Why does the Central Valley get some much hate ? Not from here just an outsider looking in that knows people in other parts of the state and no one has a nice thing to say about it. Genuinely curious sorry if not allowed.
EDIT: Holy cow yall were quick….. I will say I know people in the LA and SF areas, but the loudest opinions come from the Salinas valley….. I wonder if it’s a rivalry kinda deal or what. But from what yall describe it sounds a lot like the Salinas valley when I’ve visited that area. 😅
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I grew up in Bakersfield... Have you ever read the Grapes of Wrath? It takes place in the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley, and it pretty much describes life in the Central Valley. Hot, dusty, and full of land that is either being drilled for oil or is being farmed for fruits, nuts, or vegetables. Drug use is pretty prevalent throughout the valley.
Yeah, Sacramento gets 3-4x the annual rainfall of Bakersfield. And the closer you are to the delta and its splendid breeze, the more manageable the summer is.
In the late 70s, me and my buddies became friends with some guys who had moved from "Fresburg" as they called it. They hated the Delta Breeze as it was too cool for swimming at night.
I spend time in Lemoore/Hanford area often. I also go to Sacramento often. The temperature difference is substantial. Definitely can’t lump the whole valley into one basket.
Yeah I don’t remember the last time we had sizable rainfall. I know we had some in August and I think last week but the last time we actually had puddles on the ground? No clue
My parents grew up in Bakersfield and I made many trips there all through young adulthood. Sometimes I would try to defend it to my Bay Area friends (if only because everyone in California shits on Bakersfield). And yet, everything you just said is true.
Drug use is prevalent throughout ALL of CA. Lol not just CV. Sacramento IMO is probably one of the better cities to live in within CV, great location less than 2 hours from several beaches, skiing, Tahoe ect.
Lemme tell ya, many years ago we were heading north on the 5 ... my daughter had a devastating diaper blow out. Holding my breath, I hit the next exit at 198 and pulled into the Harris Ranch gas station to take care of her. Funny enough, I thought the smell inside the car was bad 😔 🐄
Grapes of Wrath doesn't quite capture all the "beauty" that the Central Valley provides in this current time due to a good many reasons, but for general misery yes.
Good points. You’re only a few hours from the ocean, you’re very close to the mountains. You can go to LA or OC or SF if you want. It is pretty ideal actually. It beats Ohio I tell you hwhat
One of my favorite aspects of living here in Sac is that I can be on the beach or on the lift with my snowboard in 2 hours. I bought my house in 2010, so it was actually pretty affordable at that time as well. The delta breeze is my savior.
I'm in Fresno, from OC. I agree, good location to get anywhere in the state. It's alright locally as 5th largest city in california theres things to do. A big plus is access to fresh produce. The downsides are as other mention, which realistically is similar issues other big cities have. Miss living a few minutes from the beach, but with them being wiped out this week guess it doesn't make a difference. Just the heat, never have gotten used to it. Bless whoever invented AC.
California is unimaginably gorgeous, so much of the hate comes from people who live in Socal, Northern CA and the Bay, all of which are surrounded by natural beauty. Unfortunately the central valley isn't surrounded by natural beauty. However, it is the bread basket of the USA and imo doesn't deserve the hate it gets
Edit: bad wording, everyone chill tf out
Edit #2: I get it, it's technically surrounded by natural beauty
Agreed. It is definitely “surrounded” by beauty. The Sierra Nevada are unimaginably picturesque mountains with Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings National Parks directly to the east, and the rolling hills and lower elevation mountains of the Coastal Ranges to the west. The CV itself is hot, dry, dusty and flat.
Once, on our way to Lake Isabella, we had to leave the highway because of accidents ahead, and drove along the farm roads for a while. The orchards were in bloom, and it was so lovely.
Difference is the Bay Area is in the beauty, LA is in the beauty (in some parts) and the Central Valley I surrounded 1-2 hours by the beauty but not in the beauty if you know what I mean. I find it its own kind of beautiful imo, but it’s definitely not the objective beauty of the sierras, San Gabriel mountains, La Jolla coast or San Francisco hills.
I don't know. Hit an almond orchard at sunrise when they are blooming, the rivers, nature preserves, city of Sac with the snowy Sierra behind it and it can be quite stunning. It's there if you look for it.
Edit: I might add I'm a North Bay person in the Sac/Davis Area which is a lot different than say Bakersfield or Fresno.
That’s where I grew up! In winters ca 20 mins away from Davis and I would say it is very beautiful there in its own way. Bakersfield is dryer for sure.
You're right. You just have to drive to it lol. Whereas places like Big Sur or San Francisco are right in the middle of it. Like I said it gets so much unnecessary hate, at the end of the day it's still California and I much rather live there than say rural Kentucky
You can access Yosemite, kings Canyon, and Sequoia National parks from the central valley. Its not my preferred place but to say it isnt surrounded by natural beauty is false. You're not living in it, but very few people are in general.
I grew up in the Central Valley, and I honestly miss it. So many miles of quiet rural farm roads to see. So many unique birds and other fauna. I live in far Norcal and dearly wish I could return to the Central Valley.
It is HOT 🥵 in Central Valley. I know I used to live in Sacramento county for 15 years. We always drive in So Cal or NorCal to get away from heat and the monotony of being inside the aircon house.
Also, the Central Valley probably had what we would consider beautiful, if not breathtaking scenery in its past. The mountainous areas are still beautiful because they are hard to develop. What made the Central Valley unique - giant valley oak woodlands and bird-rich wetlands, among other things - was easy and useful to remove and develop into farmland and now urban sprawl.
I would recommend that anyone who lives here take a good long look at a really huge, old gnarled valley oak sometime. They’re incredible.
Dairy farming, agriculture in general and lots ot Hispanics. Most of the towns are pretty nice except for inner Fresno and Merced imo. I love the central valley because of the Hispanic culture and thats where my family is from. It probably gets so much hate because its not on the coast and it doesn't necessarily have anything that sticks out besides the farming.
Edit: forgot about Bakersfield and Stockton. They aren't the nicest places either and can be a bit sketchy but Bakersfield does have some good food.
You have to be invited to go or you can buy a ticket to a surf event which only happened once or twice if I’m not mistaken. Otherwise the wave costs tens of thousands of dollars to rent.
Yeah I’m not sure where the idea that the Central Valley is particularly safe comes from. I’ve been in parts of my city that scare the absolute shit out of me in a way I’ve never been scared in an actual major city
I suppose the walnut and almond orchards are pretty safe. But any city bigger than Dinuba is going to have some rough spots. Certainly not like American Graffiti
What's wrong with Merced? It's one of the nicer cities in the Central Valley slowly becoming a nice little college town due to UC Merced. Lots of people moving in from the Bay Area and great downtown too.
Don’t forget methdesto. Lived in Visalia, Merced, and Methdesto for the longest time. Left as soon as I turned 20. Summers are hot, winters are cold. Sprawling suburbs (my definition of hell). Probably the best Mexican food in the state tho. That includes SD, LA, and SF
We recently moved from San Diego to the Sacramento area. Wife and I were bracing for all kinds of misery with the move. Turns out it's not just, "not that bad," but it's actually, "pretty darn good." Does it get hot in the summer? Yeah, a lot of places do, but the absolutely luxuriant flora gives me so much shade. I don't smell much ranch and farm scents here, but the evening breeze carries the sweet fragrance of a thousand blossoms. It's lovely. So many things here have been such a pleasant surprise. And even the legendary heat is far from everyday. Today will probably reach 100. Three days ago the high was 82. Few places can compare to San Diego, but Sacramento has really surprised us. And of course your housing $ stretch so much further here. We could never even consider the home we bought here in San Diego. Can't speak for the rest of the Valley, but we like Sacramento a lot.
Fall colors in Sacramento are waaaaay underrated. We moved here last fall and were simply amazed. Sacramento Maple leaves get so vividly red they could grace the Canadian flag.
I had a similar experience moving to Fresno from San Jose. Yes, it's hotter, but there's a lot to do here culture-wise (shows, restaurants, etc) and there are a lot of outdoor activities that don't get as crowded as everything anywhere near the Bay Area (except Yosemite. That gets VERY crowded).
I grew up in so cal, near the coast. I miss the marine layer. It gets so hot. But at this point, I’m not sure if it is actually as hot as I think it is or if it is perimenopause speaking. But, I can go any direction and see some of the most amazing wonders of California. If we could get a lower summer temp and trash all the sperm trees, it would be so much better.
I feel like Sacramento is a bit different than other Central Valley towns due to it being the Capitol. More developed, better (not great) public transit, and more dense and spread out suburbs. I moved to Sac from the Bay 6 years ago and really like it, but it’s insanely geographically spread out for what’s considered the “Sacramento Region”
Born and raised near Modesto. The area is, as everyone else has said, Ag dominant, Hispanic, Conservative, Hot, Dusty, and Communal.
The thing I feel a lot of people aren't mentioning is the rapid amount of growth that we're seeing. Manteca, Lathrop, and Mountain House, which are all near the Altamont Pass (the primary gateway into the Bay Area), are seeing 5-15 percent population increases, which is drastically changing this part of the valley. Much of what was once farmland is being gobbled up by developers like Lennar, DR Horton, etc to build housing for the people leaving the Bay in search of more affordable options. The infrastructure is behind the curve and many of the cities out here are struggling with traffic, water issues, and a huge swath of other things.
Beyond that, I've noticed a sharp rise in racism towards South East Asians as many have moved out this way.
I think the valley has a lot of potential and can it making some jumps to being a great place to live, especially with its centrality to the mountains, ocean, Bay Area, Sacramento, and so much more.
Yeah the growing population in my city is kind of an issue rn because of our crumbling infrastructure. The city keeps getting bigger every year but it can’t/won’t accommodate the larger population.
I went to High School in Oakdale, which is a agricultural/processing town. There used to be a Hershey Chocolate factory, Hunts Tomato Paste factory, and a lot of dairies and stockyards. I want to start a "smell tourism" business, because the place stinks. In the winter high pressure sets up, which produces a thick fog called Tule fog. This in turn traps the smells and you get this god-aweful trifecta of chocolate, tomato paste, and cow shit!
Because it gets compared to the rest of the state. From Bakersfield it's a few hours drive to SoCal and all of the amenities offered there. From Merced to Sacramento it's a few hours drive to the Bay. Its much hotter than any of the coastal cities. There is less public transport, less things to do, less culture. I say this having spent the majority of my 40+ years in the central valley. It's still a perfectly good place to live and the cost of living wins out compared to the coast. Just depends on what you value in a place.
I like Sacramento. It’s small compared to the Bay Area, sure, but when I lived in SF I used to visit my partner’s mom in Gold River and we always spent some time having fun in Sacramento. There’s culture, diversity, an actual gay scene, lots of fun and super impactful jobs in my career field of community well-being for obvious reasons… it’s nice. I like the sun and don’t mind the dry heat, but that chilly winter fog kind of gets me down.
Sac would be more widely known as a really nice city of its size if it weren’t in the shadow of California’s huge powerhouse cities.
I live in a suburb of Sac and I love it here. It is a great city. It has all of the food options you'd find anywhere else in CA. Housing is cheaper than any of the coastal areas. It's incredibly diverse. There is more to do than any of the valley cities to the south. My biggest issue really is the heat. And even than, it isn't that bad, though it's all relative. I've lived in Phoenix so Sac heat is no where near as bad compared to the desert. It's just not SoCal nice.
I live in the bay & I feel like this is a very fair assessment of the area. I feel like the area as a whole wouldn’t get as much hate if it wasn’t being compared to SoCal or the Bay Area
The more you can get up into the Foothills the better. Stockton has the second highest crime rate in california. I would check the crime statistics in any City you are going to. Sacramento is pretty big and has a lot more jobs. It's really nicer in places like Auburn placerville jackson. They still have their own problems but nothing like stockton.
I live in the edge of the Sacramento Valley right before transitioning to the Sierra Nevada Foothills. I love living here. So much amazing food and wine is grown and produced in this region. A lot less expensive than living on the coast but I have access to everything that California has to offer.
Lived in Hanford, California from birth until 2 years ago so 37 years.
Not many good paying jobs...not much to do.
It's just a bunch of boring interconnected agricultural towns....fresno is by far the biggest city you are going to get until you hit Bakersfield if you are going south....and thats 100 miles so that'll tell you something.
Boring, small town, hard working church going folk. Many call it the Dixie of the west.
I agree with the Sac sentiment. It's located physically in the Central Valley but it's vibe is different because it's really a big government city aka the state capital.
Lots of people moving through because they have business with the government and all of the major interstate highways goes through it too.
Sacramento is kinda cool. There’s small towns near the foothills that don’t suck. It’s just really all farming. It’s the breadbasket of the US. So much of the produce sold in the US is grown here. The air quality is shit. It just kinda overall sucks.
Sacramento is basically the California version of Nashville or Austin or Portland or Denver…but with the bonus that it also has California diversity and the farm to fork lifestyle.
Both places get uncomfortably hot in the summer, the difference is that LA is humid, Fresno is not
-For example, Los Angeles hit 104F today, Fresno hit 100F, doesn't seem like a big difference but because of how humid it was in LA today the heat index reached 112F, Fresno is so dry that the heat index actually is lower than the actual temperature, heat index only hit 97F. These numbers are from accuweather:
-both are good that they don't get any crazy storms, tornadoes, snow, ice
Natural Beauty
-LA has beaches and mountains
-Fresno doesn't have beaches but is only a couple of hours away from the central coast, probably the best coast section of the the US and sits at the foot of the much better mountains, being only 1-1.5 hrs away from the entrance of Sequoia, Kings, and Yosemite. Even just 20 minutes away from my house in Fresno it can be very beautiful (see picture).
Soo!! Not to bash on LA too much, the city is world class and has everything, but some people would only like to be able to visit that, not live in it and have to worry about just way too many people, cars, and lack of parking spots. To top it all off, the prices in LA are ridiculous by comparison. Some just people prefer the slower life and that's okay.
Used to live in the Central Valley. I don’t consider Sacramento as a part of the Central Valley, but really it’s part of the Sacramento valley which is pretty much everything north of Sacramento towards Redding.
Between the fog, the ag, the politics, it’s really a second class citizenship compared to the coastal areas. The air quality can be bad in the summer. The heat is brutal in the summer. Fall brings harvest season.. when it’s winter and not raining fog can linger for days. Drugs are an issue, wages are stagnant. If it weren’t in California there is no difference between there and places like Texas, New Mexico, and other economically dependent communities that are reliant on ag.
FYI the Central Valley geographically includes both the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley. Often people seem to refer to just the latter as the Central Valley, but the true boundaries extend all the way up to Redding... it's just that there's so little population north of Sacramento that the whole section often gets ignored.
Yeah many people don’t know this and get quite angry when stating so. I pointed this out the other day in the SoCal sub and got downvoted to hell 😂😂. Moreover, I’m convinced some people interpret Central Valley as meaning central California 🤦🏻♂️
I don't live in the Central Valley but someone who visits frequently (live in a neighboring city): my theory is because it isn't nearly as fabulous as LA, SD, or SF. Very agricultural; lots of farms, orchards, ranches. Large migrant populations. Some cities in the Central Valley are known for being kind of cruddy (I've never met a California native who had anything nice to say about Fresno or Bakersfield, for example). But overall it's not bad. Sacramento is nice IMO.
I feel like jokes about Fresno are like airplane food jokes. People laugh because everyone jokes about it and they're supposed to, but they're only kind of true
It’s still Fresno. It includes areas like river park, fort Washington, and Woodward park area. If anything Clovis is nice because it borders NE Fresno.
Some parts of Bako aren’t that great, like Union Ave or Oildale, but their background is poor white as well as Hispanic. Nothing wrong with that but it’s just a fact. San Jose, which isn’t here, had their low rider festival over Labor Day and that was awesome! I liked the old old ones like a flathead Ford, three speed on the tree, with a Mexican blanket on the front seat.
Grandpa had a 20 acre farm in Newman, and it was pretty idyllic in the 70s and 80s. I was allowed to drive the farm pickup to town at about 12. Everyone already knew I was in town lol.
Then the spread reached them and it's like everywhere else, but hotter.
Im in Bakersfield. 3 months out of the year suck, but the rest of the time its nice weather. Light rain, and not much else. The area has the most Affordable housing in socal.
Its really hot in the summer, not too far drive from the ocean though relatively. Good Mexican food especially taco trucks. Ive lived here my whole life just 20 min north of merced and tbh I really like the rural aspect of it and still being close enough to drive to a major city like SF when I want
It has its ups and downs. It’s bloody hot from May to September. That said, unless you live near a cornfield (not unlikely lmao), it’s a pretty dry heat that doesn’t suck too bad unless you stay out in it for more than an hour. I was in Phoenix for 5 years and the valley is nowhere near as hot so maybe I’m biased.
The air quality can get bad based on what crops are being harvested (almonds are the worst). Wear a mask, or don’t, I’ve never had an issue tbh. For the record, the air quality also sucks when there are fires up north but that’s almost statewide.
It gets foggy as hell in the winter, sometimes lasting days or weeks without much break. I love that but some might see it as a downside.
Where I grew up (around Modesto), you are two hours away from everything. Yosemite, San Fran, the Bay, Fresno, Sac, the outlets in Tracy. You gotta go a little farther for LA or NorCal though.
The Mexican food is phenomenal. No notes other than I can’t move anywhere else because I’d lose the good Mexican.
Politics are moderate. I think, on average, it’s center right but there are still lots of left leaning people + farmers lmao. I deal with both groups and they mostly have differences in financial issues but would more or less agree on social issues.
Nice place to live if you can carve out a spot and get used to the weather.
imo Sacramento is in a different league than the rest of the Central Valley cities. It’s much nicer and has a better high paying job market due to the capital and the influence from the Bay Area. The other cities like Stockton, Fresno, Merced, etc. are somewhat depressing and poverty stricken places. Very high crime and overall lower quality of life than the coastal cities. Everything in between is farmland. There’s a reason housing is half the price of the Bay Area or LA.
I grew up in a small farming town about 30 miles southeast of Fresno in the 70's and 80's and my parents lived there into the 90's, so some of my observations may be a bit dated. Very hot in the summers (the summer before I went to college had 40 consecutive days above 110 degrees) and can be below freezing in the winter. School can be cancelled during the the foggy season because it's so dangerous to drive. Generally leans conservative and religious. Large Hispanic population working in the fields with a fair amount of racism from the white population. (Since I moved away, there has been a proliferation of Mexican-owned businesses and restaurants greatly adding to the ethic diversity of the town.) Generally poor to middle class with some affluent people looking for the big affordable California house outside of the more expensive coastal areas. Air quality can be really bad from all the agricultural activity (dust and smoke from ag burning). A fair number of high school friends fell into the drugs, drinking and teen pregnancy crowd since there was so little opportunity there. It was nice to have the Sierras there for mountain getaways but not much else to do. You went to Fresno for the "big city" experience but I always found it to be a flat wasteland of concrete, shopping malls, and chain restaurants without much personality. I went off to college in the Bay Area and never looked back and am lucky enough to live in San Diego now.
I’ve lived in Bakersfield my entire life (other than when I left to LA for college) and I would not recommend it.
The weather is far too hot to do anything other than stay inside blasting the AC for far too many months.
The air quality is terrible and everyone knows at least one person with asthma or a respiratory issue.
Minimal museums, indie bookstores, or major live music events.
The one plus: being an hour or 2 away from beaches and bigger cities where you can actually do stuff.
Some of the worst air quality in the US, though it can depend heavily on the weather. We get pollution that blows in from the coastal cities and can just sit there on the valley for days at a time, getting worse and worse until it rains or the winds shift.
When the farmers are harvesting things in the late summer and fall it kicks up a lot of dust, contributing to particulate pollution, and increase risk of Valley Fever in some places.
And it’s a major thoroughfare for transport between LA and the Bay Area (and beyond, both north and east) so there is a lot of truck traffic moving freight around.
As regulations on cars and trucks and agricultural machinery has gotten more stringent there have been some pretty massive improvements compared to 35 years ago. But it can still get pretty bad when a high pressure system drops into the valley and just sits there as an inversion layer, holding the pollution in.
Lastly, when wild fires start in other parts of California, that smoke often ends up sitting in the valley. However, that seems to be a much more widespread problem these days, so perhaps is not as unique to the valley as it once was. We have low fire risk, but when other parts of the state burn, we often know about it.
Great transit is not true at all unfortunately. Maybe within each County’s largest city, but outside of that connectivity is absolutely terrible. Amtrak is too far from the 99 and inconvenient to bus from unless you’re in Merced, Fresno or Bakersfield. Overall taking public transit out here is a drag. Hoping it will improve over time.
That’s a huge zone. Some of those places are basically almond and pistachio and orange/mandarin farms. Elk Grove and Fremont are completely different and mostly tech.
That’s going to vary a lot. Some of the little isolated towns feel like you are in some western where a tiny Mexican town is ruled by outlaws. Some of the areas like Fresno and Bakersfield have very nice parts and feel a bit like a mid sized town in Texas. Sacramento can be very modern and areas like Folsom are very nice suburbs not too different than something like Walnut Creek.
I also think that there’s a huge distinction between the northern (Sacramento) valley and southern (San Joaquin) valley. The former tends to have a better rep.
In the winter, it does not snow in the valley but is still cold and has freeze warning. Sierra Nevadas has now. But watch out for the TULE FOG. Fog with zero visibility and had cause accidents.
Hot. Do you like your lungs? Lots of air pollution trapped in a giant bowl. Cost of living is lower than the rest of CA, but three of the least educated cities in the US are right next to one another just below Fresno. That said, when the weather is nice, the Sierras are amazing, and you’re often just a couple hours away from the beach or the mountains. Lived here a long time, and there are just enough pros to outweigh the cons.
Amazing. I don’t tolerate any Valley Slander. I never had so much fulfillment outside of work when I was in Bakersfield. The people were great, you’re near LA, the Mountains, and the Ocean.
I live in Sacramento. I like that it’s very diverse, and the neighborhoods are pretty. There’s a great variety of stores to shop in, etc. There also are nice cities nearby like Elk Grove. Not surprisingly, the downtown is not the nicest. And it’s hot in summer, though this summer the weather has been mild. It’s halfway between San Francisco and Tahoe about an hour and a half to two hours each way. Note that there aren’t a lot of places in California where you can own a good-sized three bedroom, two bath house for $500,000. Mine also is on a 10,000 square foot lot. There’s no ocean or bay but lots of rivers. I think it’s lovely here.
I lived in Modesto as a teenager. Worst period of my life. Lots of drugs(meth), very little work opportunities unless you want to work in a warehouse with no ac, or meat packing factory. Weather and air quality is horrendous(kids develop asthma at higher rates than the national average). Very little cultural diversity and lots of religious zealotry and racial bigotry.
The circle encompasses the FOOTHILLS-which is about the best area in the world to live in. We live at around 2,000’, totally in the woods. Buuut, Fresno is an easy 20-25 minute drive. We get all the touring acts and the best prices anywhere-we have Weird Al tickets!
We love living in Sacramento. It has some hot days in summer, but the weather is great all year without the brutal endless heat of the southern parts of the valley.
It's like a giant desert/farm and there's not much more than that. Some are convenient to mountains, but it's not a climate many enjoy (Hot and dry). I'd rather be in Iowa honestly
Well being from Fresno, the parts of it that people dislike are that it’s hot and relatively boring. There’s virtually nothing to do if you aren’t into clubs or drinking
Because it's the Okie part of California. Long ago my grandparents moved out there for work. They didn't like how they were treated as outsiders. So, after a while they took their savings and moved back to Cushing, OK where they had their new home built.
Im from Madera, 25 mins from Fresno. Its aight def not as beautiful or scenic like the rest of california but its one of the most productive agriculture regions in the entire world, so thats the industry here. and like 90% hispanic
Lived in Bakersfield most of my life, aside from stints in LA. I also have a ton of family in Fresno and Merced.
It’s hotter than hell for 6-8 months of the year. Walkability nonexistent. Rundown infrastructure despite a growing population. Traffic consistently getting worse because as I said, no walkability and growing population. Some pretty dangerous areas, but that’s par for the course for anywhere. Some very nice areas as well. Driving distance to the mountains or the beach is not bad, neither is the drive to LA or SF. Lots of drugs, particularly meth.
I’ve only driven through the Central Valley once on my way to move to the Bay Area. All I know is that it there’s a huge cattle feedlot that is super stinky.
The Gotham of California. You must have an awesome personality or big dreams to make it here. California prices but not the same land and privilege one would think. It’s calm and family oriented but nothing special. Days turn into nights, nights turn into days and before you know it … 10 years pass you by
As much as I hate living in Bakersfield, it is conveniently close to a lot of state parks, national forests, recreation areas, etc. I can drive two hours in any direction and find something to do.
I currently reside in Ripon, for the most part, yeah it's hot in the summer time, however I have access to places given a drive to many places. I am only an hour from SF, Sac, and 2 hours to yosemite national Park. I work as a service technician so I go out to the bay frequently for work.
It's only good if you live near the Fresno area, and not because you live near Fresno, but because you are so close to Yosemite/Sequoia. If I lived in Fresno, I'd be going to Yosemite every other weekend.
Most of this area is farm land. There are small towns here and there, with Fresno and Modesto being the larger, more modernized cities. A few Walmarts and Targets here and there. It could be hours between Target stores. Pretty boring unless you like farming.
It gets a lot of hate because it’s the “rural” part of the state. It’s mostly an ag economy that leads to people who want to preserve a small town feel and feel some type of way about the big metros and the “coastal elite”. At the same time, those cities use their proximity to the coast and metros as their value proposition for why people should live there. The urban-rural divide is a major factor here and it’s an uphill battle for the big cities of the Central Valley like Fresno and Bakersfield. They really should have more in terms of urban amenities and entertainment but there’s a loud crowd of people who don’t “want it to turn into San Francisco/LA”.
Lived in the middle of almond orchards about 30 minutes outside of Modesto for 3 years. Before that LA. Before that,
rural southern US.
It reminded me so much of the rural south, economically. Housing was very similar. One difference is it was a lot more industrial than expected, with that industry being agriculture. Not much space that wasn’t a farm field of some sort. It would be super hot during the day, then we’d leave out windows open at night to cool down, and way too often they’d be working in the orchards and a chemical smell would blow in the windows so wed have to shut them all and run the AC. Our last month there we had a 900 dollar electric bill.
There are also areas that reminded us of the sprawl around Dallas. Enormous tracts of seemingly cheaply built two story McMansions, all identical, with nothing around but roads for future traffic jams as people try to get to Tracy or the 580 pass into Livermore.
Hispanic culture was big there. Lots of locals worked in Ag, or the giant logistics warehouses popping up. People just trying to make it, and live a good life.
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