What can you guys tell me about Fresno, CA.

[2kwik4u]

Wife and I are considering a move. We've watched a bunch of people (including @Babin Farms ) move to another state and find the change worthwhile. I had a job as a sales engineer drop in my lap last week. It's not a done deal.or anything even close to that, but it's a good chance I could make it happen.

I've googled myself into these things.
Schools are best near the north end of town
Population is about 1/2 the Louisville,KY Metro area where I am now
Lows are in the 40's in the winter
Highs are in the 90's in the summer
Average rain fall per month is under 3in
Cost of living is about 15% higher there
Housing is about 40% higher

Wife is looking at some remote marketing jobs. I have this SE position lined up. Thinking we would sell the AR190, the Q7, and the Silverado. New position comes with a company truck (would negotiate for an allowance instead of the company F150). That frees enough cash to cover the cost of living increase at a straight move. Would like to see a bit of raise to make it worthwhile.

We have some friends in San Jose. Best I can tell that's ~3hrs away.

What's the boating scene like out there?
Decent community in general?
I'm sure it'll be a culture shock coming from KY, but that's kinda the point.

I'm open to hearing any thoughts you guys have

 

[CanTex]

I spent 2 years living 30 minutes west of Fresno in a small town called Kerman, many work colleagues lived in Fresno (I spent a lot of time in town), my take as follows:

• Fresno has a very clear have and have not demographic - those who own the farmland and those who work it
• Schools can be hit or miss as you mentioned - for above reasons
• Boating is accessible - Shaver laker, Millerton, Huntington
• Summer is hot and humid, winters not bad....tule fog is a real deal in the winter mornings
• Mountains are accessible, and great to explore (my wife & I explored Yosemite, Sierra Nevada's, Tahoe, Reno, etc.) all are amazing places to visit
• I spent 10 years in California (2 of those in Fresno)...no chance I would ever consider moving back to the central valley - Yes to vacation but not to live.

FWIW we moved from CA to TX and have not looked back. You didn't ask specifically but I recommend you move south not west!!

 

[HangOutdoors]

I have a staff member who lives in Fresno, CA and he is wants to leave as soon as he can. Crime is high and he has had some issues there. I am unfamiliar with the area and cannot indicate anything beyond what he has mentioned. He is planning on moving to either Arizona or Texas in the fall.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I don’t know much about where you live, but I do know a few things about Fresno.

Do not move to Fresno.

Boating scene is limited at best, expensive and I would guess crowded too.
It used to be a decent community about 30 years ago.
Oh it’ll be a culture shock alright, one you will not be happy with.

The Central Valley is Africa hot in the summer, and the summer is long.
If you do not know what Tule Fog is you will learn a new definition of fog.
You do not live in a seismically active area, Fresno is in close proximity to the San Andreas fault line and all of its prodigies.
ca is just coming out of a long drought, also a real deal as well.
The state governance does not work for the people, in fact, if you make decent money the state and state agencies will help separate you from your earned income, as well as quite a few of your liberties.
There’s a reason ca had a net population decrease of over 700,000 over the past two years, (it’s been happening for quite some time ) as well as losing 70 major businesses in the same time frame. Most of the businesses have moved to Texas, Tennessee and Nevada if memory serves.
Uhaul has a very hard time keeping assets in Ca, and the prices to rent Uhauls to move out of Ca one way is exponentially higher than renting to move into Ca, by a factor of at least 10. That in and of itself is hugely telling.

Giving up all those assets to off set a higher cost, literal and metaphorically, of living doesn’t sound like a good idea.

A couple of articles.

California Exodus 2022: New Migration Report Reveals How Many are Leaving

Is the California exodus myth or reality? Our 2022 moveBuddha California migration report reveals most movers are headed out of state.

www.movebuddha.com

10 States People Are Fleeing And 10 States People Are Moving To

Get expert advice on improvements to your home, including design tips, how much you'd expect to pay for a pro and what to ask when hiring experts.

www.forbes.com

Demographic stats

City-Data.com - Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more

Best Places to Live In the US & Canada

The AreaVibes livability score will help you find the best places to live. Explore more than 50,000 cities & neighborhoods and find your dream home now!

www.areavibes.com

 

[Ronnie]

It has a relatively large population but there are not many/any other high population cities nearby. Agriculture is king there. I’ve tried to boat there a few times, low lake levels every time over a decade. “Highs in the mid 90s is a BS. We took our son to a track tournament there in June a few years back it was 112 all weekend, parked near the track and watched from the air conditioned car the second day. Unless all of the of the above sounds good to you, don’t move to Fresno.

 

[3 green tornados]

Sorry, I wish I could add positives to counter this stuff but really don’t have much other than we do have prop. 13 (state government is actively and continuously trying to destroy it) which prevents property taxes from increasing.

on the moving deal, on the surface it appeared that moving from my home in souther CA that I would save money moving to and area near Waco, TX. However, once I included ALL costs and the differences, assuming similar homes and properties, it would cost more to live in TX. it took more than a week to really crunch all the numbers for different taxes, fees, insurances but I’m glad I did.
I wouldn’t give up what you got for the move to Fresno, maybe some other areas of the CA, but none in or near the Central Valley.

good luck on the decision.

 

[Babin Farms]

Wife and I are considering a move. We've watched a bunch of people (including @Babin Farms ) move to another state and find the change worthwhile. I had a job as a sales engineer drop in my lap last week. It's not a done deal.or anything even close to that, but it's a good chance I could make it happen.

I've googled myself into these things.
Schools are best near the north end of town
Population is about 1/2 the Louisville,KY Metro area where I am now
Lows are in the 40's in the winter
Highs are in the 90's in the summer
Average rain fall per month is under 3in
Cost of living is about 15% higher there
Housing is about 40% higher

Wife is looking at some remote marketing jobs. I have this SE position lined up. Thinking we would sell the AR190, the Q7, and the Silverado. New position comes with a company truck (would negotiate for an allowance instead of the company F150). That frees enough cash to cover the cost of living increase at a straight move. Would like to see a bit of raise to make it worthwhile.

We have some friends in San Jose. Best I can tell that's ~3hrs away.

What's the boating scene like out there?
Decent community in general?
I'm sure it'll be a culture shock coming from KY, but that's kinda the point.

I'm open to hearing any thoughts you guys have

With housing 40% higher and cost of living 15% higher I would need a significant raise to make the move. If you do make the move and they furnish you with a truck, see if you can use it for personal use

With my move I looked at everything you have looked at and overall it’s slightly cheaper for us down here. Where we are saving is property taxes, cheaper gas and shorter commute to everything. The only thing we are spending more on would be insurance(home, boat, vehicles).

My advice is to make sure that the position you might take is the “right fit”. Check out the facilities, history and anything else you can on potential employer and after doing your homework just ask yourself if you’re willing to uproot the family for that position.

 

[adrianp89]

You may be the only person in America that wants to move TO California. No salary could even make me consider that move.

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks for the info guys. Keep it coming.

A few notes as I process.

• What the hell is Tule Fog? I've googled it, and it seems oddly specific to the region.
• Been looking at housing, I think with the Audi/Boat gone it's about a wash. Found several homes in our current range that have the space/rooms we want, and some other nice features.
  • Why no basements? Earthquake zone issues? Guess there's no tornados, so maybe not an issue?
• Didn't realize the heat was so high in the summer. I was looking at average highs and lows, figured there would be outliers, but not 112.
  • Guess I was expecting closer to bay area weather.
• Job role would be sales engineer for me.
  • Fully remote work out of my home office
  • Not 100% certain on coverage area. I "think" it would cover the bay area down to just north of LA.
  • Career change would likely be a good mental change for me.
• I'm open to some details on why California is looked so poorly upon.
  • Most are citing politics, but I'm pretty progressive/liberal anyway, and have been stuck in an exceptionally conservative region my adult life
  • Looking at Property and income taxes I'm not seeing a huge difference
  • Am I missing something obvious?
  • Company has the same position open in Huntington Beach area to cover the SoCal territory.
    • I expect I would dislike this area based on traffic and COL
    • Any thoughts on the different locations?

Thanks again for the info. Keep it coming. It's far and away NOT a done deal. We're still in early talks about what the role looks like, and how that all fits into our life.

 

[adrianp89]

If you are remote why are you thinking Fresno? You have the entire country.

 

[2kwik4u]

If you are remote why are you thinking Fresno? You have the entire country.

remote-ish

Still covering a physical territory. Office work from the house. Sales calls from the truck, or on site.

 

[Ronnie]

remote-ish

Still covering a physical territory. Office work from the house. Sales calls from the truck, or on site.

tule fog is the local term for really thick fog that causes white out conditions on the roads usually near open fields and near by water where tulies grow.

Thanks for the info guys. Keep it coming.

A few notes as I process.

• What the hell is Tule Fog? I've googled it, and it seems oddly specific to the region.
• Been looking at housing, I think with the Audi/Boat gone it's about a wash. Found several homes in our current range that have the space/rooms we want, and some other nice features.
  • Why no basements? Earthquake zone issues? Guess there's no tornados, so maybe not an issue?
• Didn't realize the heat was so high in the summer. I was looking at average highs and lows, figured there would be outliers, but not 112.
  • Guess I was expecting closer to bay area weather.
• Job role would be sales engineer for me.
  • Fully remote work out of my home office
  • Not 100% certain on coverage area. I "think" it would cover the bay area down to just north of LA.
  • Career change would likely be a good mental change for me.
• I'm open to some details on why California is looked so poorly upon.
  • Most are citing politics, but I'm pretty progressive/liberal anyway, and have been stuck in an exceptionally conservative region my adult life
  • Looking at Property and income taxes I'm not seeing a huge difference
  • Am I missing something obvious?
  • Company has the same position open in Huntington Beach area to cover the SoCal territory.
    • I expect I would dislike this area based on traffic and COL
    • Any thoughts on the different locations?

Thanks again for the info. Keep it coming. It's far and away NOT a done deal. We're still in early talks about what the role looks like, and how that all fits into our life.

see pics for defintion if the T fog. I summarize it by the resulting white knuckle driving or decision to stay off the road it sometimes causes.

As for the temp, I stayed the extreme that summer but even if it’s average mid 90s, that translates to F’ing hot to me. Dry heat filled with pollen in the spring. If have allergies stay far far away from Fresno and the surrounding 150 radius. Political make is is majority Republican. If you can get the same deal in Huntington Beach (surfing capital, between LA and San Diego), DO IT !!!

No tornados, sometimes earth quakes. Clovis is a high end area / suburb of Fresno. I have friends there that love it.

 

[3 green tornados]

If the means are there, I would recommend living on the west side of the 101 if you are looking at central CA.

 

[RobbieO]

Thanks for the info guys. Keep it coming.

A few notes as I process.

• What the hell is Tule Fog? I've googled it, and it seems oddly specific to the region.
• Been looking at housing, I think with the Audi/Boat gone it's about a wash. Found several homes in our current range that have the space/rooms we want, and some other nice features.
  • Why no basements? Earthquake zone issues? Guess there's no tornados, so maybe not an issue?
• Didn't realize the heat was so high in the summer. I was looking at average highs and lows, figured there would be outliers, but not 112.
  • Guess I was expecting closer to bay area weather.
• Job role would be sales engineer for me.
  • Fully remote work out of my home office
  • Not 100% certain on coverage area. I "think" it would cover the bay area down to just north of LA.
  • Career change would likely be a good mental change for me.
• I'm open to some details on why California is looked so poorly upon.
  • Most are citing politics, but I'm pretty progressive/liberal anyway, and have been stuck in an exceptionally conservative region my adult life
  • Looking at Property and income taxes I'm not seeing a huge difference
  • Am I missing something obvious?
  • Company has the same position open in Huntington Beach area to cover the SoCal territory.
    • I expect I would dislike this area based on traffic and COL
    • Any thoughts on the different locations?

Thanks again for the info. Keep it coming. It's far and away NOT a done deal. We're still in early talks about what the role looks like, and how that all fits into our life.

Tule Fog is thick and hugs the road, You can’t see 3 feet in front of you. When you hear of 18 car pile ups, it’s usually caused by Tule Fog

 

[RobbieO]

Wife and I are considering a move. We've watched a bunch of people (including @Babin Farms ) move to another state and find the change worthwhile. I had a job as a sales engineer drop in my lap last week. It's not a done deal.or anything even close to that, but it's a good chance I could make it happen.

I've googled myself into these things.
Schools are best near the north end of town
Population is about 1/2 the Louisville,KY Metro area where I am now
Lows are in the 40's in the winter
Highs are in the 90's in the summer
Average rain fall per month is under 3in
Cost of living is about 15% higher there
Housing is about 40% higher

Wife is looking at some remote marketing jobs. I have this SE position lined up. Thinking we would sell the AR190, the Q7, and the Silverado. New position comes with a company truck (would negotiate for an allowance instead of the company F150). That frees enough cash to cover the cost of living increase at a straight move. Would like to see a bit of raise to make it worthwhile.

We have some friends in San Jose. Best I can tell that's ~3hrs away.

What's the boating scene like out there?
Decent community in general?
I'm sure it'll be a culture shock coming from KY, but that's kinda the point.

I'm open to hearing any thoughts you guys have

I’ve been in CA my whole life. I wouldn’t move here. I sure as hell wouldn’t move to Fresno. If you have kids, stay away from Central CA or you could end up raising a few gang bangers. It’s more expensive here. I would recommend checking out Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, Danville or surrounding areas if you want good schools,