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I've been reading some of the posts written by people who allegedly grew up in Fresno. (You never really believe people and the only way to really know what living in a place is like is to do it.) I know, a lot of people "use Fresno" as a place to hole up and be closer to all of the state's better areas and attractions. Natives may be defensive about their hometown and not really want outsiders to move there for whatever reason...I liked these CalBerkely and fizzlekins posts about the city , but these are from 2007, nearly 10 years ago. I have to move and have been looking at Fresno for obvious reasons. I've already been to a lot of California's biggest tourist attractions and areas, La Jolla...Monterey...Santa Monica...San Francisco! Disneyland, Hollywood, etc...Carmel...which aren't places to live for everyone if they're not natives of the area (or younger). Is there anything to know about Fresno...as far as the people and daily life are concerned? What if I can't find a place I can afford as far north and east as possible? Are there any areas that are just decent and affordable? I'm an apartment dweller. I was told that there were a lot of Asian street gangs in Fresno. Are there any areas to avoid at all costs? I've been looking at this for a long time and am down to the final month(s) and the final two in a list of several CA cities, Fresno and Sacramento. Both have good points and bad points. I'm from Arizona. Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
I've been reading some of the posts written by people who allegedly grew up in Fresno. (You never really believe people and the only way to really know what living in a place is like is to do it.) I know, a lot of people "use Fresno" as a place to hole up and be closer to all of the state's better areas and attractions. Natives may be defensive about their hometown and not really want outsiders to move there for whatever reason...I liked these CalBerkely and fizzlekins posts about the city , but these are from 2007, nearly 10 years ago. I have to move and have been looking at Fresno for obvious reasons. I've already been to a lot of California's biggest tourist attractions and areas, La Jolla...Monterey...Santa Monica...San Francisco! Disneyland, Hollywood, etc...Carmel...which aren't places to live for everyone if they're not natives of the area (or younger). Is there anything to know about Fresno...as far as the people and daily life are concerned? What if I can't find a place I can afford as far north and east as possible? Are there any areas that are just decent and affordable? I'm an apartment dweller. I was told that there were a lot of Asian street gangs in Fresno. Are there any areas to avoid at all costs? I've been looking at this for a long time and am down to the final month(s) and the final two in a list of several CA cities, Fresno and Sacramento. Both have good points and bad points. I'm from Arizona. Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
The very expensive areas of California are, generally speaking, not east or north but rather along much of the coast with the exception of the resort towns in the Sierra (like Tahoe for example). So when you say, "What if I can't find a place I can afford as far north and east as possible?" i'm wondering if you have a good sense of the state? And the coastal areas that you mentioned like Monterey, Carmel, S.F., etc. are certainly places that are great for living if you have big bucks.
I'm not sure why you'd want to leave Arizona and move to Fresno or Sacramento but i imagine you have your reasons. It's just that there are amazing places all over the southwest and inter-mountain west that are far more affordable / better cost of living, less crime, less drought, etc.. Why California? Just curious. Niether Fresno or Sacramento are, in my opinion, ideal places to live and are certainly not communities that exemplify the "California dream".
hey mpitch,
Sacramento is a great place to live, I wouldn't listen to that person from Santa Cruz. Coastal Californians act like we don't live in California. We gladly enjoy and experience all that coastal Californias enjoy for half the cost. For example, Sacramento is 2-3 hours closer to the Sierras than Santa Cruz.
There is plenty to like about Sacramento it's not Fresno by a long shot for many reasons. Quality of life, educational attainment, income to cost of living much better than the coast, cultural amenities, access to natural attributes are right here in Sacramento and within 1-2 hours we have high elevations mountains, ocean, bay, beaches. Right here in the Sacramento area you have a large lake and two of the largest rivers in the state, all wonderful natural recreational attributes.
Sacramento is different than Fresno, :
1. University of California, Davis, 3rd or 4th best UC, overall, rated higher than UC Santa Cruz, and 3 times the size. UC Davis is as close to downtown Sacramento as UC Berk is to SF or UCLA is to downtown LA, or UC San Diego is to downtown San Diego.
2. Higher income levels
3. Two large clean rivers for recreation that run through the city and metro.
4. A Large Lake within 15-20 minutes
5. An interesting core, much more vibrant the Fresno
6. Access to SF Bay for the Bay itself and for the SF for its attributes, I can be in downtown SF from Sac in 1hr, 15mins. Frequent numbers train service to many locales major cities in the Bay Area.
7. The Sacramento Metro is more than twice than Fresno.
8. Sacramento has much more comfortable cooler summer weather than Fresno.
I've been reading some of the posts written by people who allegedly grew up in Fresno. (You never really believe people and the only way to really know what living in a place is like is to do it.) I know, a lot of people "use Fresno" as a place to hole up and be closer to all of the state's better areas and attractions. Natives may be defensive about their hometown and not really want outsiders to move there for whatever reason...I liked these CalBerkely and fizzlekins posts about the city , but these are from 2007, nearly 10 years ago. I have to move and have been looking at Fresno for obvious reasons. I've already been to a lot of California's biggest tourist attractions and areas, La Jolla...Monterey...Santa Monica...San Francisco! Disneyland, Hollywood, etc...Carmel...which aren't places to live for everyone if they're not natives of the area (or younger). Is there anything to know about Fresno...as far as the people and daily life are concerned? What if I can't find a place I can afford as far north and east as possible? Are there any areas that are just decent and affordable? I'm an apartment dweller. I was told that there were a lot of Asian street gangs in Fresno. Are there any areas to avoid at all costs? I've been looking at this for a long time and am down to the final month(s) and the final two in a list of several CA cities, Fresno and Sacramento. Both have good points and bad points. I'm from Arizona. Any helpful advice would be appreciated.
Why fresno? Not hating on it, just wonder why it jumps out at you? Also, bluesky, i was assuming that they meant north and east in fresno area, like clovis, which is a decent town. I could be wrong. Also, sac, despite its problems is nicer than fresno in my opinion. However, as bluesky said, there are much nicer and cheaper areas throughout the west than the valley. Things are often painted in the ca forums as "pacific heights... or bakersfield... or texas!" Thus ignoring the many wonderful places that exist between those extremes. Dont get sucked into that trap.
Well obviously I felt Fresno was a little more similar to my own area in some ways. I don't have the kind of income or energy to move to a city on the coast. I was looking at the layout of the city as well as employment opportunities. It has more to offer in the way of employment and looks to be a bit more affordable. I have a limited knowledge of the less-visited cities further in from the coast. There are probably tons of good ones. Still, California is not Arizona. I'm a little concerned about the crime levels and stories I've heard about the Asian gangs up there. I'm used to a fairly large population, but the area is more saturated and has more people overall. Fresno is a larger city not likely to be missing a lot that I can't do without. I could still get to many of the more interesting places in SoCal and along the central coast, for less...and continue to contribute to recreational activities in places that are too expensive for me to actually live in. True, true...if I had plenty of money I would probably have no problem moving to even Los Angeles. Many areas of L.A. are quite nice. Sacramento sounds and looks like it may be a bit nicer. Thanks for mentioning Bakersfield. I will investigate it.
Statistically speaking Fresno's violent crime rate is slightly lower than Sacramento, San Francisco or Oakland. Its property crime rate is a little higher than those. A good rule of thumb is try to rent north of Shaw Avenue... the farther north the better. Two older areas I really liked was the Tower District and the nearby Fresno High/City College neighborhoods. They're older, but a lot of people have renovated the bungalows there from the teens, 20s and 30s. Olive Ave in the Tower has a number of shops, eateries and bars/pubs.
Sacramento would be better from an employment perspective. Larger city with a more varied industry base (government, some high tech, service industries, health care, light manufacturing). Fresno is one of those places where you usually find jobs because of someone you know giving you leads or recommending you. Of course that happens everywhere, but in a larger city like Sac its not as crucial to your job search.
Yeah, Fresno is pretty handy to other parts of the state. You can get to a number of national parks, the Bay Area and the coast (Santa Cruz, Monterey, Morro Bay) in two to three hours if you're up for driving. Los Angeles is just a bit farther.
I'm not a native, but I've been around it my whole life with family (grandparents, aunts, cousins) plus I lived there a couple of years. I like it. For a big town its pretty low pressure. Easy to get around in (similar to AZ cities with wide streets and a grid pattern), fairly reasonable for a California city and friendly down-to-earth people. They are definitely not cliquish and have no problem with people moving there.
Despite its image problem you can do a lot worse than Fresno in this country. Had a friend from New Hampshire visit me there and after a few days he said "I heard this city was an armpit, but it looks pretty nice to me".
hey mpitch,
Sacramento is a great place to live, I wouldn't listen to that person from Santa Cruz. Coastal Californians act like we don't live in California. We gladly enjoy and experience all that coastal Californias enjoy for half the cost. For example, Sacramento is 2-3 hours closer to the Sierras than Santa Cruz.
There is plenty to like about Sacramento it's not Fresno by a long shot for many reasons. Quality of life, educational attainment, income to cost of living much better than the coast, cultural amenities, access to natural attributes are right here in Sacramento and within 1-2 hours we have high elevations mountains, ocean, bay, beaches. Right here in the Sacramento area you have a large lake and two of the largest rivers in the state, all wonderful natural recreational attributes.
Sacramento is different than Fresno, :
1. University of California, Davis, 3rd or 4th best UC, overall, rated higher than UC Santa Cruz, and 3 times the size. UC Davis is as close to downtown Sacramento as UC Berk is to SF or UCLA is to downtown LA, or UC San Diego is to downtown San Diego.
2. Higher income levels
3. Two large clean rivers for recreation that run through the city and metro.
4. A Large Lake within 15-20 minutes
5. An interesting core, much more vibrant the Fresno
6. Access to SF Bay for the Bay itself and for the SF for its attributes, I can be in downtown SF from Sac in 1hr, 15mins. Frequent numbers train service to many locales major cities in the Bay Area.
7. The Sacramento Metro is more than twice than Fresno.
8. Sacramento has much more comfortable cooler summer weather than Fresno.
"That person from Santa Cruz"?
Each to his own. I would not want to live in Sacramento unless i had a good reason to be there, ie; school, work, family, etc.. It has nothing to do with where i live and i certainly am aware of the entire state of California and am not someone who thinks that CA is just the coast.
To dismiss someones perspective that is different from yours is silly and does a disservice to anyone who is exploring options re; communities who may not know much about CA . A person can take in different perspectives (including yours and mine in this case) and make up there own mind.
The air quality alone would prevent me from wanting to live there. And i'll always point that out to people who don't realize that fact. It's an important one for many people.
And like i said in my previous post there are communities all over the southwest and inter-mountain west that are,imo, far more desirable, re; cost of living, clean air, natural beauty, crime, etc..
And btw, i can get to Truckee in under 41/2 hours from Santa Cruz as long as i time it so that i avoid commuter traffic along the way. But of course Sacramento is closer to the mountains (and it's also farther from the coast needless to say). It's kinda neither here nor there for me. Again, each to his / her own.
Despite its image problem you can do a lot worse than Fresno in this country. Had a friend from New Hampshire visit me there and after a few days he said "I heard this city was an armpit, but it looks pretty nice to me".
To dismiss someones perspective that is different from yours is silly and does a disservice to anyone who is exploring options re; communities who may not know much about CA . A person can take in different perspectives (including yours and mine in this case) and make up there own mind.
And like i said in my previous post there are communities all over the southwest and inter-mountain west that are,imo, far more desirable, re; cost of living, clean air, natural beauty, crime, etc..
And btw, i can get to Truckee in under 41/2 hours from Santa Cruz as long as i time it so that i avoid commuter traffic along the way. But of course Sacramento is closer to the mountains (and it's also farther from the coast needless to say). It's kinda neither here nor there for me. Again, each to his / her own.
Yeah, you pretty much just dismissed the attributes of both Fresno and Sacramento with your short uninformative dismissal of the two cities and regions.
Sounds like you don't know very much about either place, especially Sacramento.
Sacramento is:
1 minute from the newest, most attractive, an intimate Arena in California: Golden One Center, Sacramento Kings.
5 minutes from boating on the Sacramento River
10 minutes from the most scenic part of the American River within the Sacramento Region for rafting and paddling.
15-20 minutes from a large fresh water lake - Folsom Lake
30 minutes from the waterways of the Sacramento Delta
30 minutes from white water rafting on the American River in the Sierra foothills
30 minutes from the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada: Auburn, Placerville, Coloma
30-45 minutes from the Wine Country of Amador County
1 hour from beautiful Napa County
Just over 1 hour from marinas on San Francisco Bay
1 1/2 hours from the city of San Francisco, Giants Ballpark
1 1/2 hours from the East Bay, Raiders/Warriors Stadium/Arena
2 hours from beautiful Sonoma County
2 hours from the Redwoods of the Russian River
2 hours to South Lake Tahoe, Truckee and North Lake Tahoe
2 hours from Stinson Beach, Pacifica and other beaches of Marin and San Mateo Counties on the Ocean
2 hours from Silicon Valley, Levi Stadium, San Jose Arena
2 1/4 hours from Santa Cruz
2 1/2 hours form Mt. Lassen of the Cascade Mt. Range.
Under 3 hours from Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove
Under 3 hours from the enormous Shasta Lake
Just over 3 hours to Mt. Shasta - by the way Shasta in many ways is lot more beautiful than the Truckee/Tahoe Area.
Many southwest/inter-mountain regions nor Fresno have these type of options, nor this type of geographical cultural, and climate diversity in such close proximity.
Fresno has more proximity to the state as a whole (population wise), sorry to burst your bubble. Also we have better mountains and beaches.
That's debatable about mountains and beaches. I think your bubble has already been burst.
The Sacramento Valley is much more beautiful than the San Joaquin Valley.
The City of Sacramento far superior than Fresno. Sacramento Metro has a UC one of the best in state.
Funny how UC didn't put there main san joaquin valley campus anywhere near Fresno, instead they put it in Merced.
Don't get me started on how much better Sacramento City Metro Region is better than Fresno Region.
Fresno does not have descent river nor lake, nor Lake Tahoe nearby, nor World class ski resorts nearby.
Sacramento income levels, and educational attainment blow Fresno out.
Northing is close to Fresno, besides Yosemite, everything is near 3 hours and beyond.
Southwest airlines won't even serves Fresno, what a joke.
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