Fresno, California

Fresno is the county seat of Fresno County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 427,652. 2005 estimates by the California Department of Finance approximate a city population of 464,727 and a metropolitan area of 1,002,284. Fresno is the sixth-largest city in California and the largest inland city in the state. It is located at 36°47' North, 119°48' West, in the San Joaquin Valley portion of California's expansive Central Valley. Its ZIP Code is 937xx. It is also the largest city in the United States that is not directly served by an Interstate highway (although there are long-term plans to upgrade California State Highway 99, the main freeway through the area, to Interstate standards; it is unofficially proposed to be designated Interstate 9).

Cultural and commercial attractions

Tower District

The Tower District in southwest Fresno is home to a number of higher-end eating establishments, nightclubs, and independent book and record stores - along with the historic Tower Theatre. The Tower Theatre is home to a range of performances: music, dance, comedy, etc. It is also home to Fresno Filmworks, an organization that every month shows a recent independent film that would otherwise not come to town. The Tower District is also home to Good Company Players who have two performances spaces within a block of one another (Roger Rocka's Dinner Theatre and the Second Space Theatre), and perform musicals and plays throughout the year. The neighborhood is known for its history of tolerance. In fact, every year Fresno's gay pride parade takes place right down the Tower District's main drag. Fresno's mardi gras celebrations also occur in the neighborhood. The area is overflowing with historic early 20th century mansions and apartment buildings, many in the California bungalow style. The continued preservation of these buildings in this and other areas of town is one of the many focuses of the group 1000 Friends of Fresno.

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Fresno Art Museum

From the web site of the museum: "Since its inception as a regional arts center in 1948, the Fresno Art Museum has grown into an important museum of contemporary and modern art. The Museum evolved from a group of local artists who formed the Fresno Art League in the late 1940's for the purpose of critiquing and exhibiting their artwork. In 1958 the Fresno Art League joined forces with others interested in building a place to exhibit and study art, and the original building was constructed on Fresno city property at Radio Park. Originally called the Fresno Art Center and Museum, it changed to the Fresno Art Museum in the late 1980's." The museum is still located in Radio Park, and puts up a rotating series of exhibits. It participates in the monthly Art Hop, and has a variety of film programs where one can see classic films, anime, and international selections. Select evenings throughout the year bring Art Under the Stars, where the museum and invited performances can be enjoyed.

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Arts Council?s monthly Art Hop

Fresno Arts Council holds a monthly Art Hop that features many artists in the Fresno area and is held every first Thursday of the month from 5 pm - 8 pm. One of the biggest art events takes place during the annual Rogue Performance Festivalin March.

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Roeding Park

Roeding Park (http://www.ci.fresno.ca.us/parks-rec/roeding/) is covienently located near the 99 freeway, close to downtown. Besides the standard park facilities, the park is also home to the Chaffee Zoo and two Rotary Parks, Playland and Storyland. Chaffee Zoo recently received a boost with the passing of Measure Z, a city-wide 1/10 cent sales tax, which has allowed the hiring of a new zoo director, and promises to provide the zoo with $10 million annually over the next 10 years. Playland is an amusement park that recently passed its 50th anniversary with the restoration of old ride attractions and the opening of a few new ones. Storyland is geared toward younger children. The amusement park consists of talking environments from popular stories and fairytales, some inhabited by live animals. In the summer, young performers put on plays based on fairytales in the ampitheatre located inside Storyland.

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Fashion Fair Mall

The city's largest indoor mall, Fashion Fair, recently underwent major renovations. It hosts Macy's, Gottschalks, JC Penney, and over 100 other retailers. The construction of a an outdoor mall, named "The Village at Fashion Fair" (like that at River Park) is currently under construction. New tenants will reportedly include The Cheesecake Factory, Sephora, Anthropologie, Bebe Sport, Lucky Brand Jeans, Metropark, and Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar.

Related Topics:
Macy's - Gottschalks - JC Penney

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River Park

The "River Park" area (so named for its proximity to the San Joaquin River, which divides Fresno and Madera counties) in north-central Fresno is a major shopping and entertainment district, right in the middle of the rapidly expanding northern sprawl. It properly refers to only the specific shopping center of the same name between Blackstone Avenue, the 41 freeway, Minarets Avenue, and Nees Avenue, but locals usually use the name to refer to places on the west side of Blackstone or the region in general (one common boundary for the broader area is Woodward Park). The area houses several "big-box" retailers, an outdoor mall, and a 21-screen Edward's movie theater. Some may question the wisdom of a sprawling outdoor shopping plaza on one of the many above 100 degree summer days, but the center currently remains popular as a destination. Time will tell if it will extend towards the Fulton and Manchester malls before it.

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Fig Garden Village

Fig Garden Village (or simply "Fig Garden") is widely known as being the most luxurious shopping plaza in the city. It houses many city icons, such as The Warner Company - a heavily-awarded jewelry producer, and La Boulangerie - an upscale French bakery and bistro. It also features events such as the annual "Fig Gig" jazz festival. Due to increasing competition from the recently popularized River Park district of town, Fig Garden Village has been expanding and refining its offerings. This includes the planned development of around 50 new stores and outlets. However, these new aspirations for Fig Garden Village have caused some people to question if they might detract from the plaza's long-held classy image.

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Downtown / Fulton Mall

Additionally, the city is working hard to revitalize downtown. For the past forty years, it has been mostly a government center, even with such developments as the Fulton Mall (converted from a part of Fulton Street, it was the first pedestrian mall of its kind in the U.S.). High-rise buildings have now been going up again, and a new federal courthouse will soon strip the 22-story county building of its title as the tallest in Fresno. Office space, such as that at the 11-story Tower at Convention Center Court, finished in 2003, has also been coming back to downtown. This and other plans are part of the city's "Vision 2010" that aims to bring residents back to the area.

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Save Mart Center

The Save Mart Center is a large indoor arena that was completed at the end of 2003 on the campus of Fresno State. It has hosted a wide range of music acts, from Britney Spears to Prince, as well as other shows, in addition to all Fresno State home basketball games and Fresno Falcons home games. Trade publication Pollstar ranked the arena number 24 in the world for 2004 ticket sales. The new arena replaces downtown's Selland Arena as the home for Fresno State men's basketball, Fresno Falcons games, and major events.

Related Topics:
Save Mart Center - Fresno State - Britney Spears - Prince - Fresno Falcons - Pollstar - Selland Arena

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Forestiere Underground Gardens

The Forestiere Underground Gardens (http://www.undergroundgardens.com/) in northwest Fresno near Highway 99, are unusual manmade creations built by Baldasare Forestiere over a period of 40 years. For a fictionalized account of Forestiere and his lonely obsession, see the short story "The Underground Gardens" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, published in The New Yorker, (May 25, 1998).

Related Topics:
Forestiere Underground Gardens - Baldasare Forestiere - T. Coraghessan Boyle - The New Yorker

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