Possibly relocating to Madera/Fresno area~progressive areas/schools? (Sacramento: transplants, college)

[Flovis]

Originally Posted by dprn

That's not what I'm expecting to find (we have done our research), but I have lived my whole life in the South, so I know there are pockets of people more related to my mindset. Just hoping to be pointed in that direction!

ask about the school options here instead ---> reddit fresno
bound to get better answers than this terrible site

here are two liberal organizations that might interest you.

Humanists of the San Joaquin Valley

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno


i recommend living in the fig garden area. look into that area

[dprn]

No offense taken! It is a great career opportunity necessitating the move.

[BeauCharles]

I would recommend just making sure your kiddies are within the Clovis Unified School District map. There really isn't a liberal area of metro Fresno per se (though the Tower District is close), so going for the better school district makes more sense (and that's Clovis).

http://www.cusd.com/wp-content/uploa...strict-Map.pdf
Front Page - Clovis Unified School District

[ceteague]

Fresno is not pretty, large areas are decline and have been for years. My parents home is declining in value. As the old guard dies or leaves the new commers have less ability to maintain appearances. Fresno has awful schools, poverty is growing, corporate farming maximizes profits by creating monopolies and controlling access to water. Small farms used seasonal labor or children and adults in the community to bring in the cotton or fruit and the communities were sustainable. Corporate farms bring immigrants for a few months and let the community support them the rest of the year. This creates a resident underclass and impoverishes the community. Try Clovis. This was a cute quaint farm town on the NE border of Fresno. Most of the new growth is happening here. Much better schools, check out city data for ratings. Closer to the mountains for better views. The Old Town district is well maintained and vibrant. Lots events, antique shops, small businesses, and the Clovis rodeo. New hospital, community college. More suburban than industrial. If you must do Fresno try around Woodward Park on the edge of town, the Bluffs overlooking the San Joaquin River, Old Van Ness and Van Ness extension, Old Fig Garden. Stay away from the tower district by the tracks (never good for any neighborhood). Also nearby is old hwy 99 home to aged and closed hotels housing homeless, also near beautiful Roeding park now surrounded by decay. Redevelopment has been on going but it has steadily been losing for decades.

[Flovis]

Originally Posted by ceteague

Fresno is not pretty, large areas are decline and have been for years. My parents home is declining in value. As the old guard dies or leaves the new commers have less ability to maintain appearances. Fresno has awful schools, poverty is growing, corporate farming maximizes profits by creating monopolies and controlling access to water. Small farms used seasonal labor or children and adults in the community to bring in the cotton or fruit and the communities were sustainable. Corporate farms bring immigrants for a few months and let the community support them the rest of the year. This creates a resident underclass and impoverishes the community. Try Clovis. This was a cute quaint farm town on the NE border of Fresno. Most of the new growth is happening here. Much better schools, check out city data for ratings. Closer to the mountains for better views. The Old Town district is well maintained and vibrant. Lots events, antique shops, small businesses, and the Clovis rodeo. New hospital, community college. More suburban than industrial. If you must do Fresno try around Woodward Park on the edge of town, the Bluffs overlooking the San Joaquin River, Old Van Ness and Van Ness extension, Old Fig Garden. Stay away from the tower district by the tracks (never good for any neighborhood). Also nearby is old hwy 99 home to aged and closed hotels housing homeless, also near beautiful Roeding park now surrounded by decay. Redevelopment has been on going but it has steadily been losing for decades.

fresno is not pretty, but the picture you paint is a bit exaggerated.

illegals aren't coming to fresno by the boatloads anymore because a lot of farming jobs are moving away from manual labor.
most illegals are going to the southeast/east coast nowadays.

i looked at some online sites and housing costs seem to be on the rise in some of the areas you said to stay away from. if your parents home value is dropping, don't expect it to be dropping for much longer.

expect to see a lot of redevelopment to come to downtown/99 soon. fresno to san jose high speed rail could be coming in 5+years(depends on how quickly the lawsuits pass)and the city is now focused on curbing sprawl and improving the downtown area. i don't recommend moving to the tower district, but it could become a nice part of town sooner than you think.

clovis isn't bad, but if someone sees themself as progressive, they'd be better off in old fig garden or woodward park.

[boulder2015]

Originally Posted by ceteague

Fresno is not pretty, large areas are decline and have been for years. My parents home is declining in value. As the old guard dies or leaves the new commers have less ability to maintain appearances. Fresno has awful schools, poverty is growing, corporate farming maximizes profits by creating monopolies and controlling access to water. Small farms used seasonal labor or children and adults in the community to bring in the cotton or fruit and the communities were sustainable. Corporate farms bring immigrants for a few months and let the community support them the rest of the year. This creates a resident underclass and impoverishes the community. Try Clovis. This was a cute quaint farm town on the NE border of Fresno. Most of the new growth is happening here. Much better schools, check out city data for ratings. Closer to the mountains for better views. The Old Town district is well maintained and vibrant. Lots events, antique shops, small businesses, and the Clovis rodeo. New hospital, community college. More suburban than industrial. If you must do Fresno try around Woodward Park on the edge of town, the Bluffs overlooking the San Joaquin River, Old Van Ness and Van Ness extension, Old Fig Garden. Stay away from the tower district by the tracks (never good for any neighborhood). Also nearby is old hwy 99 home to aged and closed hotels housing homeless, also near beautiful Roeding park now surrounded by decay. Redevelopment has been on going but it has steadily been losing for decades.

Where is the liberal progressive part of clovis? Maybe you missed that part of the ops post....

[ceteague]

I agree most immigrants are going to Monterey, San Bonito, Santa Cruz counties, the new commers are younger generations locals moving up or sometimes down, but Indianapolis Drive has declined. After 30 years of peace the balance has toppled. Last year cars were shot up across the street, police called, a neighbor sent to jail, mail taken from mail boxes, distruptive domestic disputes. Looking for progressive areas in Fresno may be easier with a real estate agent or try contacting schools, Bullard High School, as a start. Clovis is expanding and attracting young families with new housing, good schools and a new hopital, all pretty good for a community of 100k. I call that progressive compared to Fresno whose new subivisions are gated and designed for the financially advantaged.

[boulder2015]

Yeah dont get me wrong.. i like clovis! Good place to live, but the op is emphasizing liberal (in the title of the post!) Doesnt strike me as a liberal place...

[Gemdiver]

Lol, Clovis is equal to the backwoods of North Carolina when it comes to politics. The Tower District is the only liberal area in metro Fresno.

[FresnoFriend]

Originally Posted by dprn

Possibly relocating to the Madera/Fresno area from the South (North Carolina). Our children are coming from a progressive Montessori school. Where are the suburban hippies/progressives/liberal areas and schools?

Fresno High Area will possibly be the best fit for what you are looking for. If you want diversity and good schools go to Sanger School District, they have very good charter schools and much more diverse than Clovis. you can live in Fresno and go to Sanger schools.