Fresno Warnings and Dangers

Do not be fooled. They named their airport Fresno Yosemite International to attract tourists. Fresno is over one and a half hours by car from Yosemite. The airport is not international, there is no customs office there. The summers are brutal, 110 degress and some of the worst air in all of America. The local government is corrupt and the city is run by gready developers. Driving (which is the only way to get around this typical example of urban sprawl) is dismal since NONE of the signals are timed, so you basically drive from stop light to stop light. Very few neighborhoods have sidewalks (because the developers don't like making them and they always get their way) Fresno has the lowest percentage of green open park space per capita of any city in America! Again, thanks to the developers and a paid-off city government. The population keeps growing thanks to 'mortgage refugees' from the bay area and southern California. Housing here is cheaper than other parts of CA. BUT, Fresno also has the highest non-farm labor unemployment rate, around 17-20% Expect to spend 6 months to a year finding a decent job.

As I am currently seeking employment, I am finding that jobs are diffucult to come by in Fresno. Even with a college degree, it has been very difficult to find employment specifically in Fresno. As I understand it, the unemployment rate is about 17% right now...and climbing. This is just another caveat...

Fresno is very small and slightly overpopulated right now. It's being built up at an incredible speed and voracity. As in many places, Fresno's greenery is becoming sparser and sparser. Much of the greenery is being replaced by apartment/business buildings.

If you are African-American or possibly non-assimilated (aka FOB) Asian-American, you want to avoid downtown Clovis or any part of Clovis *NORTH* of Shaw Avenue.

If you are curious enough to go there, beware of men in white sheets and have 911 on the speed dial of the cell phone you have taped to the barrel of your licensed rifle.

If you are an inter-racial couple (gay or straight), and definitely if you are black and white couple, stay away from downtown Clovis, any area north of Shaw Ave...and, well, basically, stay away from Fresno. There are other convenient bypasses you might want to consider.

If you are gay or lesbian and you *must* go to Fresno, stay inside the Tower District - nuff said.

You're likely to survive any part of this city, even at night. By the same token, parts of this town could make one feel quite nervous, for good reason: The Highway 99 corridor, where travellers come through, is not good neighborhood. Generally, south is bad, north is good, with a few minor exceptions.