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Ok so there's a real possibility I may be moving to the Fresno area. I am from Chicago, and really don't know what to expect given that i've only ever visited LA in California. I am planning a visit there in a month or so, but I was hoping to get some additional information.
When I say Chicago, I am in the suburbs and probably go to the city around 10x a year by train (an hour) for fun. Is it possible to take day trips to metro areas? It looks like Fresno is a metro area, but on what level? I'm ok with suburbs, but I like to be near everything. I don't want to have to drive 30 mins to get to a Target or a decent grocery store. Shopping is a draw, but so are quaint coffee shops, vegan restaurants, gyms, and hiking (I'm guessing yes to this one). Is that easy to find?
I'm a lot concerned about the air quality that keeps getting mentioned, but can't quite figure out what is the real story. Is it bad or dangerous? There's a town in IL I lived next to growing up that the water was tainted with chemicals. The residents didn't know so about 15 years later everyone died of a rare form of brain cancer. Is this what is meant by "stories" of air quality concerns?
As for where to live/stay. What surrounding areas are best? I would like to keep a commute to Visalia under 1 hour in traffic for work. Ideally somewhere that has easy access to go places, like closer to LA or SF.
I know this is a little all over the place, but any input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Yes. San Jose and Sacramento are about two hours, give or take from Fresno. LA-depending on where you want to go, is reachable in about 4. Add about 45-60 min northbound from Visalia and subtract the same southbound.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaichai222
It looks like Fresno is a metro area, but on what level?
Kind of ambiguous. Care to elaborate? Fresno does not have, for example, a light rail line. But it does have a downtown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaichai222
I'm ok with suburbs, but I like to be near everything. I don't want to have to drive 30 mins to get to a Target or a decent grocery store. Shopping is a draw, but so are quaint coffee shops, vegan restaurants, gyms, and hiking (I'm guessing yes to this one). Is that easy to find?
North and East Fresno as well as neighboring Clovis will be your friend. Just a word of caution-the two main streets (Blackstone for N/S and Shaw Ave for E/W) are an absolute gridlocked nightmare. In many instances, your drive will be measured in time, not distance; a two mile drive to Target may take 15-20 min because of this. But generally speaking, the NE quadrant of the town is modern new suburbia.
Visalia is in many ways, a smaller analog of Fresno. And also, has its good and bad parts scattered throughout the city.
Tower District in Fresno is where you will find the "hipsters" and small boutique shops and restaurants. Main Street in Visalia also has some of this to a much lesser degree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaichai222
I'm a lot concerned about the air quality that keeps getting mentioned, but can't quite figure out what is the real story. Is it bad or dangerous? There's a town in IL I lived next to growing up that the water was tainted with chemicals. The residents didn't know so about 15 years later everyone died of a rare form of brain cancer. Is this what is meant by "stories" of air quality concerns?
For the most part, blown way out of proportion. The air is not black and people don't have to wear gas masks and cart around portable oxygen tanks, if that's what you mean. Yes, the air is bad for much of the year. It gets worse the further south you go. This is due to geography (the valley has mountains on the west, south, and east sides) and the prevailing wind pattern (usually blows from northwest to southeast). But it's a relative term. If you come from the high plains of Colorado, where the skies are cobalt blue year round, yes, The Valley will look like crud. But other areas have air as bad or worse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaichai222
As for where to live/stay. What surrounding areas are best? I would like to keep a commute to Visalia under 1 hour in traffic for work. Ideally somewhere that has easy access to go places, like closer to LA or SF.
Again too broad of a question to give very many specifics. Both Fresno and Visalia have their nice places, middle of the road places, and downright dump places. Lot of variables to consider like taste, budget, etc. If you can narrow this down, we can probably give better information.
As far as in between, Kingsburg is about the nicest of the smaller towns. But nearby Selma has better dining and shopping. But Selma also has a much more, err, "rough" population.
I've lived in Tulare, which is immediately south of Visalia for ten years now, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. I'm also familiar with Fresno/Clovis, but not to the extent as I am the former.
Ok so there's a real possibility I may be moving to the Fresno area. I am from Chicago, and really don't know what to expect given that i've only ever visited LA in California. I am planning a visit there in a month or so, but I was hoping to get some additional information.
When I say Chicago, I am in the suburbs and probably go to the city around 10x a year by train (an hour) for fun. Is it possible to take day trips to metro areas? It looks like Fresno is a metro area, but on what level? I'm ok with suburbs, but I like to be near everything. I don't want to have to drive 30 mins to get to a Target or a decent grocery store. Shopping is a draw, but so are quaint coffee shops, vegan restaurants, gyms, and hiking (I'm guessing yes to this one). Is that easy to find?
I'm a lot concerned about the air quality that keeps getting mentioned, but can't quite figure out what is the real story. Is it bad or dangerous? There's a town in IL I lived next to growing up that the water was tainted with chemicals. The residents didn't know so about 15 years later everyone died of a rare form of brain cancer. Is this what is meant by "stories" of air quality concerns?
As for where to live/stay. What surrounding areas are best? I would like to keep a commute to Visalia under 1 hour in traffic for work. Ideally somewhere that has easy access to go places, like closer to LA or SF.
I know this is a little all over the place, but any input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Culturally, it's mostly Californian/Latino, which may be a little familiar to you having visited LA. Nothing really comparable to it near you.
You can take day trips, but you should make them multiple day trips. Head to LA or SF on Friday night/afternoon and come back Sunday. 3 to 4 hours drive to/from either one.
Fresno is about 500K people short of the size of Milwaukee, but won't feel nearly as big, as it's a very suburban city. Think Grand Rapids without much of a core (be prepared to be disappointed). The Tower District is the closest thing to a "hip" area that Fresno has, and it functions as "the" "it" neighborhood in town. But again, set yourself up for disappointment.
All the big box stuff is all over the place.
You probably wouldn't want to be outside for long on the bad air quality days if you're sensitive. It's mostly aesthetic, meaning you won't be able to see far, and you may not even realize that there are mountains east of Fresno because of it. It may smell some as well. It's the byproduct of bad air from nearby cities, agriculture, and the geography of the valley itself. It's probably not ideal for the lungs, but it is what it is.
I'll let locals chime in on suggestions of where to live, as I only ever pass through there really.
I don't want to have to drive 30 mins to get to a Target or a decent grocery store. Shopping is a draw, but so are quaint coffee shops, vegan restaurants, gyms, and hiking (I'm guessing yes to this one). Is that easy to find?
Plenty of shopping in Fresno including several malls and several Target stores.
Excellent information so far, thank you! I feel much better about the air quality, thanks again for explaining it. Some things i've read make it seem pretty bad so I just wasn't sure. The smog kind of quality I can deal with, or at least not freak out about.
Des-Lab Thanks for breaking it all down! I think I will have to visit and then come back with location specific questions. The Tower District sounds like a place i'd like, i'll make sure to visit!
Count David I love the midwest comparisons! Grand Rapids is smaller than imagined Fresno to be, but i'm glad to know that before I see it. So weekend trips are more reasonable than a day trip?I guess that makes sense when a location is 3 hours or more away. Are there any train lines that go to SF?
One other question I thought of, how is Bakersfield? I've only seen some passing comments on it. It looks like a bigger suburb but I know nothing about it except that that's where the TV show Baskets is set in. :P
As a L.A. native who lived in Visalia for 12 years, I hope I can contribute to the discussion. I lived in Visalia from 1992 to 2004. When I moved to Visalia, the population was just under 90,000 and when I left it was 103,000. Today, the city's population is about 130K+. It's the county seat of Tulare County with several other smaller cities and towns in the vicinity (Tulare, Hanford, Farmersville, Exeter, Lindsay, Porterville). Visalia is the oldest city between Stockton and Los Angeles and is known for its oak trees and quaint downtown area. Downtown is very walkable and has a number of great restaurants, microbreweries, coffee houses and specialty shops. The core of the city is located several miles to the east of State Route 99, which runs through the San Joaquin Valley.
I lived in SW Visalia near Akers Road and Tulare Avenue. However, a lot growth has since taken place in the northern and eastern areas of town with new housing tracts and shopping centers. Mooney Boulevard is the main commercial corridor running north-south from West Main Street to the city of Tulare. There are several large shopping centers including the Visalia Mall, Sequoia Mall and Packwood Creek Shopping Center. Visalia is also the gateway to the Sequoia National Park. The City in partnership with the National Park Service operates a summer shuttle service to and from the park.
Overall, Visalia is an attractive, well-planned city. There's a good variety of housing stock. There are some nice older neighborhoods with Victorian and Craftsman style homes adjacent to downtown. Some of the more sketchy areas are located just to the north of downtown around the Lincoln Oval and southeast of downtown. The major hospital is Kaweah Delta.
Fresno is located about 40 miles away. Visalia is located in the Fresno media market, so most of the TV and radio stations will be broadcasting from Fresno. Folks from Visalia will travel to Fresno to access shopping, medical and entertainment options that aren't available in Visalia. That includes commercial air service. Visalia does have an airport but the City hasn't been successful in attracting and retaining airlines. So, in lieu of air service, the City operates bus service between Visalia and Fresno that includes a stop at the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport. Residents will also travel to So Cal to access commercial air service.
One other question I thought of, how is Bakersfield? I've only seen some passing comments on it. It looks like a bigger suburb but I know nothing about it except that that's where the TV show Baskets is set in. :P
Bakersfield is really battered by the rest of California for being "a hellhole", but IMO it is the most physically attractive of the San Joaquin Valley cities, and has a lot going for it overall (proximity to LA, nature, etc). Yeah, there are some incredibly trashy parts, but there are large swaths of reasonable middle-class all over the place, and really isn't that bad of a place to land or visit.
So weekend trips are more reasonable than a day trip?I guess that makes sense when a location is 3 hours or more away. Are there any train lines that go to SF?
Amtrak runs several trains a day from Fresno to Oakland with a bus across the bay to SF www.amtrak.com/san-joaquins-train but it's slow - about 5 hours - it would be faster to drive it. This wouldn't be a day trip - more like 2 or 3 day trip.
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