Downtown Fresno, Credit: Andrew Fite
Downtown Fresno Booster Club, Credit: Fresno Blog
Boating outside Fresno, Credit: Mike Bowman
Clovis Rodeo, Credit: Visit Fresno
"Escape plan number seventeen," I told her. "Run away and open a juice stand in Fresno."
"Why Fresno?"
"Sounds like the kind of place people drink a lot of juice." - Author: Richelle Mead
Most people think of California as a monolith of Bernie Bros west. While the state votes Democrat the city of Fresno, like a number of cities east of the coastline, skews more centrist. It has things like an LGBT film festival, and a few thousand more democratic voters than republican, but it’s the second most conservative city in the state and votes more conservative than Houston or Dallas. We aren’t saying a conservative city is better or worse than a liberal one. Only if you think living in a centrist city overall and conservative one for a big city is a good thing you’ll like it here.
A short note from a local about benefit of Fremont:
The best part about Fresno is the proximity to other stuff, mountains, parks, beach, etc. Having been born and raised here that's what is the benefit.
For more reviews of what living in Fresno is like from locals check out: The Reviews.
Fresno has a relatively toxic mix of soot and pollutants that in combination make this a city with among the worst for air quality in the country. While Fresno produces plenty of this on its own it also is unfortunately in a region surrounded by mountain ranges which means the unhealthy air from around the Central Valley and the Bay Area and LA pools atop the city.
Note from a native about the air:
I've haven't been back to Fresno for years. But I grew up there and lemme tell ya, people's jaws never fail to hit the floor when I tell them about "spare the air" days. Lotta folks across the country just have no concept of that. Shit is fuckin' nasty. Truly hope it gets better.
For more reviews of what living in Fresno is like from locals check out: The Reviews.
What locals will tell you about a Fresno Lifestyle is that you live here because of what is nearby rather than what is within the city limits. Fresno is smack dab in the middle of an amazing state. You are in close proximity to the most magnificent national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. You’re an hour or two from skiing, and two hours from coastal beaches. Finally, you’re a three hours drive to San Francisco or Los Angeles. Fresno the city may be quiet but if you want a reasonable drive to virtually anything you could want it works.
If you're interested in checking out what people get up to in Fresno here's the calendar of events.
The job market in Fresno is not considered exceptional. Generally people move here to work in Education: Fresno State, or the elementary/secondary school system. There is also a large health sector employer base with a large UCSF medical and research facility, a stellar VA hospital, and a large Community Regional Medical Center with the only Level 1 trauma center between LA and Sacramento. A big change coming to cities like Fresno however is the rise of Work-From-Homer’s who may want to be in California, be central to everything the state has to offer but also be able to rent cheaply or actually buy a home.
The cost of living in Fresno is comparable to Detroit and Albuquerque. That means for ~45,000 a year you can live comfortably here. The median price of a home in San Francisco is 5x that of Fresno so needless to say it is possible to spend a lot less and stay in the sun of California.
Fresno is smack dab in the middle of the Central Valley of California. For those not in the agricultural know, the Central Valley of California is a massive flat landmass that runs parallel to the coast of the Pacific and is the produce center of California and much of the country and world. It is undeniably hot and the Mediterranean climate is what makes it so ripe for growing produce that in some cases aren’t produced anywhere else in the United States. Fresno and the Central Valley sit west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, making skiing, hiking and camping easily accessible options. It sits east of the Coast hill and mountain ranges making hiking and beach trips also simple to drive to in a couple hours.
There isn’t a huge population of young professionals in Fresno but those that do choose to live here often live in the Bullard neighborhood. Located on the West Side of Fresno and near the airport, it has tons of restaurants and bars making much of the area walkable for nighttime antics. Central Fresno holds all of the downtown neighborhoods and is the most obvious location for those who want to be in the center of the car and restaurant scene of Fresno. There are tons of apartment and condo options amidst the social options and keep an eye out for the Tower Distric neighborhood here if an arts district is your vibe.
The Tower District “towers” over other neighborhoods for being home to the LGBTQ+ community of Fresno. The District is centered around the Art Deco Tower Theater and is the center of a cool mid-century architecture vibe. It is also filled with boutique shopping, theaters, eclectic dining choices and hosts the annual pride parade that takes place every year. The Fresno scene isn’t nearly as dominant as San Francisco or LA but for those looking to settle in a friendly neighborhood the Tower District is a good place to start your search.
Fresno has a number of family friendly neighborhoods with Woodrow Park and the North Growth Area at the top of the list due to their high public school ratings and extremely low crime rates. Woodrow Park also has great restaurants and a nice boutique shopping scene. This compelling commercial scene combined with great parks, walking trails and a lot to do outdoors makes this a neighborhood with a standalone feel amidst the city chaos. Fig Garden is another area to check out with historic homes and beautiful class fig trees that provide a cooling effect on the neighborhood blocks. The area is extremely walkscore friendly with tons of classic Adobe and Bungalow homes and a great commercial district and the Figarden Loop Park for the kiddos to run around in.
The retirement scene in Fresno is more often in the burbs than the city. Kingsburg and Clovis are two suburbs that top most lists and local referrals to check out. Great weather and much lower costs than other California cities bring in the fixed-income communities and Kingsburg and Clovis are popular due to nice homes, safe streets, an outdoor lifestyle and active commercial scenes for shopping and dining. The North Growth Area is another suburb to check out. You’re a bit farther out than Clovis but you get nicer, bigger homes and the Copper River Country Club and Tennis Centre if that’s more your vibe.
