Fresno

Understand

The city has a population estimated at 530,000 and around 1 million live in the county (2019).

The Save Mart Center at California State University, Fresno ("Fresno State") has played host to concerts featuring high-profile acts.

Fresno's most famous son is the writer William Saroyan, after whom a local theater is named. The city has a large Hmong community.

Climate

Winter weather typically features highs around 60°F, and "extreme" lows in the low to mid 30s F, often with morning fog and sometimes frost. Rain fall is sparse and occurs exclusively in winter and early spring months. Most rain storms last less than 2 days and are often spread weeks apart. It is not uncommon to experience hail, however it is very rare to see snow fall on the valley floor. The few times it does snow, the snow rarely sticks over night. While winter temperatures can reach below freezing, most all storms feature "warm fronts" that more or less eliminate the chance for snow (mid to low 40s F is a typical "cold" rain storm).

Summer temperatures average around 99°F during the day and 68°F at night. Days with high temperatures 110°F or above are not uncommon. Humidity is only around 20% in the afternoon, though, making for a more bearable dry heat. The chance to find over 110° days commonly occurs beginning late July and continuing to mid August. During these days the low nighttime temperature can remain above 76°F all night long, in some cases not going below 82°F. It is common for a heat wave to last two weeks.

Tourist information

• Fresno Tourism website

Get in

By plane

Go Fresno/Yosemite International Airport (FAT formerly, "Fresno Air Terminal")

This airport is accessed via N Peach Ave from CA-180 or E Clinton Ave from CA-168. It is the nearest commercial airport for year round commercial air service to Yosemite National Park and is the major airport serving the San Joaquin Valley in Central California and a crew base for SkyWest Airlines.

5.5 mi northeast of downtown towards Clovis⚠ Last checked Apr 2020 — confirm before you go

MapsWebsite☆ Want to go

• The following airlines offer service from:
• AeroMexico (Guadalajara)
• Skywest dba Alaska Airlines (Portland, Seattle, San Diego)
• Allegiant (Las Vegas)
• American Airlines (Dallas-Ft Worth) and Skywest dba American Eagle (Phoenix and Los Angeles)
• Skywest dba Delta Connection (Salt Lake City)
• Frontier Airlines (Denver)
• United Airlines (Chicago O'Hare) and Skywest dba United Express (Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco)
• Volaris (Guadalajara Leon/El Bajio, and Morelia)

There are taxis, rideshare and hotel shuttles to bring you into town locally and long shuttles and buses for onward transport to Yosemite National Park, Hanford, Lenmore and Visalia. There are also car rental available from the airport which is the preferred method for greater flexibility in getting around. See this Link for a list of ground transport providers. The #26 bus connects the airport to downtown Fresno and the up north along N Palm Ave to Villaggio Mall while #39 bus goes west along Clinton to W Clinton and Brawey Ave in the west side of town, nowhere near downtown.

By train

Amtrak serves Fresno with six trains a day via its Gold Runner route, running south to Bakersfield and north to either Sacramento or Oakland. Fresno station is in a historic Santa Fe Passenger Depot at 2650 Tulare St.

By car

Almost everybody gets to Fresno by car. The drive to Fresno takes about 3 hours from San Francisco, 3½ hours from Los Angeles, and 5½ hours from San Diego. Coming from the southern Peninsula or South Bay, most people take U.S. Highway 101 to Gilroy, State Highway 152 over Pacheco Pass and through Los Banos, then State Highway 99 south to Fresno. From the northern Peninsula, one might take highway 92 over the San Mateo Bridge ($7 toll as of 2022), to 880 North, then 580 East to 205 East to 5 North to 120 East to 99 South. From Los Angeles, take Interstate 5 north and State Highway 99 north. Fresno is accessible from the southern Central Coast by State Highway 41, usually used with State Highway 46. Fresno is the largest city in the United States without an Interstate highway running through it, but 99 provides much of that function and is slated to be upgraded to Interstate status.

By bus

Greyhound has a terminal next to Amtrak in downtown Fresno. Exercise caution in this area at night.

• Flixbus, runs service along the 99 corridor.
• V-Line runs six times a day between Visalia, Fresno airport, the university, and downtown Fresno.
• KART, runs twice a day, weekdays, to Hanford.
• Fresno County Rural Transit, runs service out to the small communities in Fresno County. Schedules vary.

Get around

By car

As is typical in California Central Valley cities, a car is useful and often necessary to access most parts of town. Traffic congestion in Fresno is not as bad as larger places in California, but Shaw and Herndon avenues can get quite crowded, especially since there is no east-west freeway through the north side. CA-99 runs along the west side of the city, becoming semi-rural before exiting Fresno County on the northwest side of Fresno. CA-41 runs down the middle of the city. Until the late 1990s and early 2000s these were the only freeways in Fresno, but a surge in growth has spurred the development of the CA-180 and CA-168 freeways.

By bus

There is a modest bus system, Fresno Area Express (FAX), but a car would be advised. The city has a bus rapid transit line.

By bike

In 2011, Fresno became the first town or city in the Central Valley to earn a Bronze Medal Designation from the League of American Bicyclists, recognizing Fresno as a bicycle friendly community. The city is expanding its bike lanes further in an effort to improve bike access.

Learn

Stay safe

Crime presents considerable concerns in Fresno. As a rule of thumb, travellers should exercise increased caution in parts of the city located south of Shaw Avenue.

Homeless people are known to congregate near the city's so-called Chinatown area, across the railroad tracks from Chukchansi Park. The area also suffers from a high crime rate. Caution should be exercised when visiting the area.

Avoid the southeastern part of the city at night due to high crime rates.

Unlike other parts of California, earthquakes of any magnitude are infrequent in Fresno and surrounding areas. If felt, the quakes tend to cause very little (if any) damage.

Go next

The adjacent town of Clovis has a small "old town" with numerous antique stores. The last weekend of April the town hosts the Clovis Rodeo.

Millerton Lake is about 20 miles northeast of Fresno on Friant Road. It's a popular site for fishing and waterskiing.

Many locals escape the summer heat at the lakes in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. These lakes have recreation areas, campgrounds, and bed and breakfasts:

• Shaver Lake (with nearby Sierra Summit ski resort)
• Huntington Lake
• Bass Lake
• Pine Flat Lake