Fresno? Ono!

June 1, 2006 7:54 PM

Help me figure out whether I can live in Fresno.

I'm considering taking a paramedic internship in Fresno this fall (August/September timeframe) for several months, and I know next to nothing about Fresno except as a place I drive through.

I'm 34, married, with a kid, and the wife and kid would be staying back home in the San Francisco Bay Area while I flew solo in Fresno.

My questions include but aren't limited to:

• What are the "nice parts of town" in Fresno, specifically in terms of living conditions?
• What are Fresno's cultural attractions (museums, etcetera)?
• How much time can I expect to spend on the road "commuting" back home from Fresno?

posted by scrump to work & money (4 comments total)

The Tourism section of Fresno's "on-line home" can help you out with the second bullet. The wikipedia article on the city will also be of use.
posted by pmbuko at 8:32 PM on June 1, 2006

Background: I've been living in Fresno for four years now with my wife.

With respect to low crime, anything north of Shaw is pretty safe and nice. With respect to living in the 'cool' part of town, the Tower District (which is roughly bounded by Abby, McKinley, Belmont and Palm) is where it's at.

Cultural Attractions: There's tons to do. The de facto arts calendar can be found at Fresno Famous, which is the undisputed champ of the alternative news set. If you're not going to commute home for the weekend, you should avail yourself of Yosemite or Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks.

The commute from Fresno to San Francisco is about 4 hours in fair traffic. If you value more down time over money, Amtrak will run you round trip to the Richmond BART for about 60 and three hours.

If you're looking for something specific, don't hesitate to email me directly. My email is in my profile.
posted by bryanzera at 10:14 PM on June 1, 2006

I always use this guide to learn about places.
posted by billtron at 10:13 AM on June 2, 2006

Commute is easy, depending on what part of the Bay Area y'all live in--it's about 2.5 hours to Livermore area, a little more to go all the way to SFO. (I guess I drive faster than bryanzera!)
You can take the train to Oakland/Emeryville.
Fresno is interesting. I was born there and have family there; I go back maybe once a year. There is a big Hmong community and a big Armenian community. Fresno State is not a traditional residential university but it has a really successful football team and the games are fun. People really get into it. Agriculture is king. The economy is ok but nothing spectacular. It is sunny and hot there in the spring/summer/fall and foggy in the winter. As a paramedic I think you will be tending to a lot of meth and DUI incidences. Good luck!
posted by FergieBelle at 5:49 PM on June 2, 2006