Fresno & Clovis Area (Modesto, Merced: camping, to live in, prices)

[mono#9]

Don't let it bother you ajcfalcon--there are a few places--Fresno, Bakersfield and Santa Maria, to name a few--that people love to bash. Too hot? Hey, summer is like that. Too much smog? Millions of people seem to deal with that in LA all the time. Gangs? Every large city in CA has them--tho' usually only the most poverty stricken parts of the city are affected. There are nice neighborhoods in each of those cities, plenty of nice social organizations, wonderful churches, parks, good shopping centers. But for some reason, only the bad side is emphasized. I only hope that people looking for a nice place to live aren't turned off by all the negative comments.

[Kibbiekat]

Check any map. Shaver Lake is not on the way to Yosemite. Bass Lake is. maybe that's what you are thinking of. I doubt anyone truly looking for info on the Fresno Clovis area would find my comments irrelevant. Again, I'm not Fresno bashing, I'm just stating facts. Your statements are misleading to someone unfamiliar with the area.

[ajcfalcon]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

Check any map. Shaver Lake is not on the way to Yosemite. Bass Lake is. maybe that's what you are thinking of. I doubt anyone truly looking for info on the Fresno Clovis area would find my comments irrelevant. Again, I'm not Fresno bashing, I'm just stating facts. Your statements are misleading to someone unfamiliar with the area.

Fantastic. I am glad you are here to be right. That is absolutely what this is about. Thanks for all of your input. I certainly hope that everyone will come to see your point of view. Just a thought: Shaver Lake is north of Fresno right? Hmmm (what else, what else), oh yeah: Yosemite. Wait wait (something else), you can cut across from 168 (road to Shaver) to 41 (road to Yosemite) on Auberry Road. Amazing, thinking beyond just the straight shots. Oh and by the way, just because a road doesn't go in a straight line from point A to point B doesn't mean they aren't near each other. Shaver Lake is exactly due South of Yosemite. (I'm looking at Google maps while I write this)

Essentially, it is humorous that you have made such valiant effort to split a hair on what was written as a generality. I was not intending to dive into the absolute details of every little aspect, but more to offer an overall view of the area. Anyone who has ever been to Fresno knows that the mountains are quite visible from the East side of the city. These mountains, although not part of the actual park, are definently connected to the Yosemite mountains.

Thank you for splitting every little hair. I'm glad you are here to ensure that no one is misled. Because someone might be. Or maybe people have brains to think for themselves and are unlikely to invest much time, money or thought on anything you or I say on some blog.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by ajcfalcon

Either you haven't been to Fresno, or you have had a poor tour guide when visiting. Fresno is a mere forty minute from Shaver Lake which is very much a wooded area. Additionally, Fresno has many quaint neighborhoods (such as Tower/City College area, Fig Garden, Van Ness Ave, Hungtington Blvd. Clovis), as well as a thriving new suburbia (Riverpark, Granite Park, Woodward Park Area, Sierra Vista). The smog is better than Southern California, and the "ghettoness" as you put it is only in the less than desirable areas (which any major city has). Yes, I call Fresno a major city (466,000 pop. Metro: 2.0 million); sixth biggest in California and 36th in the nation. In case you disagree, here are some "major" cities that are actually smaller than Fresno: Miami, St. Louis, Oakland, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Jersey City, New Orleans, and Orlando (just to name a few).

So if you are going to have a worthwhile conversation about Fresno, then awesome. But it is a bit odd to put down a place in such a simple way. Someone who has never been to Fresno ought to at least visit, before rendering any judgments. Also, if you have been and don't care for it: fine. But don't put down someone else's home.

Speaking for myself, simply sharing my point of view. Since I lived there for 24 years and go back quite frequently I think I can stand on validity. When others are seeking out information about an area they are wanting to see all sides

[tstone]

Fresno, hmm... During our road trip we only passed through and did a little shopping before heading to Sequoia and Death Valley. It's a little strange an area with almost 1 million people can have such short buildings. I don't think I saw any buildings taller than 4-5 stories. The grocery shopping experience was different; driving around I couldn't find any large supermarket stores, just convenience-store size buildings with basically all the groceries you need crammed in it. Public sanitation standards also seemed to be about the same as northeast Texas. Perhaps we simply spent a couple of hours on the wrong side of town.

[Kibbiekat]

Sounds like you were on the wrong side of town. There are plenty of grocery stores and cleaner areas. Downtown has some tall buildings. Some are vacant, but others are not.

[andyjames]

Originally Posted by tstone

Fresno, hmm... During our road trip we only passed through and did a little shopping before heading to Sequoia and Death Valley. It's a little strange an area with almost 1 million people can have such short buildings. I don't think I saw any buildings taller than 4-5 stories. The grocery shopping experience was different; driving around I couldn't find any large supermarket stores, just convenience-store size buildings with basically all the groceries you need crammed in it. Public sanitation standards also seemed to be about the same as northeast Texas. Perhaps we simply spent a couple of hours on the wrong side of town.

That's probably the Highway 99 side of town. It is generally a lackluster area of Fresno. I've often thought that anyone traveling through Fresno on 99 would get a very bad impression. The generally nice areas of town are anywhere from 5 to 20 miles from the 99. There are a few nice neighborhoods near Olive and 99 (Tower District), but that's about it. Also downtown has a number of sky scrapers (granted they are not exceptionally tall, they are larger than 5 stories).

If you want to get a better feel for the area, you need to drive up the 41 and 168 freeways. This is the more populated part of town. The 99 side tends to be very industrial.

[tstone]

^ ^ Yup, that was it. I was coming from San Francisco and headed down 99 and turned east to go to Sequoia. It was a little bit run down, but (coming from Houston) not really that ghetto or scary. The cleanliness factor was a different story. At least most people in the hood out here know how to clean properly. I'll always remember that plastic "lemonade" cup with flies on it by the sink in the restroom.

[Mrs. H]

I applaud you for offering alternative outlooks on the Valley. I am an originally from Madera, grew up there and still visit there because my family lives in Madera and Fresno. Although I don't live there now, thanks for mentioning the Valley.

[GoBeavs]

I lived in Fresno for three years. I know what it is like. I also lived in a city with an MSA of 2 million people, and I can honestly say Fresno does NOT have a city feel, nor does it have nearly the amount of people as Portland, OR. I lived in two neighborhoods in Fresno: one in the north, and one towards the south. The first area, up by Clovis West High School (north) was full of well-to-do "white flight" snobs. While in that area, the only Mexicans / Blacks that I would see worked at Jack's Car Wash. I am not kidding, it is whiter than some towns in Wyoming. The other neighborhood I lived in was near Cedar and Tulare, and it was a ghetto piece of crap with high crime rates. My car was broken into four times, a man was shot in the parking lot, helicopters flew overhead at least twice a day, my friends car was stolen, et cetera. Let me see, what else is there about Fresno? Ah yes, there is absolutely nothing to do. When I lived there I was 20-23, and I even drank. The bars (even in the pathetic tower) are all rather boring, and the music scene leaves much to be desired. I'm not kidding, there is nothing to do in Fresno. The smog ranks 3rd worst in the nation (behind Los Angeles and Bakersfield). The poverty level is the highest (#1 worst) in the nation (second is New Orleans). The city is completely segregated, has an unattractive downtown, and feels nothing like a city. It's like a suburb without a city. It was so nice to leave that area and move back to Portland, Oregon. I am just giving my perspective. I realize some may be offended, but people who visit here (and are possibly looking to move there) should know all sides.