What distinguishes Fresno from other California cities?

Fresno is central to EVERYTHING in California! It's just a short drive to beautiful mountains (think Yosemite) or the beach/ocean (think Monterey/Morro Bay/Pismo). It's also only 3-4 hours to LA or the Bay Area. Then, Tahoe and San Diego are only 5-6 hrs away! (That's all depending on how fast you drive, of course!) Compared to other areas of California, Fresno and the Central Valley are laid back, casual, and friendly with a realatively low cost of living, too. Fresh fruit and veggies are available all year 'round and oh, and did I mention the Blossom Trail? Need I say more? By the way, thanks for asking, Jim!

A big ditto to Shellys comments that is exactly what I would say. The summers are a little less desireable but I don't have an in with Mother Nature and it seems to work for this area. I would make it look more appealing by getting the trash and unsightly buildings removed. Prisoners could do the trash work and some buildings could house those in the homeless encampments to clean the tent sities up. If people can come together to help with Extreme makeover why not to fix worn down hotels to get the kids off the streets. City money could be better utilized for those things.

At top of list would be that Fresno still has a 'small town' feel to it.......even one who comes from some other place can connect to many brilliant folks here, very quickly.

Worst part of Fresno is the air. Had MOI known just how horrid it was, might never have come. MOI has asthma and it is worse here than any other place lived.

Nothing!! We have all the problems as any city in this country.Crime,homeless,unemployed,oh ya and CROOKED COPS!! Hey Jackie your right those dirty Fresno police narcotics officers can pick up some trash.So Jim Boren i cant put(That kind of talk)aside.So instead of wondering if Pat Hill has a job next year,lets just hope when you get pulled over you get one of the good guys.

Great idea for a column!

What I don't understand is why the distance aspect is used to tout Fresno. For that matter every Central Valley city could boast its attractiveness by claiming it's only a short drive to the mountains, national parks, ocean, Bay Area or South Coast. But is this really was makes Fresno unique and appealing? Fresno should recognize and capitalize on things other than what lies beyond its borders to set itself apart, like: agriculture - the number 1 industry, the fresh and delicious produce that is produced as a result of it, and the tourism connect that is often a part of it as well; higher education and its associated sports programs, of course; an up-and-coming downtown (we're not there quite yet, but we're working on it); the Tower District with its many attractions; a river - the San Joaquin - runs through it promoting hiking, biking and other recreational activities; and maybe even Fresno "The Convention Destination?" Sorely lacking, on the other hand, are a great and extensive public transportation system incorporating light rail combined with bus rapid transit, and more higher density and more affordable housing located in relative close proximity to transit stations to cut down on traffic congestion; clean, or at least, cleaner air (the light rail and BRT could help considerably in this area); and less fog which we seem to have had less of this season fortunately, although this is something out of our direct control.

I think we have to move away from the "small town feel", leave that way of thinking for Clovis.

MOI; would you suggest that The Fresno Bee reporter Chris Colins slithered out from under a rock to write the (I would guess) about 2000 word item in Saturday's The Fresno Bee? The report alleges that one third of the narcotic squad is under investigation and two detectives have been arrested. The Highway Patrol was in on the investigation since October.

No I do not know for a fact that Fresno police officers have been accused of crimes. I personally had only positive encounters with the Fresno police, though what was stolen from me was never found. I can understand that patio furniture is not of highest priority these days. Though that wrought iron furniture is no longer made, and I would not be able to afford replacing it. Now are you going to call me something that slithers out from under rocks because I cited that prominent newspaper article?

Why did I send the post? Because blogger Chris Villa was vilified because he mentioned something that was news in an accredited daily newspaper.

One element that distinguishes Fresno is our often over-looked, and sometimes neglected, architectural heritage. Few cities of our size can boast the number of buildings, structures and other public places designed by world-class genuises such as Julia Morgan, Ferdinand Lake, and Garrett Eckbo. What distinguishes Fresno is that we do not take advantage of these jewels, and we even allow some of our most prized buildings to crumble and self-destruct. We may be distinguished by a notable lack of historic districts, a civic carelessness about preservation and the misguided notion that "new is better" and "developers know best." We are working to reverse this and catch up with our preservation efforts, but, the pace is painfully slow. Adopting the Mills Act would be a huge boost, if the City would embrace the challenge.

I arrived here in 1952 from Vienna; Austria. It was a hot summer and the bus trip from Los Angeles to Fresno was something I shall never forget. In my entire 25 years of living had I ever seen so much dry, yellow/brown, treeless landscape stretching on and on for miles and miles. And the air conditioner of the bus did not work.

Arriving at the old Greyhound bus stop, some old guy was sitting before his door with his feet in a pan full of water, I presume. Hammerfield Village the veterans housing project were converted barracks, and the apartments were more than Spartan. No bus, no streetcar, no Metro...those were hard months. Only after they had taken me up to Sequoia Lake (then still public) could they make me believe that California was not some sort of sub-Saharan wasteland.

Fresno had some great old houses decaying away. One of them was on the grounds of some public swimming pool on Belmont or somewhere around there. But my husband made me stay out of that grand old ruin for safety reasons. Some of the downtown structures were beautiful outside, but too dark inside with nightmare staircases like chicken ladders. One of my favorites was the Red Cross Building on Fresno Street. And German Town, around the International Institute on Waterman , was very nice. I also liked some parts of the Tower District with their collection of Art Deco architecture. Even some of those buildings used industrially, on Broadway and other streets would have been worth saving and refurbishing. That is what Vienna did with the hundreds of year old residential districts. They left the historic shell in tact and modernized the inside so that people could live in them comfortable. I don't remember when they took out the Fresno streetcar tracks, but a lot of them were there when I got here. The Community Hospital was also OK, but I hate that present colossus. I don't know what happened to the old Saint Agnes Hospital. I liked the old courthouse, even that practically every California City has one like it. I had better end my nostalgic journey back to the fifties, lest the post turns into a novella. I have to google up Mills Act,

This is a really difficult question to answer. I guess what really distinguishes Fresno is the Tower District and the architectural heritage perhaps, but how many cities do you know of anywhere in California that are served by Amtrak, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, San Joaquin Valley and Union Pacific railroads? I would say this puts Fresno in a class by itself. Not to mention the San Joaquin Valley Railroad's original owner, Willis Kyle, lived here.

Bakersfield has the same four railroads. So, that's not it. I know, in Fresno sits the site of the oldest junior college in the state.

My dearest Chris Villa perhaps you have had a problem with cops but for me they have been nothing but good. There are crooked people in all occupations but cops put their lives on the line for our safety and the safety of our families not knowing if they are going to go home to theirs at the end of a shift. My son is a cop not here but in another city and as a mom I can only hope and pray he is ok every night wwhen he is out there doing his job. Maybe you should go on a clean up crew to get rid of some of your hatred.

Mr. Boren has a taken a good idea from his Modesto counterpart to poll the citizens about what makes us proud about Fresno.

What I find from reading the responses is that Fresno is NEAR everything wonderful and good - the mountains, Yosemite, the beaches, the Bay Area and the L.A. Basin. BUT, the city itself is colorless, its best buildings are either demolished or beyond repair, the new developments are bland, too many big-box stores have all but obliterated small business.

What I did not see mentioned is that there is an abundance of fishing enthusiasts in Fresno. In every parking lot I see many SUV-trucks and cars with the fishing emblem.I wonder where they go to fish?

Rob DeFrees appears to be very adept in putting his own distorting spin on the published posts from bloggers of whom he does not approve or those he does not like. Hopefully I can satisfy both. To be disliked by certain people is a recommendation in favor of the disliked. And I am sure as far as De Frees is concerned, being female does not help me a bit.

I am still waiting for the answer to the question if MOI (or whoever) considers the Fresno Bee reporter Chris Collins something that slithers out from under a rock because he reported the investigation of the alleged crimes. Nobody but nobody in this blog found the accused police officers guilty. And nobody but nobody looks upon newspaper reports as written in stone.

Now; if it's meant in earnest about "she who must be obeyed?" "She" is telling you to bugger off. I am certain that the English vernacular is familiar to MOI and/ or De Frees the anglophile[s]?

Fresno offers an opportunity to get involved and make a difference. LA and the Bay Area are what they are, and are in essence "done." Communities built by prior generations. Fresno is still a frontier, a work in progress, a young city. We have a community that is infused with the spirit of collaboration and if you have something to offer, you are welcomed to the table, in a way that you probably wouldn't be in other cities. Fresno is opportunity.

There is a tourism video that was made for Fresno that is very good to promote conventions and tourists to the valley. It does highlight Fresno but also shows the things to do here and near here.

Fresno is close to some worthwhile things. It has some assets, although I've been in many cities of comparable size that had more to recommend them. This is, after all, a desert, and deserts present hard scrabble lifestyles. I attribute part of the Fresno mentality to its arid nature. For me, air and water quality determine that this is not a fit place to live. Those problems will only get worse in the next twenty years.

Fresno has no identity because it continually tries to leave it behind. Fresno has strong, proud roots; however, the very fabric of where we came from is largely ignored. We talk about where we can get to from Fresno but not Fresno itself because the citizens have little pride in Fresno and what it stands for. Is it any wonder? An outsider looking in at Fresno sees “Fresno the King of the Failing Strip Mall” and we don’t show them different. Fresno is not a young town. People have been here since the 1850s and native populations back through prehistory. It doesn’t seem that old because we show little pride in our history. When historic buildings or our historic downtown starts falling apart, we just move away from them leaving them as bedrooms for the homeless and roosting places for pigeons. Stop and look at who we are and you will find there is much to be proud of. Fresno and towns around us were built by the salt of the earth. The majority of people remain because this is where their families settled and they continue to live and work for their families and their “place” in this state. Fresno was a virtual desert! Unlike the delta further north near Stockton, Sacramento, Lathrop, Lodi, Modesto, etc. where the land was rich and water abundant and farmland and ranchland was comparatively productive, Fresno was mostly a dry desert full of alkali and hard pan. We didn’t have a large number of big conglomerate land owners and their money for public works that typify the northern valley. This area down to Bakersfield was settled by people of lesser means because the land was less desirable. This is especially evident during and after the depression when many Fresno County towns and cities grew. They grew with the likes of farmers and ranchers that had little but grit, ingenuity and resolve to make the land work for them. Intensive agriculture would not be possible in the hot arid summers without the regular supply of water, so what do our forefathers do? Fresnans pioneered the development of gravity irrigation. In fact, it is believed that the Indians at Posa de Chine were the first people in the county to use irrigation so it is clear the ingenuity and hard work required to exist in our climate goes back to prehistory. How many of us know that? We hear about the Indians of Mesa Verde, the Hopi in Arizona but how many of us know the amazing prehistory of our own area? You’d be impressed. Fresnans had little access and little means to afford higher education so well established in the north valley and in southern California. So what did we do? Fresno is the home of the first junior college in the state; a college accessible by all economic levels. It was built and maintained by local expense; only later becoming part of the state system. Local folks spearheaded major public works projects to not only water crops but to transport them to the markets. We had a need and we solved it, through hard work, cooperation, pride. Sure we have the Muex Mansion, we have Kearney Park, both jewels of our history, there are always exceptions but for the most part we don’t advertise our identity, our roots. We are the major agricultural supplier in the United States. We began as a desert loved by a bunch of people with sweat on their brow and hope in their heart. That’s cool. San Francisco has an identity; Stockton has an identity; even Gilroy creates a memorable identity with their garlic festival. They sell garlic ice cream for God sake and people think that is cool! What is our identity? Heat? Fresno and it’s people are amazing and we don’t even acknowledge it. We seem to be running away from it. We try to look like L.A. or Sacramento when in fact what we are is impressive and yet we ignore our own greatness. Urban sprawl, crumbling city center and abandoned strip malls will be our identity if we don’t change our path.

I think the thing which distinguishes Fresno, is its history of pioneering; innovation; and diversity

Immigrants from everywhere arrived here on ships, trains, stages and horses...stepped into a desert...and ended up providing food for the world

Great soil doesn't hurt, but still ;)

Fishing used to be great. Just a couple of hours after work at nearby Millerton Lake or the San Joaquin River was a nice finish for the day. One day, there were just too many anglers for the available fishing space so close to the City. Los Angeles had discovered Fresno. And some of the 'they" did not remove the decals from the cars, but just stopped going fishing. I disliked boats, so we fished from the bank. Hubby wandered about bass fishing. I bottom fished and sat at the bank dreaming about this and that . And because of it, Millerton Lake has two of my fishing poles dragged off by something I never saw. So we started to watch TV. I used to love the Court House Park, watching the birds and watched the squirrels cavorting about and fetching the nuts I threw to them. But one day, the park was still beautiful but a new generation of undesirables kept unencumbered women like myself away from the park. There were nice movie houses , but they too disappeared one by one. The mall was nice, but then came the time when a woman alone was accosted. I was able to take of myself very well, but it became a distinct downer. And my husband did not like to go shopping. The parking situation became also difficult, so as soon as the Manchester Mall was done, most of our shopping was done there. And I liked the cinema at Manchester. My daughter and I saw many nice films at the early matinee. It was very affordable. We also liked the Farmers' Market on Tulare Street. We sampled a lot of the international foods, but one day it was an Office Depot store. I don't know what it is now. I remember fondly an elderly Greek immigrant who told me that he had seen the ships coming to Fresno, and watched the annual salmon run go upstream. As it has been pointed out, Fresno allowed little of the old to hang onto. How many of you remember the arcades on Fulton Street. They were fun, in spite of the many sailors and ladies out to have a good time or make a buck. And the many family managed foreign food restaurants were a definite plus in my book. There is so much to remember. Lets face it, one cannot make looking at architecture a steady diet. It has been posted that Fresno was still young and was still in the making. If the finished product turns out like the monster megalopolis Los Angeles, we had better stay as we are. L A had Fresno to escape to but where will Fresnans go?

I believe it is the Fresno Bee's report of significant air pollutants. I would also tack on the number of poor in the city.

Fresno is what you make it like anywhere else. It has a lot of good cops and some bad ones. It has a lot of great people and a few stupid ones, mostly downtown. The air quality sucks for sure.

With a new mayor who will come to work every day, that will be a novelty, for sure. Hopefully, she will not get caught up in the good ole boy politics and will make some needed changes. We shall see.

After spending the first 22 years of my life growing up in Fresno and the last 16 in the military living in 8 different states between Alaska and Georgia, Texas and North Dakota, I've come to realize...that Fresno/California are good places to be FROM.

Fresno has the largest Independent Performance Festival of its kind West of the Mississippi River in the ROGUE FESTIVAL!!! Check out www.roguefestival.com for show times and dates. The Festival runs February 26th - March 7th 2009!! Come on out and Get Your Rogue On!

Two things: A slow, peaceful pace of life. This is a good place to raise a family. Employers don't demand 12+ hour days, housing prices are low, and commutes are short.

Also, there are so many opportunities to get involved and make a difference. As other posters have commented, other cities have people competing to volunteer for non-profits and sit on the boards of non-profit organizations. Here, it's wide open if you are passionate about something. It's also a good way to get involved and meet people you have things in common with.

I've lived in Los Angeles, Orange County, and even Washington, D.C., and I was happy to come back to Fresno. Why? Because Fresno is a big city with big city amenities, but also still a small town with small town values. People in Fresno still remain family-focused, generally honest and polite with one another (other than the comparable crime levels we have), and are not obsessed with material goods to the same extent as people in the other cities I've lived in.

When people ask me why I moved back to Fresno and choose to live here, I tell them it's about Fresno's "farm values." Fresno is a place where people still value family, honesty, and the diverse opinions and cultures of humanity. This is not a religious judgment - far from it, as Fresno is as religiously diverse as most big cities. Fresno tolerates differences of opinion, style, and culture more than many big cities, where fashion, both material and political/intellectual, seems to have more sway. And despite its diversity of opinion (or perhaps because of it), Fresnans generally value children and family more than big city folks, who too often seem disdainful of children or even other people in general.

We Fresnans should take pride in our city! Through our diversity and shared emphasis on family, we offer a different kind of city experience than the rest of California's big cities. And that is something worth celebrating.

How about what the rest of the state thinks of us -- a flat, polluted, hot, marred landscape with unattrative suburbs, populated largely by an illiterate and under-educated population similar to that found in a developing country, dominated by developers, and managed by a right-wing political toilet whose leaders are more interested in advancing their caeers by merging politics with religion rather than solving serious problems?

Perhaps Fresno should stop trying to compete with the rest of California. Instead, perhaps Fresno should call itself "Your own Lil' Texan Bible Belt, right here in California."

Why I like Fresno:
I can afford a great house with a great yard, and enjoy being out in that yard for 8-9 months a year.

People seem to genuinely care about others. I have experienced unparalleled kindness and witnessed quiet generosity.

We are here by choice. Why do those who say they hate it stay anyway? Those who are reluctantly here never seem to get beyond their metropolitan expectations. Been to ArtHop? ArcHop? FYLP? Plays? Musicals?

Wonderful food and outstanding locally owned restaurants. The agricultural underpinnings of our economy are a source of pride, awe and respect. We consume some of the highest-quality food in the world and so many local restaurants prepare fantastic dishes from this bounty.

I can get from one end of town to another in 20 minutes.

I can get to know everyone from the newspaper editor to corporate presidents. Just takes minimal effort. People here are available to others.

On certain days (not as many as before) I can see the coastal mountains and Sierra and still be amazed.

Wine trails...yum!

I love the Big Fresno Fair. And Fresno State. And Storyland.

Why Fresno frustrates me:
The cycle of poverty that appears impossible to break. Some people never even consider working.

Untimed traffic lights. We're trying to save fuel and reduce pollution...time the dang lights!

Trains that stop traffic - all the time.

If you watch tv news, it seems we have only 2-3 attorneys, one orange grower, one grape farmer, etc.

Bad news - we seem to revel in it. What we believe is what we get so all we get is more.

Gangs: Uneducated. Hostile. Dangerous. Takers.

Aren't these negatives pretty common to most California cities?

I've lived here for 65 years with the exception of 2 years in new england. and i can honestly say, albeit, fresno sucks; the weather sucks, the air we breathe sucks, the layout of the city sucks, the planners suck, the growers suck, the school system sucks, the past mayors suck, and most of all, with the exception of a few people including myself, the fresno bee sometimes sucks, the people suck and the people in clovis suck even more than the people in fresno.
thanks,
jess sanchez barroso

my negativity about fresno proves i'm a true fresnan, the rest are wanabe fresnans but can't seem to get it right!
thanks,
jess

Fresno has an amazing pool of artistic talent who continue to create astonishing visual art and provide Fresno with people they can really be proud of everytime we show our artwork in Fresno and abroad! Despite the failing economy which hits the artists incredibly hard, we still believe in creating art that brings positive attention to Fresno.

The Fresno Rogue Festival, based on the fringe festival concept, has become an international sensation of its own. Performers from all over the world come to Fresno and do their thing alongside Fresno's own performers. We draw thousands in audiences and continue to see recognition for this resident run festival.

You get 25 minutes for a quarter in the parking meters! You would only get 5 minutes in SF...

Fresno's Attributes:
1. Ethnic Diversity spawning cultural differences; pagents, parades and people watching; and the restaurants. I can't afford to travel to India, Mexico, Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai, Parma, Paris, Madrid, Yerevan, Rio and on and on. But I can eat their authentic foods whenever I wish at a bargain price.

2. Farmland; the richest agricultural area in the world; beautiful year round, even in the fog.
Blossom Trail and the show that Nature puts on year after year is spectacular. Hmong gardens and produce, strawberries & beans. And a short drive to small orchards and expansive farms. A bit further and the rolling hills begin to unfold with horses instead of houses; herds of cattle, sheep and goats.

3. Special Events; big stadium events come to town; the SaveMart Center draws world-class talent. I am grateful to have seen Andrea Boccelli in my life time

4. Location, location, location. North, south, east, west; an easy one day round trip to the Famous family members of California; Central Coast, LA, SF, Big Trees, Yosemite.
You are only stuck here if you choose to be.

5. CSUF; FPU; FCC; turning-out some incredibly talented people recognized internationally.

What makes it a drag?

1. We lack vision.We still don't have a master plan anchored by environmental impact.
Fresno's precious resources are abused and consumed for the sake of making money; our environment suffers--land, water and air. Our downtown suffers--blight and neglect. New shopping centers become old shopping centers in less than a generation. Beautiful, old, heritage buildings are left to rot and decay [Craycroft home on N.Palm par example]all the while, it takes years of lobbying and due diligence by a dedicated few to save the Old Administration Building at FCC.
Are we squandering our cultural inheritance?

We just returned from Southern Calif. where I was born and raised and I'll take Fresno in a heartbeat. This is such a lively community, but many of our best qualities fly below the radar or are simply taken for granted.

Two outstanding universities and California's first Community College serve a most diverse population. While our public school system has some serious problems, it continues to produce outstanding students. I should know I taught in it for 36 years. Are you aware that Sunnyside HS just produced the winner..FIRST PLACE...in a national essay contest. A superior symphony orchestra, well developed library system and while the lack of neighborhood parks is a serious problem, we have several truly beautiful regional parks.

I am privileged to work with a variety of organizations focused on improving health/fitness/wellness/physical activity and physical education progams. It would amaze the general population to know how many people there are in Fresno who are wholly dedicated to improving the lot of those citizens who are most in need.

We're not as hot as Phoenix or Las Vegas, nor as cold as Denver or Salt Lake City or Seattle. Our air quality isn't very good but it's improving because people care to make it so. That's one of the great qualities about this city...people DO care. Fall and spring are beautiful, winter is only periodically nasty. Summer can be tough, but 3 out of 4 isn't all that bad.

You can find fault with any place, but I'll still take Fresno. I can be on the Kings River in short order, the Tower District in 15 minutes or in a national park in less than an hour.

I love the remarkably diverse people of this city. From the south end to the north, this continues to be one of the friendliest places I've ever been in. Don't think so,try Boston or the 405 freeway in L.A.!

Look for the good....you'll find it everywhere. And if there are things you don't like about the city, what are YOU doing to make it better?

Like in builder "Herzog" ?

"And if there are things you don't like about the city, what are YOU doing to make it better?"

Somethings are beyond our control. I, too like the people. I do have control over my choice of friends and activities and that is a plus. And local patriotism is very touching, and charming. Unless it is confrontational.

duh!, Fresno is the largest City in the Center of the state we are half the time to everywhere else in the state.

Think of Fresno as a Hub and we branch to everything else in the state... like Fresno is the biggest City near Yosemite National Park and Sequoia.

Remember if other city's in California Disrespect Fresno they are really just Disrespecting them selfs, because Fresno is a part of the State and if you don't like Fresno then you don't like California.

As a member of the Displaced Fresnans Society, first let me say I love Fresno. I called this unique city and surrounding areas home for 12 years: our daughter was born in Fresno, and I graduated from Fresno State. I love the small town feel and the big town amenities, the quirky districts, the beautiful view of the Sierra on a clear day, and the way the trees turn colors in the fall. I love the fact that I can drive for an hour or so and be in the most beautiful (imho) national park in the country. I love the agriculture, the orchards, the smell of orange blossoms, but not so much the dust that comes during the walnut harvest. That said, I have always cringed a little when telling someone I graduated from Fresno State. After much thought, I’ve decided that it has nothing to do with the reputation of the university, the wonderful education I received or the remarkable people I met … many of whom I’m still friends with. The problem is the image that “Fresno” brings to mind for many people --- mostly those who do not know it well and cannot see past Highway 99, the empty strip malls and blight to the eclectic, friendly, culturally diverse and historic city that hides underneath.
Fresno is a city rich in heritage, but it is also a hodge podge of areas that have been given no unity, and it has become a playing field for developers who have taken advantage of the wide open spaces and relatively affordable land to create virtually irreversible urban sprawl.
Fresno needs marketing, branding, economic development, smart growth, and historic preservation. And it needs a visionary whose primary strength is to break down walls, unite key people and create a unified front that shouts “Gateway to Yosemite,” instead of “Raisin Capital of the World.”
Fresno needs to capitalize on its assets – lakes, rich agriculture, educational institutions, arts, the Sierra, its river -- and down play its detractions. San Luis Obispo, Carlsbad, Encinitas, downtown San Diego, Hanford, are good examples of cities that have revitalized their attributes. Putting it all together is not easy, but Craig Scharton has made many inroads and is hopefully poised to make a significant difference with his proposed downtown specific plan. Scharton knows the effectiveness of the MainStreet philosophy and with the help of Fresno’s redevelopment agency, business owners, historical society, city government, and its residents, Fresno can keep its small town atmosphere, and use its history to achieve its potential.

Timely blog as those of us at the Fresno Convention/Visitors Bureau are in the process of creating new campaigns for summer and the next fiscal year. In all of the responses I see, a couple of themes are evident that the CVB will consider:

First, there really is a lot to market in Fresno, and if you let your mind wander, you can find plenty of distinguishing features. Second, the hardest group to sell Fresno to is ourselves.

So, we want to create a campaign that sends the message to residents and tourists alike that Fresno is a unique place because of our ability to provide a total sensory experience to anyone. If you want to see beauty, check out any of our National Parks or the Blossom Trail. If you want to hear something cool, enjoy our Philharmonic, Opera, local theater, cultural musicians, etc.. We are the food capital of the world so taste is an easy one; take our local wine tours, celebrate our agricultural history at Farmer's Markets (we have some now and more on the way), eat at our restaurants, etc.. I'll leave the sense of smell alone because it's easy to have fun with that one either way. Finally, the sense of touch will be replaced by the ability to DO...and this is where we are becomming pretty full. The whole idea of action sports is something in which Fresno can take the lead. We have a paint ball facility, bike trails, a mountain bike and BMX course, skate parks, Frisbee Golf, Whitewater rafting, etc.. We can be an adventure sports market and generate a lot of tourism revenue.

So, we need a pitch...sort of a marketing phrase like New York pulled off with its I (heart) NY campaign...if anyone has any ideas, post them and we'll consider. Thanks for the good conversation.

Incorporating the university in the marketing mix would be a big plus as well. It has so much to offer in the way of names, faces, events and accomplishments. I've always wondered why Fresno didn't work on creating a real university village, or hub. It seems there are a lot of untapped possibilities there.