I need some information on Fresno, California. Cali GCers, please help!
 

Dear California GCers,

What can you tell me about Fresno?
I am trying to get information on behalf of my 40 year old sister (no, she is not in a sorority) who has been offered a nursing contract in Fresno for the summer.

If she accepts it, what is it like there? It is pretty? Is there stuff to do? Is it dangerous or pretty safe? Would she enjoy herself?

Essentially, I am looking for an overall 'impression' (like what are some tourist things she could see and do in her time off?)
Any information that you can provide would be appreciated. Thank you!! :D

I'm from Modesto which is 2 hours north of Fresno.

I don't know exactly what you want to know.
Can you be more specific?
I really don't know that much about Fresno. I have only been there a couple times. (for sports and to visit some of my sisters that live down there. oh BTW, There is a DG chapter at fresno state. Maybe they can help)

I don't live in Fresno, but I do have family there and have been there several times. What do you want to know?

i have some family that lives down there and have visited nearby.

Fresno is kinda small... rural is the first thing that comes to mind. Farming maybe. I haven't been there in a long time so things probably have changed.

ok I think I can give the basics

weather in the summer: its hot if you aren't used to a Central Valley Summer. The temp ranges from mid 90's to the mid 100's.

There is some stuff to do. One of the main roads that I come in on is called Shaw Rd. There is a lot of resturants and shops to go to.

I know they are bigger than Modesto but I don't know the exact number. (we have 203,000 people if that gives you any idea)

I know most of the city is nice and safe, but I have heard there is a ghetto side. (I know you are thinking, every city has one but sometimes Fresno is associated as being ghetto)

Every time I've been there I've felt safe, and I haven't seen anything.

Overall I saw its a good city. I hope that helps

I don't know if I'm the right person to tell you about Fresno, considering the last time I was there (in 1999), me and the other Hawaii people there for the WAC tournament were pelted with cans, bottles, and other miscellaneous items after the basketball game.

The year before, some fraternity brothers did the same thing to the football team.

I don't mean to offend anyone from Fresno, but you can't blame me for feeling that way. :rolleyes:

Only been to Fresno once... and that's just passin' thru. Just another urban sprawl in the middle of the San Joaquin valley.

And if you are averse to being called or implied that you are a 'person of size' you will not like the airport code for Fresno -- it's FAT (Fresno Air Terminal). :) (Seriously, it is FAT!)

You're about halfway down the great central valley of California , about 4 hours from Sacramento and 4 hours from Los Angeles going down ol' Highway 99.

CutiePie2000

Well, I guess I can be your authority on Fresno, seeing as I was born and lived there for 18 years :) (whats more, my mom works in the medical community!)

I can give you the basics, and if you want more info, go right on ahead and contact me.

PrincessHeather was right about the weather, it can get damn hot there in the summers (up to 115 or 120!). In the winter, tempatures drop to the high 20s/low 30s.

The population within city limits is probably up to about 500,000 but if you count the surrounding areas, it's up to about 850,000. Fresno often has this reputation of being a small, rural, farming town but this is not true at all. Agriculture is still predominant in the area, but parts of Fresno are like any other city. Particularly in North Fresno (where I lived), where there is an abundance of restaurants, shopping, and other things to do (plus, you can get a great view of the Sierra Mountains)

As any city, there is a certain part of town that is pretty rough, but there are plenty of places that are well kept, clean & safe. I'm not sure what was going on when other GC'ers visited and had bottles thrown at them, but Fresno State is located there and the students do get a little rowdy when it comes to their athletics (but it is limited to that).

For California, the price of living is very good. Whereas in the Bay Area you can expect the median price of a house to be about $350,000, you can get something of comparable quality in Fresno for less than $200,000.

In addition, Fresno's location in California is pretty good. It's about 3 1/2 hours from LA and 2 1/2 from San Francisco. 2 hours to the beach, 1 1/2 hours to the mountains (1 hr to Yosemite!)

It's a great place to raise a family, I have often thought about returning there to do just that (even after having lived in Southern CA, on the beach, and now in the SF Bay Area). I spent 18 years wanting to get out, but now when I go back I see it wasn't such a horrible place and always have a great time when I am there.

Out of curiousity, which hospital had offered her a job??


Hope this helps!!!

fresno = california = nice weather = happiness

That's all I know

When it's not August :cool:

well, nothing is good in august!

However, I live for August nights.... nothing like hanging out in your back yard with a cold drink in shorts and a tank top... at 10pm!

your right. only thing to make that better is to have me with you! ;)

AYE FEE and everyone, thank you SO MUCH for your kind information! I have been busy copy and pasting it and emailing it to my sister.

AYE FEE, when I find out the hospital, I will let you know!

THANK YOU!!! :D

Glad I could help CutiePie2000, I always welcome the chance to defend Fresno!

As everyone said - it is going to be HOT in Fresno but it also depends on where she's coming from in the first place (ie Phoenix or Maine, etc).

It definitely isn't small and rural (okay rural compared to Los Angeles). If your sister is an outdoorsy type then she's within driving distance not only of Yosemite but also Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks (The trees are huge there). It's also central to much of California and only a few hours drive to LA, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and the rest of the coast, Sacramento etc. I'm not sure how far from Las Vegas or Reno, Nevada but probably not that far.

AYE FEE!
I just heard back from my sister! Everything is still very preliminary, so she does not know what hospital just yet (I assume it's all being set up by an agency).
She is still checking the dates to make sure that she is available for the times that they want her.

Once again, thank you to all of you who replied. It's very helpful and so kind & generous of you all!

I went to school at CSU, Fresno
 

and everything AYE FEE said about this city is correct. But the one thing I have to mention, and I know I sent Cutiepie2000 a PM, is that Fresno is really a college town. The city is really devoted to the school, it comes out in droves to the stadium for football games and other games, and tail-gating is the thing to do. Fraternities and Sororities are big in Frenso, there is Fraternity row off Cedar and Barstow.

If you love fruits, then Fresno is the place for you. The university has it's own farm and farmers market (the best grapes this side fo the yosemity(ms):D ), it even makes it's own alcohol (and you can take a wine tasting class..I did :p :p ) It is just like a big city, the only reason it looks rural is because it's FLAT.

Fresno has some beautiful HUGE homes that cost more money then a little bit;) , during x-mas, you can drive down Candel Stick Lane. The Fresno fair brings out the family in everyone, the Fresno Relays are very fun, and all the concerts that university sponsers adds some class and cluture to the city. (why do I sound like a PR person for Fresno :confused:

I think your sister will like it.

Re: I went to school at CSU, Fresno
 

My sister definitely likes fruit so it sounds like the place for her.
The wine tasting sounds pretty good too! I think she'll like that ;)

I have been busy copying and pasting what y'all wrote to me and bombarding my sister with emails about Fresno!

Treblk -
What chapter were you in at FSU? How long ago did you go there?

CutiePie2000 -
I agree about the 'college town' personality of Fresno - a lot of people who attend the school were born and raised there (as do their friends), so there are a lot of strong family/friend ties. The tailgates are really fun, and most the football games & basketball games are sell-outs.

My mom works with the Fresno-Madera Medical Society (a society of health care professionals in the area, and a major provider of continuing education programs) so I can give you a lot of information about the hospital she will be going to.

AYE FEE

THANK YOU!
 

Cool! Right now, everything is still very preliminary, but when there are further developments, I'll be sure to get in touch! Thanks.

I guess it all depends on what you're used to...

I've been to Fresno. And I am quite sure I went into the "ghetto" parts. Pretty scary, if you ask me. However, there were other parts of the city that looked very nice.

From what I saw, Fresno and the South are two different worlds. I'm sure California is very nice but I really could never live in Fresno. There's not really a lot of trees... actually it was all very brown and boring. There's quite a bit of smog... and the people just didn't seem all that nice to me.

Everyone else has had lovely things to say about Fresno, so maybe my experience was just not very good.

Funny story... on the plane ride there, the lady asked me where I was going (was flying into SF). I told her Fresno and her face sort of fell. She asked if I had ever been anywhere else in California, and I told her no. She said, "Well please don't judge this state on your visit... Fresno is like the butthole of California!"

I don't want to discourage but I thought I'd give a different side of the story!

That's pretty much the reputation Fresno (actually most of the Central Valley) has - the 'armpit' of California or what have you. There are cities with a lot of culture here (LA and SF) that makes Fresno a little boring in comparison, but I don't question my parent's decision to make a home there!

(CarolinaCutie - You must have been downtown; when I moved to the SF Bay Area, I couldn't believe the lack of trees here because I was so used to being in an area with such an abundance in Fresno)

Again I know I am biased, but what can I do ;)

hey
my sister was a theta at fresno state, and she now works for the university. i have been there a few times to visit her. fresno is not really a touristy place (my opinion). but it's nice. the weather is very warm in the summer. there are a lot of different restaurants and they always seem to be building something new...like shoping centers. the university is nice too, my great uncle used to be head of viniculture (sp?) or wine making if i completely spelled that wrong. fresno students make their own wine too...and it has won some awards. anyway, if you have any specific questions i can ask my sister.

Ok, I don't want to attract the wrath of any Fresno-lovin' people, but I did want to add my viewpoint.

I've never been to Fresno itself, so I can't comment on the city - that wouldn't be fair. However, I have been to other nearby Central California locations such as Bakersfield, Tulare and Visalia a few times. When I think of that region of California, I think of the phrase "middle of nowhere". It seems so flat, brown and uninteresting. Like CarolinaCutie, I too noticed the lack of trees. Drive along the southern stretches of the 99 for a while - it's kinda surreal.

On a related note, my car once broke down on the way to San Fransisco. Where did it break down? Firebaugh. That has to be a grand prize finalist for the Middle-O-Nowhere awards.

Anyway, CP2000, just make sure that your sister understands that she's not going to be "near" the ocean or something, k? I think that a lot of people have an image in their mind of what California should look like - Fresno won't fit that bill at all.

Try looking at these websites if you haven't already:

http://www.ci.fresno.ca.us/

http://www.fresnocvb.org/

.....Kelly :)

Actually, that's no longer correct. The Fresno Air Terminal (FAT) is now called the Fresno Yosemite International Airport and, thus, carries the airport code - "FYI".

:)

.....Kelly :)

Man I wish I could have seen this thread earlier! lol

Anyway my soror TreBlk really summed Fresno up but I just wanted to add:

YES it does get hot! In the summer, expect it to get to over 110 at times, and yes it can get humid. If she can't handle heat, I would seriously tell your sister to maybe visit somewhere else for the summer.

Fresno has grown SO FAST in the past 10 years. In 2-3 years, we will reach a million in our population. A lot of people move here from the big city for a few reasons:


1. To raise a family
if you want to have a backyard for your kids to play in and good schools, then come to Fresno. Very family oriented

2. Cost of living!
Compared to other places, Fresno can't be beat. My rent just got raised and now I'm paying.....400 a month(oh it's breaking me, lol) I live right across from the college in an excellent area. I know many people who buy a house here and have a job in San Francisco and travel EVERY DAY back and forth to their job because they can't afford to live there.

3. Location
We are neither north or south cali, we are CENTRAL california. It is so great to be able to travel only 2,3,4 hours to the nearest big cities, have your fun, and come back to the home town feel of Fresno.

4. Entertainment
Can I say when I was younger Fresno really truly had nothing to do. Now we have a lot of things to do here. Dance Clubs, Comedy clubs, cookouts, going to the park, zoo, etc I could go on and on. If you are from a big city where there is something to do every second on the day, I suggest you not move here, because we are not THAT fast paced. We have come a long way, but we are not the end all be all of an entertainment city. But it's fun nonetheless.

Yes we have bad areas but what place doesn't? If we were so bad, we wouldn't of been dubbed one of 2000 "All American Cities"! We are very proud of that title because we still carry tradition(kinda country, lots of cows, etc) but we are very modern as well.


QTE;)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AYE FEE
[B]Treblk -
What chapter were you in at FSU? How long ago did you go there?


I was in Fresno from 92 - 98. memeber of Delta Sigma Theta. But my Soror DeltaQte and everyone else has given you much of Fresno.

Like any other city, Fresno has it's not-so-nice side. But if your from a very sheltered suburb, then any place that isn't home will be a bit scary. Fresno is a lot tamer then most cities in CA.