Torn between Bakersfield or Fresno!!!!! (San Jose, Stockton: activity, best, park)

[cephalopede]

Yeah, if those are your options, there's a 90% chance you're better off where you are.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by the city

Fresno. Bakersfield has no entertainment, Super Wal-Marts, and LA gangs.

Isn't Bakersfield a hot spot for country music in California? If I am not mistaken, there is even a musical style named after the city.

So much for no entertainment.

[Count David]

I added a poll.

I choose Fresno.

[still_waiting]

Time to add a little more civility to the conversation. I am from NYC, have lived in ATL, D.C., Houston, Dallas, and yes Bakersfield AND Fresno so I feel I have the qualification to speak about the two places from the perspective of someone who has lived in huge metro areas as well as other regions of the nation.

The choice between Fresno and Bakersfield is largely dependent on what the particular person regards as most important.

Like others have posted if you are more interested in outdoorsy endeavors then perhaps Fresno might be a better choice because it's proximal to Yosemite and the lakes. Yes true Fresno has better infrastructure and Cal State Fresno is a good institution of higher learning. Fresno sits almost central of NorCal and SoCal so basically it's a little over 3 hours to San Fran and friends and a little closer to 4 hours to LA...not that bad actually. There is a really nice area in Fresno with nice restaurants, entertainment, and nice houses (Woodward Park area), as well.

The areas to avoid is the infamous West Side as well as some places around Sunnyside. I have lived in the Sunnyside area and then moved to the much nicer Woodward Park area and the change is so different it's hard to believe it's the same city. Crime in Fresno is pretty compartmentalized and doesn't bleed over to the nicer areas for the most part. Someone mentioned Clovis...yes that's a nice more affluent part of the Fresno metro area as well. Good school system. After a good rain (rare) which clears the smog temporarily the mountain view is simply breathtaking.

Bakersfield well it's not all that bad of a place, but it doesn't really compare to Fresno overall. I mean it's not quite the armpit people make it out to be, but I do see why sometimes it's described with derision. Bakersfield has grown exponentially the last 10 years with Stockdale Hwy becoming more prominent. They have a nice arena in which events come to on a regular basis, and Cal State Bakersfield while not a CSU Fresno is growing and offers continual ed options for some fields. Bakersfield has more characteristics of a semi-desert like environment, at least moreso than Fresno and it can get really hot there. As far as air quality goes the San Joaquin Valley in general has some of the worst air quality in the nation in terms of particulate matter and O3. Also Valley Fever is a concern for out of towners...please look up that condition and educate yourself on it. One of Bakersfield's best qualities is that it's 100+ miles from LA which can be as short as 1 hours and 45 minutes or 3 hours depending on the conditions on the El Tejon mountain pass affectionately known as the Grapevine. If there's an accident, or snow, or a wildfire on the Grapevine fugggetaboutit.

When I lived in Bakersfield I would go to LA on the weekend or make a day trip out of it and go to Venice Beach and various other attractions. Less spoken about is how San Diego can be reached in about 4 hours or so which is worth it for the trip alone traveling South on I-5. The Pacific Coast is darn beautiful.

I'm transitioning over to the oil and gas industry and have been soft offered an opportunity to go to Bakersfield to start my career (yes there's oil in Cali, especially Kern County) since I have family and friends in the Valley. Of course Houston and to a lesser extent Dallas seems like a no-brainier as options for me but I know living in Bakersfield isn't as bad as many make it seem. I expect the natives to be tired of the Valley if they have been there most of their lives so take their perspective with a filter.

If you need more in depth perspective from an out of towner that has lived in both places as an adult please let me know.

Edit: Crime exists in both cities of course, but it's not as bad as people make it seem. I rarely if ever felt unsafe and that's mostly because I was aware of what places to avoid. The crime is pretty much contained geographically. And yes I've even had my car stolen in Fresno, but to be honest at the time I was living in a "fringe" neighborhood at the time. When I moved to Woodward park area I had a nice BMW and never did I ever fear it being stolen or messed with. Though I must say my old Saturn and Honda Civics were the prime targets for grand theft auto not so much the luxury vehicles.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Djames9

NO im dead serious....that's exactly how i feel about Fresno and the dead wasteland we live in......it's hell here .....Fresno Is HELL ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it safe to say you don't like it there too pretty much?

Edited to add I just noticed that most of this thread is six years old.

[Bruce81]

Fresno feels more like a city but its very isolated. Major airports are far away, the coast and so on. Bakersfield is closer to L.A, the coast and other nice places but its more of a big town than a real city. It still has shopping, concerts and ect but the valley is the valley and its not or everyone.

[NorthernMidwesterner]

Bakersfield hands down. Fresno has a HUGE crystal meth issue, it is notorious for it being the Compton between Compton and Stockton. Bakersfield is much closer to LA, the housing is cheaper, easy access to Las Vegas and Arizona, closer to the coast, and IMO nicer people.

[Twinkle Toes]

OMG! Every time I see the name of this thread I instantly get that lame song "Torn Between Two Lovers" stuck in my head!!!

[pistola916]

Move to Sacramento !

Only place worth living in the Valley.

[swagfag04notgay]

If you have to choose between these two, I feel damn sorry for you my friend. They both suck.