Fresno keeps the California dream alive its the states future

Three thousand dollars — or five hundred.That was the first choice that I had to make as an adult.

I grew up in a low-income family.My mom immigrated from the island of Tonga.

My dad was a disabled veteran.While I was working at McDonald’s and at a car wash and deciding where to go to college, friends of mine in San Jose were paying $3,000 for a shared bedroom.

In Fresno, $500 got me my own bedroom in a brand-new apartment.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story So I chose Fresno, and I came to Fresno State as a walk-on football player, at the tight end position.When I hit real financial hardship, this community came to the rescue.

People fed me, gave me a place to stay, and gave me a chance to make something of my life.I understand why young families are choosing Fresno.It’s one of the last places in California where you can still plant roots and buy into a community.

Fresno is the fifth-largest city in the state, behind only LA, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego.It has a big-city feel with a small-town heart, right in the center of the Central Valley.

When young families in other parts of the state feel hopeless, they find hope here.Most of California is moving the other way.Last year, about 288,600 more people moved out of California to other states than moved in, according to the state Department of Finance.They were running from the cost.

In September, the median home in California sold for just under $900,000.In Fresno, it was about $400,000.

Less than half the price.And in Fresno, less really does mean more.

More yard.More room to raise a family.

Young families don’t want to raise their kids without a backyard.Here, $400,000 buys a great house with one.

In LA or the Bay, that money won’t even get you most condos.Fresno sits in the midd...