If you were to spend your time anywhere in the city, go downtown. Downtown is absolutely charming, full of cafes, restaurants and neat little shops. Make that latte to go, take in music on the street every Friday night, shop for fresh local produce every Thursday night in the summer, catch a show at the Fox Theatre, go antiquing or search for that perfect knick-knack for your home. There are a few quality hotels within walking distance -- the Marriott (formerly Radisson, formerly Presidian), Comfort Inn and Best Western are good, and if you like bed and breakfasts, then Ben Maddox House and Spalding House are incredible!

Mooney Boulevard is not so much charming, but it boast almost any store you're looking for. It's where all the big box chain stores call home -- Borders, Best Buy, Costco, Target, Ross, you name it. (Except WalMart and KMart are in different parts of town.) It also boasts two malls, one of which houses a 12-screen cineplex, several family-style chain restaurants like Chilis, Applebees, Olive Garden and Mimi's Cafe, and shopping shopping shopping! This is the place that's expanding the most, and they're constantly building as I type!

Housing here is very affordable when compared to most other places in California (so far!) I am not a homeowner and prices fluctuate all the time, so you'll have to check out the link above, but I do know it's about $600 for a no-frills-but-safe-neighborhood two-bedroom apartment. If you're paying any less than $400 for a one-bedroom apartment, it's in a bad part of town. (See the Crime section to download a PDF map of the bad parts of town!)

The big plus of moving to Visalia: its central location. It's only about 3-hour drives to either Los Angeles or San Francisco, and it's just an hour drive to the Sequoia National Park and two hours from beaches like Pismo. But beware the air pollution as it's consistently one of the worst in the nation.

(Visiting the Sequoias and want to help save that said air pollution? Take the brand new Sequoia Shuttle -- only $10 a person, and that includes the park entrance that's normally $20 a car! You'd be saving on gas alone!)

A lot of kids complain that Visalia doesn't have "much to do" but nothing could be further from the truth! Check out this list of activities, or keep an eye on the Choices entertainment section published every Friday in the Visalia Times-Delta. Every year, bigger and better community events take place, and in the summer there's practically three a week. There are regular rock shows at Howie and Sons; performances from names big and small at the historic Fox Theater; a new Adventure Park featuring bumper boats, batting cages and laser tag; farmers' markets; live music on Main St every Friday night; a selection of FANTASTIC bars and restaurants... Visalia really does have a lot to offer and is a great family-friendly place.

Restaurants are my forte as I've eaten at pretty much all 40 restaurants downtown and more across the city. If I were to recommend only one restaurant, it would be Fugazzi's downtown on Main and Locust streets. It's a trendy modern layout inside, and they have everything from salads to wraps to pasta and sandwiches as well as your steaks and chickens and fish. There will be something on the menu that everyone will like, and the prices are pretty reasonable. They also have a take-out on the side of the restaurant. If you want someplace more upscale, you have to go to Vintage Press, ANYTHING on their menu is manna from heaven. It's the ritziest joint between Bakersfield and Sacramento, and VERY worth the expensive splurge. For a cold beer and some pub grub, Brewbakers is the best. They microbrew their own beers and sodas, so you really get a local flavor. They have a great atmosphere, a back garden/patio and live music. For a quick healthy lunch, Watson's Veggie Garden canNOT be beat, even if you're a carnivore. Try their pizza bagels, their veggie sandwiches, Mediterranean lavoshes, even their veggie chicken burger will please the meat-eater's pallete. And the garden out back is SO BEAUTIFUL, it's worth going to even if the food was crap! (Good thing it's not!) For Mexican food, if you want it cheap fast and good, do Colima's. If you want to eat outside and watch people stroll by while enjoying your steak fajitas, go to Alejandras. If you want a festive indoor atmosphere and a great dining experience, do Las Palmas. All three are on Main St. If you've never had proper Mexican food, you CAN'T pass it by in the Central Valley where they know how to do it RIGHT!

Stuck on Mooney? I'd recommend Pita Kabob for excellent Mediterranean takeout, Primo Espresso for a cuppa and a crepe, and Froggies for some after-shopping beer and pool. Those are the only ones that come to mind that aren't a chain, which I prefer recommending to all of you -- although I'm quite fond of Panera Bread and Baja Fresh, I'm sure they taste the same wherever you are!

Visalia is known to be on the conservative side and has a Christian core to it. That's probably why people say there's still a small-town feel here. But there's still plenty of diversity and ways for all walks of life to fit in. Some groups exist but are just pushed underground, such as gays. As Visalia grows, however, that is sure to change.

But regardless, people are mostly friendly on the street and will say hi to strangers. They probably won't invite strangers to dinner, but it's easy to strike up conversations with most everyone around.

Yes! There in fact IS an arts scene! It's not as strong as, say, Three Rivers, which is a mountain town about 30 miles east, but it's definitely there. The city is working on its arts presence and there has been a noticable difference just within the last couple of years. There are a handful of arts organizations and a row of small galleries downtown called Montgomery Square (beyond the glass doors between Tazzeria and El Tarasco on Main St). A popular event is the monthly arts market, with vendors and music and food held on the first Saturday of every month throughout the summer. However, because the city tends to be conservative, the edgy or controversial art doesn't have much of a presence. It's a decades-old joke that Visalians only like their art to match their sofas -- and every year the arts organizations throw a mockingly tongue-in-cheek show called Sofa Art that artists must incorporate a sofa and an annual rotating theme into their pieces. However, the arts scene is trying to move beyond just sofa art, and there is an uprising movement of young and edgier artists called Concrete Culture who are moving to change that, shall we say, tacky reputation. My opinion is that now is THE best time to be an artist in Visalia -- you have incredible opportunities to do some real groundbreaking work and stand out in the crowd!

Ethnically, I'd estimate that Visalia is about 45 percent white, 45 percent Hispanic, and the other 10 percent is made of Southeast Asians (Laos, Thailand, etc), blacks, and Native Americans. Much has been made of the immigrant population who move to the Central Valley to help harvest crops. There are large communities that still speak Spanish, and many official documents are in both languages. A lot of chatter in letters to the editor and craigslist is unfortunately borderline racist, split into the "send them all home" and the "let's take care of them" camps. Immigration is a VERY hot debate.

As with any city, crime depends on which neighborhood you live in. I'm fortunate enough to live in a clean safe neighborhood in the southeast where I feel comfortable walking outside in bare feet - no broken bottles, no fear of needles, etc. (Visalia is generalized into quadrants, with Highway 198 dividing north from south and Santa Fe Ave dividing east from west.) But gangs are consistently a problem in the bad areas of town. In general, the more northeast you go, the more gangs you'll find. Avoid going far north of Hwy. 198. Downtown is just north and is deemed pretty safe. But keep an eye out past the stereotypical train tracks. The Northwest, however, is brand spanking new, and some of the developments out there are some of the most LUXURIOUS gated communities I've ever seen, so you're safe out there.

If you're looking to moving here, look at this map (PDF) made by the Visalia Times-Delta with Feb. 06 information about where all the gangs live. This will make finding places to avoid a LOT easier!

Having said all that, I'm an average middle-class woman and I feel perfectly safe. I do go out alone at night downtown, because it's always well lit, people are usually still strolling about, and there are security staff on bikes. I'm not stupid, though, and I won't park my car very far and only use well-lit and secured parking lots. I think that's typical of any city in America.

I hope I've informed you a bit on what Visalia's like. I didn't want to paint too rosy of a picture but I also wanted to convey why I ended up falling in love with my hometown. So whether you're just visiting for business, on your way to the national parks, or thinking about moving here, just contact me if you have any questions!