[Des-Lab]

I've been living in Tulare since 2009 and will try my best to answer your questions.

Originally Posted by babanla

What kind of outdoor events are available in this area?

Not many. Sometimes they have little picnics, music festivals, and car shows in and around Zumwalt park. These events, like Tulares downtown as a whole, is/are pretty forgettable. Farmers Market and other events in Visalia is generally far better.

Originally Posted by babanla

What side of town to live in? I am heavily considering living in Visalia and commuting to Tulare for work?

East side, east side, or east side. No brainer. Avoid anything west of J/K streets and the railroad tracks at all costs. Also a nice pocket exists in the towns middle, roughly bordered by Cross St, M and Oaks Streets to where M/Oaks meet near Cartmill is also a generally very upscale and nicer area mixed with new and well kept mature/older. Visalia-if you live on the south side can be very doable. But Visalia is very disparate and neighborhoods can range from half million dollar upscale to bombed out ghetto and everything in between in a relatively small area. If you look in Visalia, you'll have to look on a case by case basis. Commuting from anywhere north of 198 to Tulare can be time consuming and tedious, just because of the way the roads are laid out.

Originally Posted by babanla

What kind of Night life are available in Tulare or Visalia?

Tulare's nightlife is pretty much nonexistent. Better off going to Visalia, which has a very nice downtown loaded with restaurants and dive bars. I highly recommend Brewbakers and Crawdaddys.

Originally Posted by babanla

Are there any universities or community colleges in the area?

COS-College Of Sequoias is a public JC in Visalia located at Mooney/198.

Originally Posted by babanla

I am also looking to start a few small scale business and would like to know if this area is entrepreneur friendly?

Tulare is an absolute mess and basket case-both politically and economically. The Mayor is an arrogant cuss who refuses to step down even though almost everyone in town absolutely despises him. But that's another subject. Anyway, yes. Any viable business that's not a thrift shop, car wash, or dollar store would most likely be welcome.

Originally Posted by babanla

What is the climate like?

Classic Central Valley: Cool/foggy winters. Gorgeous but brief springs. Very hot/dry summers. Very hot/dry/dusty falls. Also, dirty air is a problem.

Originally Posted by babanla

I know this is a far stretch for a town like Visalia or Tulare. But is there any African Community out here? How diverse are these places?

None that I'm aware of. Tulare is almost perfectly split between white/Redneck/WASP and Hispanic/Latino. There are a few Blacks in Tulare (including-ironically-the Mayor), but not many nor have I seen very many Asians either. Visalia seems to be marginally more diverse. But for a Black population of any size, you'll need to go to Fresno.

Originally Posted by babanla

Are hospitals, nursing homes or pharmacies readily available?

Tulare had a hospital but it's currently shut down. That's also a never ending ongoing soap opera best Googled for yourself. The next closest one is Kaweah-Delta in Visalia. Its reviews are all over the map so I'd best defer that to your own reading and you can draw your own conclusions.

I don't know about nursing homes in the area, but I do know that elderly care is huge in Fresno/Clovis.

CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens all exist in plentiful supply in Tulare. So this is pretty much a nonissue.

Originally Posted by babanla

what would be a good house rent option? I honestly would prefer to rent a one bedroom with my own space, but I'm also opened to a 2 bedroom apartment or condos with a room mate. (Budget of about $800 - $1000 with utilities)

Even for Tulare, that's going to be tough. You CAN get "something" for that price. But it will be of questionable condition in a sketchy area. A more realistic rent option for something decent, and you're looking at $1200 and up.