Editors’ note:
This is part of an on-going series of posts on the Valley’s creative movement and its counterpart the central valley brain drain. We’re tracking down former Valley residents (with a preference on educated “creative class”-types) and finding out what they’re doing, why they don’t live in the Valley, and what it would take for them to move back.
If you are part of the brain drain and would like to participate, answer the questions you see below and send them to valley.notes at gmail.com. We know using our network alone will have an inherent bias.
Please give us ideas on how we can improve this series.
Brain Drain Chronicles: Jay, 26
Name: Jay
Age: 26
Where did you attend high school?
Clovis High
What is your educational background?
B.A. Northwestern, Economics
What is your current occupation?
Policy Researcher. I work at a think tank where I do economic and demographic research on poverty and welfare issues.
Where and how long did you live in the central valley?
Fresno. 18 years, 1982-2000.
Where do you live now?
San Francisco
Why do you (don’t you) live in the central San Joaquin Valley?
I left for college. Moved to DC for a job. Then moved to San Francisco for my current job.
What are the secondary reasons?
For an ethnically diverse county of about a million residents, Fresno still manages to be uninteresting. It’s a combination of suburban sprawl, terrible air quality, high unemployment, high concentrations of poverty (#1 in the US), conservative myopia, struggling schools and an obdurate religiosity (I should note that this combination makes it incredibly interesting for sociological/economic/demographic research, but not an incredibly interesting place to live). I don’t think I would be able to advise a 20-something college graduate to live there without feeling a considerable amount of guilt. Seeing the latest box office hit at Edwards passes as a cultural outing. Finding food takes a tremendous amount of effort and driving if you don’t want to eat at a chain restaurant. Only the Tower District seems to show a glimmer of progress and hope.
To be fair, there are a few very brave and intelligent people that are capable of creating interesting and meaningful lives in Fresno. However, I have neither motivation nor the creative capacity to do the same. Give me the beauty of urban living with its infinite cultural options, great food, great bars, public transit systems and progressive people with an eclectic array of interests.
What are the top 5-10 adjectives that come to mind when you think of the central valley?
Conservative, ag-based, slow, rural/suburban, characterless, religious, air pollution-y, hot (temperature)
If you do not currently live in the central San Joaquin Valley, what change/acts of God would need to occur for you to move there?
An act of God indeed. Just about everything.
If you do not currently live in the central San Joaquin Valley, what price would make it worthwhile?
I’m guessing you’re referring to the cost-of-living. As an unmarried 26 year old without children, cost-of-living isn’t my greatest concern. Since there are no employment options in the valley that interest me, there’s really no price that would get me to move back. I can almost understand moving to the valley if you have a family and your line of work is more ubiquitous or somehow related to agriculture. However, if I had a child, education would be a greater consideration than the affordability of housing. There were a small handful of administrators and teachers in Clovis that were able to inspire and educate me enough to get into a good college, which was no small feat. But looking back at my overall experience, the school system encouraged rote memorization over intellectual curiosity and fostered very little tolerance and compassion in its students.
Feel free to add any comments.
Only 14% of people over 25 years old in the valley (this includes Sacramento Valley) have at least a bachelor’s degree compared to 28% in the rest of California. Even the Inland Empire, which is boasting an upward trend in educational attainment, has a higher proportion of college-educated residents (19%). The brain drain in the valley is severe.
