California's Beautiful Central Valley (San Francisco, Fresno: credit, public school, gated)

[KarlaT2]

So where exactly does the geographical border of the central valley start and stop? It sounds like from Bakersfield up to Sacramento is considered part of it at least? I thought Sacramento was a very nice town, but not so fond of what I did see of Fresno. Lodi looked cute too.

[FresnoFacts]

The Central Valley runs from basically Redding to Bakersfield.

The Central Valley is a generic name for 2 regions, north of the Delta region (the Delta is located near Stockton) is the Sacramento Valley, south of the Delta is the San Joaquin Valley.

Basically the 2 names follow the 2 large rivers that meet at the Delta.

Not sure what parts you saw of Fresno, but if you only drove through on 99 or through parts of downtown, no it doesn't look "nice" because those are industrial and poorer areas. But if you get off the freeways and explore the northern or eastern residential areas, walk/bike the San Joaquin River Parkway, visit the Tower District or Mural District, explore Old Town Clovis, etc. it is very different area than what some people see/hear.

[City Boy]

Is somebody from Boise Idaho really saying Fresno Sucks? LOL. Yes i've been to Boise.

[jackie100]

I would never live in the middle of nowhere and I don't care if the people are friendly or not. I prefer somewhere more exciting and "busy" and urban like Los Angeles.

[KarlaT2]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

The Central Valley runs from basically Redding to Bakersfield.

The Central Valley is a generic name for 2 regions, north of the Delta region (the Delta is located near Stockton) is the Sacramento Valley, south of the Delta is the San Joaquin Valley.

Basically the 2 names follow the 2 large rivers that meet at the Delta.

Not sure what parts you saw of Fresno, but if you only drove through on 99 or through parts of downtown, no it doesn't look "nice" because those are industrial and poorer areas. But if you get off the freeways and explore the northern or eastern residential areas, walk/bike the San Joaquin River Parkway, visit the Tower District or Mural District, explore Old Town Clovis, etc. it is very different area than what some people see/hear.

Thanks for the info. That's a big area.
You're correct, I only drove through on the 99, and maybe got off on one of the exits to eat somewhere. Good to know there is more to it than meets the eye.

[LASam]

I would say a general rule of thumb should be to never for an opinion of a city based on what one sees from the freeway. Freeways typically run through less attractive parts of town... and affluent people typically don't want to buy homes right next to them because the are ugly and loud.

[Des-Lab]

The wife and I just bought a brand new, hell-of-a nice house just outside of Tulare. Say what you want about the Central Valley, but I think it's the best thing I've ever done. I thank the Lord that the opportunity finally presented itself. It's quiet. It's clean. It's affordable. And all the "comforts" of so-called big city/suburban living are all under 20 minutes away. And most of all, it's not so freaking crowded up here (unlike LA and vicinity) where you put your pants on in the morning and there's already someone in there with you. So I get the best of both worlds.

Maybe you think the SJV has nothing to offer. I guess that depends on what your expectations are. I mean if you are a hopeless "culture fanatic", where you just can't function unless you are within walking distance of a fish-taco stand and a Bulgarian art museum, yeah. It's probably not for you.

But here are some pictures that I took from my back yard.

Try doing this anywhere in LA.







So if the Central Valley is an anathema to you? Great. Stay away. That just means I won't have to worry about these views disappearing anytime soon.

Some folks will look at the above and see a whole lot of nothing. They need to have the security blanket of being engulfed in high rise buildings and endless concrete. More power to you if that describes you. But for me (and I'm sure others), the fact that I see mostly just empty spaces and have lots of elbow room is in itself the SJV's greatest appeal.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by Des-Lab

And most of all, it's not so freaking crowded up here (unlike LA and vicinity) where you put your pants on in the morning and there's already someone in there with you.

LOL, one of the best lines I've read all week.

Originally Posted by Des-Lab

But here are some pictures that I took from my back yard.

Great pictures.

[KarlaT2]

Originally Posted by Des-Lab

The wife and I just bought a brand new, hell-of-a nice house just outside of Tulare. Say what you want about the Central Valley, but I think it's the best thing I've ever done. I thank the Lord that the opportunity finally presented itself. It's quiet. It's clean. It's affordable. And all the "comforts" of so-called big city/suburban living are all under 20 minutes away. And most of all, it's not so freaking crowded up here (unlike LA and vicinity) where you put your pants on in the morning and there's already someone in there with you. So I get the best of both worlds.

Maybe you think the SJV has nothing to offer. I guess that depends on what your expectations are. I mean if you are a hopeless "culture fanatic", where you just can't function unless you are within walking distance of a fish-taco stand and a Bulgarian art museum, yeah. It's probably not for you.

But here are some pictures that I took from my back yard.

Try doing this anywhere in LA.







So if the Central Valley is an anathema to you? Great. Stay away. That just means I won't have to worry about these views disappearing anytime soon.

Some folks will look at the above and see a whole lot of nothing. They need to have the security blanket of being engulfed in high rise buildings and endless concrete. More power to you if that describes you. But for me (and I'm sure others), the fact that I see mostly just empty spaces and have lots of elbow room is in itself the SJV's greatest appeal.

OMG. That is a beautiful view. Is that a vineyard behind you, or trees?

[bipolarpunk]

Originally Posted by LZKay1

That's weird that there are places with more Hispanics than Stockton. I mean if I didn't know any better, I'd think Stockton was a special legal town for Mexicans, kinda like an Indian reservation. There's next to no diversity in much of Stockton, just Mexicans, Mexicans driving by, etc. It has such lopsided diversity for a large city.

It's like this through much of Napa County in the North Bay Area as well..

As for the Central Valley, Turlock is a pretty diverse little town in Stanislaus county.. Stockton seems more diverse than Manteca or Merced to the South.. Some of the little towns in Merced county such as Winton, Ballico, etc.. look like little villages in Mexico complete with rooster fighting and taco trucks..

Fresno seems to get a bad rap, but it's pretty metropolitan considering it's geographical location.. Clovis is a cute little town too..