right, a chart from airnow.gov should be attached comparing Fresno County with Denver County and Douglas County (where I live).

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

If I did it right, a chart from airnow.gov should be attached comparing Fresno County with Denver County and Douglas County (where I live).

So Denver didn't have single day of bad air in 2007 . That's hard to believe.

[rkb0305]

That was the graph for "unhealthful for general population". You can change that to unhealthful for sensitive groups, etc., and get a different graph, but Fresno still has more.