My son is considering a job in Fresno (Los Angeles, San Diego: apartments, crime rate)

[SueBeeM]

Can anyone tell me what Fresno culture, air quality, crime, etc are like in Fresno? My son is considering a possible professional job offer there, and would be moving with his husband. I can't seem to find information about the city or area. The only I've seen is cost of living seems to be low... nice to be able to afford good housing, etc, but on the flip side, there's usually a reason things are affordable. Crime looks to be pretty high; I've heard air quality is horrible, lots of smog settling in. Of top importance, what would the culture be like for a gay couple? Any insight would be appreciated.

[WizardOfRadical]

Fresno is a backwards, conservative, poverty stricken metro. Avoid.

[hydro]

Worst air quality, horrible crime, horrible place. Just yuck on all accounts.

[90077]

California’s a big state. Your son and his husband should be able to do better than Fresno.

“Sexual orientation or sexual identity was a major motivating factor for hate crimes in the Valley, according to the state data.” https://lgbtfresno.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/fresno/comm..._towards_lgbt/

//www.city-data.com/forum/calif...rk-fresno.html

[marcopolo666]

If the son isn't mature enough to research a new city on his own before making a decision, maybe he should just stay with mom ...

[joejerryronnie]

I'm much more bullish on Fresno and the Central Valley than most people here, but this is a very, very conservative part of California. I would not suggest a gay couple move there at all. There are plenty of other progressive places in CA with lower cost of living than the bay or LA (but not as affordable as the central valley). If your son still wants a comparable cost of living to the central valley, I'd look outside of CA.

[dontbelievehim]

Tower district is the gay neighborhood.
He'd be fine down there.
Crime is overblown.
Smog is improving.
Fresno is a city in transition.
It's a medium sized metro that is trying to become a large metro. It will take another decade before it actually feels like a large city.
If he doesn't like it, just pick up and go!

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by SueBeeM

Can anyone tell me what Fresno culture, air quality, crime, etc are like in Fresno? My son is considering a possible professional job offer there, and would be moving with his husband. I can't seem to find information about the city or area. The only I've seen is cost of living seems to be low... nice to be able to afford good housing, etc, but on the flip side, there's usually a reason things are affordable. Crime looks to be pretty high; I've heard air quality is horrible, lots of smog settling in. Of top importance, what would the culture be like for a gay couple? Any insight would be appreciated.

You cab find some info here.


//www.city-data.com/city/Fresno-California.html

[04kL4nD]

Fresno isn't as bad as Bakersfield or Stockton, but for its size and proximity to the Sierra, it's a pretty big let down. There are pockets here and there that are fine, but overall, it just feels very run down and sad. It's like the decaying parts of LA or the Inland Empire, but with even worse air, and you're still 3 hours away from a major city.

If I lived there, I would spend all of my free time up in the mountains.

[BeauCharles]

The entire north half of the metro area looks just like Orange County or the Silicon Valley. Wide streets, new construction homes and apartments, chain eateries and big box stores. The crime rate is no worse than San Francisco, Sacramento or Los Angeles. Its moderately conservative. Only people who live on the coast in California would say "very, very", but as far as comparing it to the rest of the country its not (Clinton beat Trump in Fresno County by 10,000 votes). It does have a small "Gayborhood" called the Tower District filled with 1920s and 1930s bungalows that have mostly been restored. There's a small retail strip along Olive Ave that runs through it with restaurants and bars. I know a married gay couple who've lived there for 30 years quite openly and they've never had issues with bigotry or hate crimes. I know another couple who live on Woodward Lake in North Fresno and they have no problems. The air quality isn't good. While its much better than 25+ years ago its still worse than most of the country (about the same as the LA Basin or Inland Empire). Fresno is close to three national parks in the Sierra Nevada (Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia). Its also about 2 1/2 hours from the coast (Monterey or Pismo Beach). Close enough for easy weekend trips. I lived there for a couple of years and have been around it my entire life thanks to family in the area. Its fine as long as you don't insist on comparing it to San Francisco or San Diego.