The following story was published in the March 1999 issue of Horizon Air
Magazine, and is copyright 1999 Horizon Air Magazine and Paradigm
Communications Group, all rights reserved. It is reprinted on this
Website by permission of the publisher.

Focus on Fresno
            Fresno preserves its farming roots 
            while cultivating new businesses 

By Shirley Melikian Armbruster

Pulitzer Prize'winning playwright William Saroyan lived and worked in
San Francisco, New York and Paris, but he returned home to Fresno to
spend the final years of his life in the late 1970s. San Francisco 49ers
safety Tim McDonald is a man whose sports success could open doors for
business ventures anywhere in the country, but he chose to return
home 'to Fresno' to open his first sports-themed restaurant in January of
this year. 

Such is the pull of this fast-growing city in the center of California'a
farm town that has shrugged off its overalls and picked up its
briefcase. Those who call Fresno home know there's something that keeps
us here or draws us back after youthful wanderlust is spent. What is
that something? Maybe a small-town feeling that persists in a
cosmopolitan setting. Maybe the peaceful vistas provided by the neatly
tended vineyards, orchards and farmlands surrounding the city. Maybe the
majesty of the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains that enclose the San
Joaquin Valley. Maybe the warm, friendly folks committed to their
community'people who open their hearts and pocketbooks to those in need.
Though Fresnans have endured the small-town, hayseed jokes comedian Jay
Leno regularly zings at us, we know the sleepy farm town he pokes fun at
is rapidly diversifying into other areas'while preserving its
agribusiness roots. 

Farming'and More
Agriculture is still the engine that drives this city of 415,000, as
well as Fresno County, with its population approaching 800,000.
Agriculture provides jobs to more than 20 percent of the workforce 
in the county, and farm revenues of
$3.4 billion make this one of the nation's richest agricultural areas.
Fresno and surrounding areas produce 250 agricultural commodities, with
top products being grapes, cotton, poultry, tomatoes, almonds, milk,
beef, lettuce, oranges, plums, nectarines and garlic.
But there's much more. Manufacturing, distributing, telecommunications
and food services are flourishing, and there's growing high-tech
interest in Fresno. The number of high-tech jobs jumped 54 percent
between 1990 and 1996, making the city the second-fastest-growing
high-tech employment market in California. The results of a 'California
Cybercities' survey, published this past fall by the American
Electronics Association, showed that Fresno had 3,833 high-tech jobs in
1996, up from 2,488 in 1990. While that was only a small portion of
California's 724,000 high-tech jobs, the survey summary notes that
Fresno's six-year growth rate reflects a trend that is likely to
continue.
A variety of other factors'some tangible, some the feel-good
variety'also contribute threads to a rich Fresno tapestry. Residential
and commercial building is soaring, and housing is affordable, with a
median home price of $102,000. Average rent for a two-bedroom, one-bath
apartment in the metropolitan area is $442.
Men's and women's athletic programs at California State
University'Fresno develop athletes that compete and win at the national
level. In 1998, the women's softball team won the NCAA Division 1
championship, and the men's basketball team extended its season to the
NIT Final Four. Fresno's Triple-A baseball team, the Grizzlies, had its
inaugural season last year, and Fresno also supports a semipro hockey
team, the Fresno Falcons, and a semi-pro football team, the Fresno
Bandits. A minor-league soccer franchise could call Fresno home by next
year.
An exciting cultural scene includes excellent music, dance and theater
groups, museums that draw national exhibits, and hometown pride in Audra
McDonald, a Fresnan who scooped up her third Tony Award in 1998 for her
performance in Ragtime.
Chamber of Commerce President Eric R. Johnson, executive director of
external affairs for Pacific Bell, says 'positive energy' abounds, and
H. Spees, CEO of the Fresno Leadership Foundation, is optimistic about
Fresno's development into a successful urban center. 'The soul of our
city is being shaped in a very positive way as businesses, citizens,
churches, police and government work collaboratively on proj-ects that
enhance quality of life.'
Last year, Outlook magazine named Fresno a 'choice city' in which to
live and work, based on attributes such as cultural amenities, quality
of life, crime rate, job creation, proactive business attitude, taxes,
transportation and educational opportunities. Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson
says Fresno's No. 23 ranking by the magazine, ahead of Savannah,
Georgia, and Tucson, Arizona, puts the city in the 'big leagues.'
'We have a can-do attitude,' says Patterson. 'Fresno is rolling its
sleeves up and working hard to perform in the business realm.' On the
quality-of-life side of the ledger, he says, Fresno is the perfect-size
city. 'We're small enough to have a hometown feel but large enough for
big-city entertainment. You don't have to be in Los Angeles to enjoy a
first-rate philharmonic, wonderful museums, fine restaurants, a Garth
Brooks concert or Olympic gold medalists in Stars on Ice. We have a
75-cent bus ride and a 25-minute drive time.'

Rapid Growth
Fresno, which edges out state capital Sacramento for the spot as
California's sixth-largest city, is home to people from 70 different
countries'from Armenia to Zaire'making it a true American melting pot.
Fresno is also California's fastest-growing major city, according to the
Fresno Chamber. Population increased nearly 12 percent from 1990 to
1996, according to the latest figures available from the Census Bureau.
As the largest city in the county, Fresno will lead the way to a
projected county population of almost 1.1 million in 2010, an annual
growth rate of 2.37 percent. That's higher than the 1.6 percent rate for
California and the 0.8 percent U.S. rate, according to a report by the
Central California Futures Institute.
'Continuing population growth in the next century will provide
significant opportunities for business growth in the San Joaquin
Valley,' says report author Joseph J. Penbera, chief economist for
Fresno's Regency Bank.
The city is working to mitigate one unwanted effect of growth:
Population increases have exceeded employment opportunities. Job
creation'while preserving the agricultural base'is an oft-mentioned goal
of city and county officials. The city of Fresno has spent the last two
years working on a business-friendly attitude, says Patterson. Fee
reductions, waivers and deferrals, as well as streamlined permit
processing, provide incentives to businesses, industries and commercial
operations. Enterprise Zones, in which the city offers incentives such
as tax credits and development-fee reductions for projects in certain
geographic areas, also are available. The city's Service Center for
Business Development brings together the government decisionmakers a
company needs to get its business rolling, and reduces departmental and
agency review times from 10 days to two.
Small businesses have a friend in the Entrepreneurial Resource Center,
which provides education, counseling and post-technical support; acts as
a resource center for networking among small-business entrepreneurs; and
is an information center for the community, providing workshops and
referrals. The center's Entre- preneurial Training Program, operated in
partnership with the University Business Center of California State
University'
Fresno, provides an intensive nine-week course for the development and
success of a new business.
Fresno promoters hope the city's central California location, a big
labor pool and affordable real estate will persuade more companies to
move to the Fresno Valley. Gap Inc.'s Old Navy clothing division chose
Fresno'out of more than 100 sites the Gap was considering'to be the home
of a 565,000-square-foot, approximately $40 million distribution center,
scheduled to open next month with more than 250 employees. Expansion
could double that figure. Among other enticements, the city agreed to
sell 
the Gap 146 acres of city-owned property for $1, and the state
Legislature provided a $500,000 cash inducement.
'I put out a challenge to any business: If they don't look at Fresno,
they're missing what the Gap found,' says Patterson. 'We are prepared to
duplicate the kind of hard work that won us the Gap, given the
opportunity.'
Also in the works are two developments that will provide a much-needed
boost to Fresno's inventory of industrial space, making it possible for
companies to expand. Palm Bluffs Corporate Center, a 236-acre industrial
park scheduled to be completed the end of this year, is expected to
support 5,000 new jobs over the next 20 years, and the 950-acre Roeding
Business Park, not yet under construction, is expected to support 20,000
jobs. In the retail sector, the 21/2-year-old MarketPlace at River Park
shopping center in north Fresno is expanding this year. Three new
restaurants opened in January, and construction has started on a
1,000-car parking structure.

Rejuvenating City Center
Downtown, the city is approaching 'a complete renaissance,' says City
Councilman Dan Ronquillo. Work will begin later this year or early next
on a $100 million federal courthouse. A $28.5 million Convention Center
expansion to accommodate demand from state and national groups should
wrap up by the end of this year, and plans are in the works for a hotel
that would connect to the center. In addition, a $160 million, 58-acre
regional medical center is targeted to open in 2002.
The downtown project that has generated the most excitement and
controversy in recent years is a $30.5 million stadium for the
Grizzlies. The privately owned multipurpose stadium is expected to be
completed April 2000. Councilman Garry Bredefeld and a host of
supporters also envision another large project, a $25 million, 45-acre
development that would include a 14-acre lake, upscale condominiums,
shops, offices and restaurants.
Tied to economic development, says chamber president Johnson, is image
building. Numerous Fresno businesses and public agencies will work
collaboratively on the issue for the next two to three years, he says.
'We have made physical progress as a city. It's time to capture that
progress, recognize that progress and start holding that progress out as
what represents Fresno. Our work will be to examine and redefine the
themes and images that represent Fresno today, then develop a strategy
on how to capture them and 
how to put those themes into the public consciousness.' 

Making the Desert Bloom
The Fresno area has attracted attention from diverse groups throughout
its history. The first Europeans to discover the region were Spaniards
searching for suitable mission sites. In 1846, the area became the
property of the United States as a result of the Mexican War. After gold
was discovered in California in 1848, miners flocked to the foothill
areas of the San Joaquin River, and Fresno County was created in 1856.
The first lumber mill was built in 1852 and was followed by 23 others.
Flumes, some more than 50 miles long, were built by lumber companies to
transport the logs from the mountains to the valley floor. Gold,
petroleum and copper also were discovered in Fresno County, and the
western part of the county became well-known for its oil and coal
production.
In 1872, with the development of a railroad line through the San Joaquin
Valley, the town of Fresno was created. It took its name from the ash
trees native to the valley. Fresno is the Spanish word for 'ash tree.'
Though dry and desertlike, Fresno grew rapidly, and on October 12, 1885,
the city was incorporated.
Fresno's agricultural heritage can be traced back to the 1860s, when
settlers diverted water from the nearby Kings River for their land and
animals. Soon, a series of canals was delivering water needed to
transform the barren desert into rich farmland.
Today, Fresno's modern agribusiness legacy is well-known through brands
shipped worldwide: Sun-Maid, Champion and Lion raisins, Oberti olives,
Gallo wines, David & Sons sunflower seeds, Sun-Diamond nut products,
Yorkshire Dried Fruit & Nuts, Spreckels Sugar Co. products and Harris
Ranch Beef Co. 
products.

Sun and Fun
Though Fresno is focusing hard on economic development, it's certainly
not a city of all work and no play. With sunshine 83 percent of the time
and an average of just 10.6 inches of rainfall a year, Fresno is an
attractive vacation destination. Summer temperatures sometimes top 100,
but 
virtually everything'homes, cars, stores, businesses, even tractor
cabs'has air- conditioning, and in winter, the average daytime high is
56.5 degrees.
Fourteen golf courses, three regional parks, two water parks and the
Chaffee Zoological Gardens provide outdoor activities in the
metropolitan area. Several lakes and rivers are just an hour's drive
away, and two national forests and three national parks'Yosemite,
Sequoia and Kings Canyon'are less than three hours away. 
The Fresno County Blossom Trail comes alive each spring with colors and
fragrances to dazzle the senses. The 62-mile self-guided motor tour past
groves, orchards, vineyards and fields of wildflowers showcases a
profusion of almond, apricot, peach, plum and nectarine blossoms, plus
historical points of interest.
Fresno is a family-friendly city rich in cultural and religious
diversity. Hundreds of churches, synagogues, temples and mosques dot the
city's neighborhoods; celebrations of various ethnic holidays are held
throughout the year; and a multicultural festival every fall celebrates
the city's varied cultures.
Fresno's cultural diversity, recreational opportunities and
family-friendliness all contribute to that 'something' that binds
Fresnans to the city and makes them proud to call it home. While Fresno
still faces challenges, it has much it can be proud of, and it's 'headed
in the right direction,' says chamber president 
Johnson.
And Spees, of the Fresno Leadership Foundation, says Fresno's
agricultural heritage makes the city well-prepared to overcome the
challenges that lie ahead. 'There's growing determination by a growing
number of people that the way to solve the city's problems is one kid at
a time, one family at a time, one elementary- school neighborhood at a
time,' he says. 'It's hard work, but we're used to hard work because we
know about farming. That's how farming is done: row by row and acre by
acre.' 

Shirley Melikian Armbruster is a Fresno-based feature writer.

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