What is wrong with the San Joaquin Valley?

[SammyBlue]

DUers who live there, don't take it personally. It's your neighbors, not you!

Bakersfield -- home of really bigotted people (the Lamb and Lynx racist singing girls)

Fresno -- Home of Free Republic.

Stockton/Modesto -- Reactionary white trash areas (been there countless times)

[TrueAmerican]

1. Driving from L.A. into the Central Valley

It feels like your in an episode of the old CBS Radio Mystery Theatre or an episode of the Twi-Light Zone.

[henslee]

3. Ever stop at that famous Basque family style restaurant in the heart of

Bakersfield right off the freeway? It's huge and full of farmers. I love Bakersfield.

[progressivebydesign]

5. I like Buck Owens night club in Bakersfield...

but sadly that's about it.

[henslee]

12. Yeah. I agree. But Kings Canyon Sequoia Nat'l monument is pretty close.

The restaurant I was thinking of is called Chalet Basque and its huge and family style and full of farmers. And of course there's the giant hot rod weekend in famoso once a year.

[NMDemDist2]

2. and then north from there, Sacramento, Chico, etc are blue as can be n/t

[progressivebydesign]

4. Lack of oxygen from having zero trees.

I lived a few hours from there for 15 years.. in a very blue place. However, in that same county where I lived, the more arrid area north of me was a mini-fresno. Honestly, it's the agriculture and it's the people that settled the area... mostly from Texas and Oklahoma. I dont' care if it's faster to drive up the 5 through there, I always avoid it, it's the most depressing and ugly section of freeway on the west coast.

I'm sorry to any DUers that live there... it's just my own observations. You couldn't pay me to live there..

[Catherine Vincent]

6. Apparently Bakersfield isn't racist enough.

Those twins and their parents packed up and left town. They headed for a town with majority whites. :eyes:

[ET Awful]

7. Hey, Visalia is in the San Joaquin Valley, and it's not all that bad.

Same with Tulare (though not as much).

Most of my family comes from the Visalia/Dinuba/Tulare area.

Bakersfield is pretty warped, as is Fresno, but other parts aren't nearly as bad.

[tularetom]

8. Don't judge a book by its cover

Yeah there are a lot of inbred rednecks out here. But the huge population increases we have all been experiencing have borught in a more diverse group of residents. Besides many of our counties are among the most diverse in the country - several have over 40% hispanic population. Naturally there are going to be some strains as many people compete for a few decent jobs but over all the income levels and educational attainments of the population are getting closer to parity with coastal Cullyfornis. Actually the northern CA counties are far more reactionary - check out the voting records for Shasta, Lassen, Modoc and Tehama counties if ya don't believe me. And by the way if you met me you might think I was a 'neck - 2nd amendment supporter, avid hunter, drive a pickup etc, but I also support reproductive choice, gay rights, oppose the war, oppose religious wackos etc. And although the dumdums may still be in the majority there are a lot more like me out here.

[bridgit]

10. true...

:hi:

[SammyBlue]

11. Did you read what I said?

At the beginning, I said "present company excluded."

And I'm the same as you.

I am a neck. . .upstate NY. Farm hick, own guns, love to hunt and fish, own a P/U and a sports car. deeply religious, loves football and NASCAR, was a big rig driver for 3 years, loves the county fair and I'm a social libertarian (meaning the government shouldn't tell me what I can and cannot do for myself by myself <drug war, obscenity, pornography, sodomy laws, gay marriage, abortion> as opposed to a social conservative.

I am a neck. . .I'll admit it. A well educated neck, but a neck.

[tularetom]

13. Aw hell, I know you weren't referring to me

I guess I'm defending my neighbors = there are a lot of thinking people out here and I'm surprised every day at the sentiments expressed by people that I have prejudged so I guess I'm getting cautious about making snap judgments. And I spent some of my formative years in TN so I thought I was qualified to judge who's a moran and who isn't but I've been wrong often lately.

I tell you things are definitely looking up out here in Mayberry.

[bridgit]

9. california is large & diverse enough to have a one whole red state...

inside of it, and that trends toward the likes of the central valley; allot of corporate farming folk & flat country thoughts :shrug: