Torn between Bakersfield or Fresno!!!!! (San Francisco, Clovis: school districts, camp, to live)

[tangodoodles]

Originally Posted by Caliguy2007

Bakersfield doesn't look that great when passing through on Highway 99,because so much of it's charm is not viewable from the freeway.

I agree. The only things close to the freeway are gas stations and fast food places. All of the nicest areas are not within viewing distance of the freeway. But at least Bakersfield is green when you drive through on the 99. There are trees and flowers on the enbankment but in Fresno it's pure grey.

[FresnoFacts]

Few cities look good from the freeway. If someone only drove the 101 south of San Francisco airport they would say the Bay Area was ugly and industrial.

There are trees and flowers on the enbankment but in Fresno it's pure grey.

Hhmmm, grey?

CalTrans spent $6 million on beautifying 99 in Fresno about 5 years ago, new landscaping, signage, fencing and adding color on the overpasses. In fact Bakersfield and other cities in the Valley are now asking for projects to do the same.

Then there are the 20 ft by 8 ft. color tile mosaics at all of Fresno's freeway interchanges including along 99. A local art project they are privately funded.

[tangodoodles]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

Few cities look good from the freeway. If someone only drove the 101 south of San Francisco airport they would say the Bay Area was ugly and industrial.


Hhmmm, grey?

CalTrans spent $6 million on beautifying 99 in Fresno about 5 years ago, new landscaping, signage, fencing and adding color on the overpasses. In fact Bakersfield and other cities in the Valley are now asking for projects to do the same.

Then there are the 20 ft by 8 ft. color tile mosaics at all of Fresno's freeway interchanges including along 99. A local art project they are privately funded.

I haven't heard anything in any of the papers asking for money to pretty up the sides of the 99 especially when there are many better uses for that including but not limited to creating more roads for the burgeoning population. In fact, six million dollars to pretty up the side of the road seems pretty ridiculous when many of the roads in our city need repair. So, basically, you got six million to landscape which could have fixed several oft-travelled roads in Bakersfield. That's fair. But the politicians in Sacramento loves to overlook places like Bakersfield in favor of larger, more "influential" cities.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by tangodoodles

I haven't heard anything in any of the papers asking for money to pretty up the sides of the 99 especially when there are many better uses for that including but not limited to creating more roads for the burgeoning population. In fact, six million dollars to pretty up the side of the road seems pretty ridiculous when many of the roads in our city need repair. So, basically, you got six million to landscape which could have fixed several oft-travelled roads in Bakersfield. That's fair. But the politicians in Sacramento loves to overlook places like Bakersfield in favor of larger, more "influential" cities.

Sacramento has ignored all of the Valley for many years. Fresno also had transportation problems like Bakersfield currently has but got tired of waiting for the state to build new freeways.

So Fresno County voters passed a 1/2 cent sales tax in 1986 that was renewed by 78% of the voters in the 2006 election for another 20 years. The tax has raised over $1 Billion in the last 20 years with $1.5 Billion more projected in the next 20 years.

The Measure C tax money has done things just in Fresno/Clovis like turn 9 miles of surface street Highway 180 into a 6 lane freeway, turn 12 miles of surface street Highway 168 into a 6 lane freeway, extend Freeway 41 by over 6 miles, and more.

The $6 million that CalTrans spent on 99 landscaping in Fresno is a drop in the bucket compared to what locals have paid for with the local sales tax. Also remember that landscaping is part of the soil erosion control and safety along freeways.

Here is the link to the Bakersfield Freeway Beautification Master Plan. CalTrans has already done some of the landscaping work on 99 in Bakersfield.

http://www.ci.bakersfield.ca.us/CityServices/pubwrks/pwpdfs/METRO_FWY_%20BEAUTIFUL_%20MP_DESIGN_GUIDE.pdf (broken link)

[tangodoodles]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

Sacramento has ignored all of the Valley for many years. Fresno also had transportation problems like Bakersfield currently has but got tired of waiting for the state to build new freeways.

So Fresno County voters passed a 1/2 cent sales tax in 1986 that was renewed by 78% of the voters in the 2006 election for another 20 years. The tax has raised over $1 Billion in the last 20 years with $1.5 Billion more projected in the next 20 years.

The Measure C tax money has done things just in Fresno/Clovis like turn 9 miles of surface street Highway 180 into a 6 lane freeway, turn 12 miles of surface street Highway 168 into a 6 lane freeway, extend Freeway 41 by over 6 miles, and more.

The $6 million that CalTrans spent on 99 landscaping in Fresno is a drop in the bucket compared to what locals have paid for with the local sales tax. Also remember that landscaping is part of the soil erosion control and safety along freeways.

Here is the link to the Bakersfield Freeway Beautification Master Plan. CalTrans has already done some of the landscaping work on 99 in Bakersfield.

http://www.ci.bakersfield.ca.us/City...SIGN_GUIDE.pdf

I wish we would pass a tax to raise revenue to fix this stuff. But say the word taxes to Bakersfield and people flip out. I think the central valley could be improved a lot if we weren't so ignored and stepped on by bigger places. Like L.A. suing us because we voted that they couldn't dump their sludge in our already polluted city. And then the Mayor of L.A. chastised Bakersfield for voting in favor of the no-sludge dumping rule while he was banging that reporter behind his wife's back. The central valley isn't as bad as people make it out to be but I think I need to move somewhere in the state that isn't virtually ignored by most politicians.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by tangodoodles

The central valley isn't as bad as people make it out to be but I think I need to move somewhere in the state that isn't virtually ignored by most politicians.

That will be changing in the next decade.

Besides the obvious increases in population and voters in the Central Valley, demographics will come into play.

The Bay Area is strongly Democratic, much of Southern California like Orange County and San Diego strongly Republican. The way the votes are now splitting those 2 regions balance each other out.

So the Central Valley is becoming the swing area that needs to be won over to win election or pass a law.

That is reflected in things like in the state legislature, where 3 of the 4 top party leaders will soon be from the Central Valley (1 from Sacramento, 1 from Modesto, and 1 from Fresno/Clovis).

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by tangodoodles

I agree. The only things close to the freeway are gas stations and fast food places. All of the nicest areas are not within viewing distance of the freeway. But at least Bakersfield is green when you drive through on the 99. There are trees and flowers on the enbankment but in Fresno it's pure grey.

last time I was up through Fresno it looked pretty nice to me, they were doing a lot of work. Bakersfield along 99 looks rough, a bunch of iceplant and weeds with big dead spots all over, I think Bakersfield gets neglected and thats your first impression of a city, I really like living here but I wish they would get the work going along 99.

[SoCalif]

I would choose Fresno, but live in Clovis.

[itchysoul]

I lived in Visalia for a few years and went to High School in Exeter, and go through Fresno and Bakersfield a lot. If death were not an option, I would have to say I would choose Fresno over Bakersfield. Maybe it's just because I have spent more time in Fresno so it's more familiar, but I like that it's closer to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon.

Both Fresno and Bakersfield have good and bad neighborhoods, so you can't judge the entire city if you have only seen one part. Find the section of the city that you like and move there.

People talk about the gangs in LA, I've lived in LA for almost 18 years now and have never once had any sort of run-in or problem whatsoever with gang members and have never been the victim of a crime here, and I haven't lived in the nicest neighborhoods either.

[laquests]

Four years ago when I moved out of Ventura to retire I went all over Bakersfield looking for a cheap home; the place is full of dense concentrations of all Black or all Mexican etc. areas. Oildale is a mostly White cheap area to live. Laqusts.