Madera, Ca. Moving Info Needed (Fresno, Bakersfield: apartments, school, community college)

[lionandlamb]

Greetings,

Can Someone Tell Me The Good - Bad Of Madera?

Have A Blessed Day

[inmodesto]

Sorry no one has replied to your post.

I don't live in Madera, but have been through it many times. I live about 1 hour north up the freeway.

I do know that Madera is a typical central valley agra/farming community town. Typically small town style living. It's got a central downtown area and the rest of the town is spread out for several miles on the east and west of the freeway.

You didn't say where you were moving from so I'll tell you about the climate.
The central valley has temps in the winter sometimes down in the 30's and summers can get pretty hot up into the 105+. We do have a good many days of fog from late fall through the winter.

If you're looking for a place where you could commute to college, there is a new UC in Merced about 30 minutes drive north, and there are several colleges in Fresno public and private, secular and religious, about 30 minutes south.

If you are interested in the National Park, Yosemite is a couple hours west (if I remember right).

If you are really interested in Madera I know that their Chamber of Commerce has a pretty good web site you could find on the net.

Good luck on your search.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by inmodesto

If you are interested in the National Park, Yosemite is a couple hours west (if I remember right).

78 miles to the north east

[hisfirewithin]

Having grown up in the I-5, CA99 corridor in the Central Valley, I agree with inmodesto. That about sums it up.

Things start getting really expensive any further north than Turlock. This is where the Bay Area bedroom community revolution has driven that whole region sky high. So, my advice would be to stay between Merced and Bakersfield. This tends to be out of "their" reach, and you can get more for less. Especially the further east of 99 you're willing to live.

[phloxy]

Bumping this old thread because Madera has come onto my radar as somewhere I might live depending on how jobs/grad school stuff pans out (I'm still awaiting word on both). Madera is just slightly larger than my current town. I subscribed to the paper online so I could look at apartments and such. It's funny because there seem to be so few one-bedroom apartments compared to where I live now (upstate NY). Of course, there are two colleges here, so there's lots of places available because of the students. I'd move into a 2-bedroom I suppose, but I'd really prefer something smaller, if only because it keeps housing costs down and allows me to live by myself.

I guess I don't really have a question. Just thinking maybe there'd be some new info to add to this thread or other two cents that people might want to chip in. I'm really excited about my move to CA and grateful to everyone who has posted in the many old threads I've been reviewing. Thanks also to those who continue to be willing to share their knowledge.

[Adriatica]

Madera is okay. It's a small town and has seen some commercial and residential growth in the past few years, but that has stopped due to the slumping economy. It's largely Hispanic. There is one community college there (sort of out in the country, not right in town). There are all of the basic stores you need. There's a small hospital. It's historically an ag-based town.

If your job is potentially in Madera, you could live in Fresno and work in Madera--it would be about a 30 minute drive, or less depending on where you live/work. Fresno is a much larger city with more shopping, entertainment, activities, etc.

[FresnoFacts]

Adriatica did a good job.

I think I'd agree that you might want to consider living in Fresno and commuting to Madera.

[bipolarpunk]

Adriaartica explained it well..

Definitely a quiet town away from the hussle and bussle of Fresno and largely hispanic..

[rkb0305]

If you are going to work in Madera and live in Fresno (I would) NW Fresno would probably be a good spot. My dad used to drive from the Bullard HS area to Madera for work every day in less than 30 minutes. With new growth out Herndon Ave. the traffic may be worse now, but you could live closer to highway 99 and shorten the drive.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

There is some really nice country to the East - horse properties and ranchettes. I made a mental note, if I somehow stay in this state, it might be an interesting place to bail from the urban madness.