Moving to Fresno (San Francisco, Sacramento, Clovis: crime, how much, house)

[cwileygo]

Hi there

My family and I are moving to Fresno from Portland Oregon. We are looking for information about good places to live in Fresno. I have read on this website about Clovis and some of the other neighborhoods but I am also interested in what folks might have to say about more "progressive" areas to live. I want good schools but I am also interested in some diversity and progressive thinking in Fresno --- which I am thinking might be lacking in Clovis.

Thanks in advance.

Oh, and also, what is the music scene like in Fresno? Are there any live bands that come through town?

[Adriatica]

As far as nice area to live in, most would recommend Clovis (93611) and some parts of Fresno (93720, 93711).

Progressive areas: the Tower District and the nearby Fresno City College and Old Fig Garden neighborhoods (93704, 93728) are a possibility, although those homes will generally be older. Sunnyside (93727) is a diverse area too, although maybe not quite as progressive as the Tower. But there are newer homes available in Sunnyside and a large mixed use shopping center is planned for the area.

There's a good music scene in Fresno. Depend on what you're looking for. Both the Save Mart Center and Selland Arena book large-scale concerts.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by Adriatica

As far as nice area to live in, most would recommend Clovis (93611) and some parts of Fresno (93720, 93711).

Progressive areas: the Tower District and the nearby Fresno City College and Old Fig Garden neighborhoods (93704, 93728) are a possibility, although those homes will generally be older. Sunnyside (93727) is a diverse area too, although maybe not quite as progressive as the Tower. But there are newer homes available in Sunnyside and a large mixed use shopping center is planned for the area.

There's a good music scene in Fresno. Depend on what you're looking for. Both the Save Mart Center and Selland Arena book large-scale concerts.

This is exactly what I would have said. Do schools matter? What is your price range?

[cwileygo]

My price range will be around 300 K which seems to buy quite a bit of house in Fresno.

Schools matter -- so I know Clovis is highly rated but I have also gotten the sense that it is very conservative both politically and socially and I don't know that we would feel as comfortable as we would in a more diverse place.

On the other hand, I have found some rather frightening crime stats about Fresno and don't want to live or have my 7th grade kid and twin pre-schoolers going to school in a bad area.

Thanks for thoughts and advice

[Kibbiekat]

You may have to choose which is more important to you. The schools near the tower district are not great, but that sounds like the type of neighborhood you want to live in. Fresno High has a new International Baccalaureate program you might want to look into. Clovis is known for having the best schools, but is definitely not known for its diversity. Overall, Fresno is a very diverse place. No matter where you live, you can get out to other parts of town to eat out, or whatever.

[Adriatica]

Some parts of Sunnyside are in Clovis Unified and some are even in Sanger Unified, but most are in Fresno Unified. Also, some parts of north Fresno (93720) are in Clovis Unified. The school districts do not follow city borders. The schools in the Sunnyside area are diverse but might be a bit safer than the ones near the Tower. Sounds like the Tower/Old Fig neighborhoods would be a good fit, but you might find some of the schools iffy.

The IB program is good and there are also a number of private school options available. Fresno Unified also has several magnet schools that are great options.

As the previous poster said, Fresno has diversity is nearly all neighborhoods.

[FresnoFacts]

Besides SaveMart Center and Selland Arena (which see the large concerts) there are concerts at the area casinos and smaller theaters (Warners, Tower, etc). In coming months the casinos are getting a lot of old acts like Boz Scaggs, Foreigner, Kool & The Gang, and more.

Then there are things like the Rogue Festival and other events.
Rogue Festival » THE ROGUE (broken link)

In terms of crime stats, Fresno is at its lowest crime level in nearly 50 years. This was just on the news tonight reporting a 30% cut in homicides from last year.
abc30.com: Drastic Drop in Fresno's Murder Rate 8/07/08

Of course some neighborhoods are bad, but crime is lower in Fresno than Sacramento and San Francisco.

2008 Homicides to date
Fresno (pop 485,000) 25 homicides
Sacramento (pop 470,000) 29 homicides
San Francisco (pop 800,000) 67 homicides

[cwileygo]

thanks for the info. I also talked to a friend of a friend who is a native of Fresno -- she recomend the schools in the Bullard (spelling?) attendance area.

As to music, my husband is a bit of a "hipster" who likes alternative rock and stuff like that. We have a lot of up and coming bands who come through Portland and I was wondering if those types of bands made it to Fresno.

[Adriatica]

The Bullard schools are definitely good. You might not find that area (north of Shaw, west of Blackstone) to be terribly progressive (although some residents will be), but it will be diverse.

Alternative rock--you can definitely find that here. You just need to check out the Fresno Bee Calendar or maybe look around the internet, too, for info.

[Kibbiekat]

I went to Bullard schools. I'm not sure how much they've changed since I was there. It is a nice area of town, that has stayed that way even as it ages. It is mostly ranch style homes built in the 1960's-1980's. A lot of people have stayed in their homes, so I'm not sure you'll find a ton of young families.