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Residents feel good about home But a poll finds that they believe air pollution is the Central Valley's No. 1 problem.
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| Published in the Fresno Bee on 04/29/04 |
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New homes tower over what were vacant fields as a worker calls it a day Wednesday at Willow Park, a new subdivision off Willow Avenue, south of Herndon Avenue. Residents' satisfaction with affordable housing has dropped in five years, from 37% to 19% between 1999 and today.
Residents in the Central Valley's 19-county region generally like the communities where they live and believe the area will be an even better place to live in the future. But those favorable impressions haven't eased their growing concerns about air pollution, the economy and the lack of jobs and affordable housing. The findings were part of a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California that reflects the growing trends in communities stretching 400 miles from Bakersfield in the south to Redding in the north. Most residents recognized the rapid growth the region of 5.7 million people has experienced in the past five years. Residents pointed out that the population boom has created more problems, from less affordable housing to traffic congestion on the major freeways. Air pollution still tops the list of growing concerns, with 45% of the population considering it the Central Valley's biggest problem. But none of those issues has subdued the overriding enthusiasm for life in the Central Valley. Roughly 75% of residents said their local community or city is a good or excellent place to live. "They feel up to now, at least, that things are good," said Mark Baldassare, statewide survey director for Public Policy Institute. "It's anybody's best guess right now if things will stay this way, but for now people are saying there's no place like home." The survey found significant differences in residents' perceptions by subregion. They include: 70% of residents in the south San Joaquin Valley -- Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties -- rated their home town as an excellent or good place to live, lowest among the four regions. The other subregions are North Valley, Sacramento metropolitan area and north San Joaquin Valley. 8% of south San Joaquin Valley residents said their home town is a poor area to live, the highest of all subregions. 62% of south San Joaquin Valley residents rated air pollution as a big problem in their area, highest of any subregion. The north San Joaquin Valley was next, with 39% rating air pollution as a big problem. 27% of south San Joaquin Valley residents rated traffic congestion as a big problem, lowest among the subregions. The Sacramento metropolitan area was No. 1 among the four subregions, with 63%. 15% of south San Joaquin Valley residents said they are very satisfied with their area's job opportunities. This tied the Sacramento metropolitan area for the highest among subregions. 32% of south San Joaquin Valley residents said air pollution is the most important issue facing the 19-county Central Valley, highest by 18 percentage points among the four subregions. Despite their concerns, more residents in the south San Joaquin Valley (47%) said they think the Central Valley will be a better place to live in the future than in any other subregion. Fresno resident Jason Bolton, 30, has lived in the Central Valley since he was a boy. He likes Fresno and wishes other people had a more favorable opinion of the city. It upsets him when he hears people say that living somewhere else might be better. "It's the grass-is-always-greener mentality," said Bolton, an automotive service manager. "I think Fresno has a lot of upside to it. The only problem I have with it is that there isn't a lot of civic pride here." The number of residents who believe the Central Valley will be a better place to live in the future outnumbers those who believe it will be a worse place. Only 32% believe things in the Central Valley are headed in the wrong direction. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Modesto's Great Valley Center, questioned 2,005 adults from April 12 to April 20. The margin of error is two percentage points. The findings are used by government leaders, businesses and civic groups to help with planning and to get a sense of how residents see the challengeswithin their communities. This is the survey's fifth year and some regional trends are starting to emerge, said Carol Whiteside, president of the Great Valley Center. People continue to rate local police, parks and recreation as excellent or good. Four out of 10 residents said their city government is doing a good job of solving problems -- a statistic that has remained virtually unchanged since 1999, the survey's first year. But perceptions of other issues have changed significantly in the past five years. Satisfaction with affordable housing dropped 18 points with only 19% of residents saying they are satisfied with housing opportunities compared to 37% in 1999. The number of residents concerned with air pollution also increased dramatically in the past five years. Only 28% of residents mentioned air pollution as the top issue facing the region in 1999 compared to 45% this year. Christina Musgrave said air pollution is a definite concern for her. The Fresno resident has bad allergies. "They just seem to get worse every year," said the eighth-grade schoolteacher. "The air quality to me is just terrible and I'm one of those affected by it." The survey reflects a cross-section of the community and provides a good indication of how residents perceive the region where they live, Whiteside said. "This really helps us to define the Valley where it is similar and where it is different from the rest of the state," she said. "Even though it's one big valley, there are a lot of differences in it and the poll recognizes that." The reporter can be reached at kginis@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6317. By Kerri Ginis |
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