Fresno, the fifth-largest city in California, often evokes mixed reactions from its residents. For some, it’s a place they tolerate and for others, it’s a place they detest, but I do not see it that way. Having lived here for more than two years, I fell in love with the city. To me, Fresno is a surprisingly pleasant city—genuine and easygoing, offering a quality of life that feels just right.
Anyone can find flaws for anything, and for most people Fresno has many flaws: unpredictable weather, lack of entertainment, deficiency of community identity, insecurity, high rent among other things. This is somewhat true from the perspective of someone who has lived in the city all their life or at least for a while.
From the point of view of a person who has moved from another or even a different state, there are a lot of advantages to living in this city.
First of all, I have heard a lot of people complain about the weather, and this is because of how cold it can be in the winter, how hot it can be in the summer or even how unpredictable it can be during the day.
Having lived in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, I can say that the climate is very similar to the climate here, with two major differences: it rains more often in the summer there and it rains in the winter here. During the summer I also never experience a temperature of more than 100°F.
Paul Swearengin, a journalism teacher at Fresno City College, who moved to Fresno in 1984 from Missouri, said there are many positive qualities about the city, one being the weather.
“We didn’t have a ton of snow, but we had enough to be annoying,” Swearengin said. “I hate living in the snow. That’s a big reason why I’m here,”
His experience with snow did not stop in Missouri. When he moved to Nebraska in high school, Swearengin shared that he always had to park his car outside his parents’ garage because there was no room, so all the snow would pile up to the roof of the car. And to do that, he had to have a heater on the engine to prevent it from cracking.
Swearengin also shared his displeasure with the weather in El Paso, Texas, when he was working there. Because of the humid heat of the area, he could not stand it, then he saw the advantage of the absence of humidity in Fresno.
“I will complain about 106 on a summer day here in Fresno, for sure, because that’s just damn hot, but the fact that it’s not humid,” Swearengin said.
Fresno not only has a pleasant climate for people from other places but also offers a great variety of food.
Saroop Singh Dhaliwal II, a 24-year-old nursing student, born and raised in Fresno, mentioned that the thing he loves most about here is the diversity of food from different cultures and ethnicities, there is so much opportunity to choose.
Dhaliwal II also said that among his favorite places to eat are definitely Dog House Grill and 559 Taqueria & Tequila.
Chloe Wilson, a 21-year-old biology major born and raised in Fresno, said there are also many places a person can go to eat. She recommended one of her favorite restaurants, Mad Duck Brewing.
As for hidden gems, Dhaliwal II recommended Scoops, a premium ice cream spot. Wilson also recommended Ampersand, another ice cream spot.
Wilson highly recommended a fundraiser within FCC for a limited time, The Chemist Cup, a stand that offers different snacks and drinks in the New Science building on the third floor.
Personally, I have been to a few places like Mad Duck Brewing, Ampersand, Dog House Grill, and The Chemist Cup. They are all great for hanging out with friends or going alone.
Furthermore, the proximity of the city’s surroundings can be beneficial for people who take advantage, because it is Central California, a person can go to practically any eye-catching area such as mountains, beaches, and large cities.
Both Wilson and Swearengin take advantage of the proximity to some prominent places, they said that they take trips to the mountains or the beaches either with friends or family.
The diversity of cultural venues is something I did not have when I lived in Mexico. Here in Fresno, two of the places I highly recommend would be the coffee shops, like Bab Al-Yemen Cafe, a coffee shop that offers Arabic coffee, or Isla Tea Lounge, a place that offers Vietnamese tea.
