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 are exploring why people leave and what would help them move back home.
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 DOT com. This is our second reader submitted survey, and our first from a Tulare County native.
Thank you Dan for taking the time to share your perspective!
Name: Dan
Age: 43
Where did you attend high school? Tulare Union High School
What is your educational background? MS in Engineering, San Jose State; BS in Mathematics, University of South Carolina. Also attended Fresno State, College of the Sequoias, Chico State, and Shasta College.
What is your current occupation? Software engineer at a Motorola subsidiary.
Where and how long did you live in the central valley?
From 1973 to 1985 in Hanford, Tulare, and Clovis, 1987/88 up norte, and also in Yosemite from 1990 to 1992.Where do you live now? San Jose.
Why do you (don’t you) live in the central San Joaquin Valley?
1) Not enough jobs, good or otherwise.
2) My wife has zero interest in the Valley, and she probably couldn’t get a good job within her specialization there.
3) Honestly, I would be concerned about the impact of air pollution on my kids.
What are the secondary reasons?
The Bay Area is not a bad place to live. Great weather. Nice trails. More liberals.Roads with curves.
What are the top 5-10 adjectives that come to mind when you think of the central valley? Nevada (that’s the adj in “Sierra Nevada”), Hot, foggy, fertile, reactionary.
What changes/acts of God would need to occur in order for you to move back?
The real miracle would be convincing my wife.
What price would make it worthwhile to move back?
Two good jobs, I suppose.
Feel free to add any comments.
I would love to live among the grove on the eastern edge of the valley. It’s a genuine fantasy, but maybe not very realistic.
