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About
Fresno County
Fresno
County is the #1 agricultural county in the
country and the most productive in the world. It
produces more than 250 agricultural commodities
averaging over $3 billion annually.
| What
are the leading industries
other than agribusiness? |
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Industrial
machinery and equipment |
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Lumber
and wood products |
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Primary
metals |
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Clay |
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Glass
products |
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Information
processing |
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Correctional
facilities |
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Distribution
centers |
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| What
is the county's population? |
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| Fresno
County has an estimated 1998
population of 776,200 with
the largest concentration in
the Fresno metropolitan
area. There are 14 other
incorporated cities within
the county |
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| What
about terrain and climate? |
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Our
climate ranges from
Mediterranean to Alpine.
Elevations range from 100
feet above sea level to
14,000 feet at the mountain
peaks. |
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The
average summer temperature
on the valley floor is 94.0°
with very low humidity. |
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The
average winter temperature
is 39.6°. |
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Normal
annual fainfall is 9.86
inches. |
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On
average, the sun shines 83%
of the time! |
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| What
about law enforcement? |
| Most
of the incorporated cities
have their own police
departments. The Fresno
County Sheriff's Department
is responsible for the
unincorporated areas. We
also have MAGEC, the
Multi-Agency Gang
Enforcement Consortium.
Formed in 1997, MAGEC is a
consortium of 30 law
enforcement agencies -
local, state and federal. Fresno
County's MAGEC is the first
program of its kind in the
state. |
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Health
Care
| A
full range of health services is
available to residents of the
I-5 BDC. |
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The
Fresno County Health Services
Agency runs clinics in Kerman
and Firebaugh. |
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The
Mendota Primary Care Medical
Clinic and Mendota Dental Clinic
serve Mendota residents. |
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North
Central Fire District provides
fire suppression and paramedic
services in the Kerman area. |
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Mendota
and Tranquillity have a joint
Fire Protection District. |
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Firebaugh
has a volunteer fire department. |
| Full
service regional hospitals with
a variety of outpatient clinics
and programs. |
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Madera
Community Hospital, serving
Firebaugh and Mendota residents. |
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Fresno
Community Medical Center, Fresno |
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Saint
Agnes Medical Center, Fresno |
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Kaiser
Permanente, Fresno |
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University
Medical Center, operated by
Community Hospitals of Central
California, provides a Level One
burn and trauma center. |
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Widely
recognized for its superior
service to children, Valley
Children's Hospital is known
throughout the state for the
special care it provides to sick
children and infants. Its new
state-of-the-art facility in
Madera County, just across the
river from Fresno County, has
been operating at full capacity
since the summer of 1998. |
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Other
facilities available in Fresno
County include nursing homes,
Alzheimer's care facilities,
psychiatric hospitals, cancer
centers, a variety of home
health care services and
physicians in virtually all
specialties. |
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School-to-Work
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What
is School-To-Work?
A
program to prepare students for
the competitive global economy
by introducing them to a variety
of careers and what each
requires, and showing them how
they can prepare for the career
of their choice.
How
does it work?
As one of two rural programs in
California, School-to-Work has
developed Career Centers at area
schools. Each site has a career
coordinator. Job shadowing and
field trips expose students to
different careers. The program
provides students with
mentorships, apprenticeships and
actual job experience.
How
is School-to-Work funded?
The program runs on a five-year
$2.2 million federal grant. The
USDA Rural Development Program
recently provided an additional
$55,000 to provide Internet
access to students during the
day and to small businesses at
night.
Are
specific high schools involved
in the program?
Yes. High schools in Firebaugh,
Kerman, Mendota and Tranqullity
cooperate to offer the
School-to-Work Program through
the I-5 BDC.
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Industrial
Land and Support
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How
much industrial land is
available?
In
the four city business
corridor, approximately
____ acres of land have
been designated for
industrial use. |
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What
is the cost of the
industrial land?
Much
less than comparable
land in Southern
California or the San
Francisco Bay Area. On
average:
- Fully
improved industrial
land sells for 70
cents to $1.80 per
square foot.
- Industrial
lease rates are 20
to 28 cents per
square foot.
- Office
space runs 85 cents
to $1.32 per square
foot.
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Is
fiber optics available
in the I-5 BDC area?
It's
on the way. A task force
of school and business
professionals is
exploring the
feasibility of
installing fiber optic
wiring throughout the
area. The task force
includes Kerman
Telephone Company, West
Hills Comunity College,
State Center Community
College District and
California State
University, Fresno. When
completed, the fiber
optic wiring will be
available to business,
medical and agricultural
facilities as well as to
the schools. |
Who
provides utility
services?
Gas
and electric utilities
are provided through
Pacific Gas &
Electric, telephone
service is provided by
several companies
including PacTel, KerTel
and GTE; and cable
television by AT&T
Broadband (formerly
Media One). A major
landfill is located
within the I-5 BDC on
American Avenue. For
more information on
water and sewage, please
contact an I-5 BDC
representative. |
Are
there any recycling
programs benefiting
businesses?
Yes.
The I-5 BDC is located
in Fresno County,
designated a Recycling
Market Development Zone
(RMDZ) by the State of
California. An RMDZ
helps businesses meet
the newest national
recycling standards with
the least possible
disruption to their
operations. This
designation provides
qualified businesses
within the county access
to low-interest loans of
up to $1 million. |
What
kind of support can we
expect?
Local
government in the I-5
BDC works with state and
federal agencies to
offer strong support to
businesses here. For
example, I-5 BDC cities
and staff work closely
with the Small Business
Administration and the
Valley Small Business
Development Corporation
to facilitate loans for
new and existing
businesses in the area.
Some I-5 BDC cities also
have additional
partnership programs
with the State of
California. |
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The
Labor Pool
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| The
I-5 BDC has an abundant
labor supply; nearly
5,000 workers are
available for work
immediately. |
| Labor
Force |
Males
16+ Years |
In
Labor Force |
| (1998
figures) |
17,966 |
78.4% |
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Females
16+ Years |
In
Labor Force |
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15,615 |
44.2% |
| Class
of Worker |
Private
For Profit |
80.0% |
| (1990
figures) |
Private
Not for Profit |
2.5% |
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Local
Government |
6.9% |
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State
Government |
2.3% |
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Federal
Government |
12.7% |
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Self
Employed |
8.0% |
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Unpaid
Family Workers |
0.8% |
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What
skills do workers
possess?
- Our
white collar workers
have experience in
managerial/executive,
technical, clerical
and sales jobs.
- Our
blue collar workers
have experience as
craftsmen,
operatives and
laborers in the
farming, forestry
and fishing
industries. Many can
operate heavy
equipment such as
tractors and
forklifts. Many of
our people are
bilingual in
English/Spanish and
English/Punjabi.
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Accessible
to all of California
The
I-5 BDC is centrally located and
easily accessible to Los Angeles
and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Interstate
5 and the Southern Pacific
Railroad take I-5 BDC products to
the rest of California and the
nation. State Route 180 runs east
and west along the I-5 BDC area.
State Route 145 runs north and
south in a section of the I-5 BDC
region, and directly links the
area with State Highway 99.
How
long does it take to drive?
3
hours - to the San Francisco Bay
Area
3.5
hours - to the Sacramento Area
3
hours, 15 minutes - to Los Angeles
40
minutes - to Fresno
Thus,
I-5 BDC firms have convenient
access to the ocean ports of
Oakland (Northern California) and
Long Beach (Southern California)
and the inland ports of Sacramento
and Stockton. Air cargo vendors
include United Parcel Service and
Federal Express.
Is
there an airport nearby?
The
Fresno Yosemite International
Airport is a direct port of entry
and serves the area with regularly
scheduled passenger and freight
service to the nation's major
cities. Fresno's downtown Chandler
Airport and the Mendota Airport
serve general aviation.
What
about public transportation?
The
U.S. Government is funding an
analysis of public transportation
in the I-5 BDC area. Major
improvements are contemplated.
- The
Sub-Regional Transportation
Network to provide additional
transportation services for
the I-5 BDC region is being
developed.
- Fresno
County Rural Transit Agency
serves the I-5 BDC cities.
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To
help maintain air quality the
Agency encourages (ridesharing
options", carpools, use of
public transit, walking,
bicycling, telecommuting, etc. |
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The
Central Valley Ridesharing program
matches commuters to assist in
carpooling. |
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Amtrak
and Greyhound Bus Lines serve the
area from Fresno. |
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Recreation
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What
recreational activities are
available in the I-5 BDC Area?
Many
different recreational
opportunities are available in and
near the I-5 BDC. The corridor
itself includes ample fishing and
hunting, the Mendota Wildlife
Refuge, boating and swimming and a
regulation 18-hole golf course and
country club. The area has active
youth baseball, softball, soccer
and football leagues and also
adult recreational leagues.
Are
there any recreational areas
nearby?
Yes,
within a two-hour drive are three
national parks (Yosemite, Kings
Canyon and Sequoia), three lakes
(Millerton, Shaver, Huntington),
the Sierra National Forest and the
Central California Coast (Pismo
Beach, Morro Bay and
Carmel-Monterey). |
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What
about theaters, museums and
restaurants?
Excellent
food is available at picturesque
local restaurants. A 40-minute
drive away, the Fresno
metropolitan area has many fine
restaurants, live local theater,
frequent visits by touring plays
and concerts, art museums and
galleries, a Philharmonic
Orchestra, several movie theaters,
and other cultural and
recreational opportunities. Just a
little further - 3 to 4 hours
driving time - are the California
Wine Country and the bright lights
of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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Education
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What
educational and training
opportunities are
offered in the I-5 BDC
area?
Higher
Education
- West
Hills Community
College District has
its main campus in
Coalinga and
additional locations
in Firebaugh (in the
I-5 BDC) and Kings
County (at Lemoore
and the Lemoore
Naval Air Station).
In addition to a
general curriculum,
West Hills offers a
variety of career
skills classes and
will customize
training for
employers.
- State
Center Community
College District has
two campuses in
Fresno County and
has developed a
third in adjacent
Madera County.
Fresno City College,
the oldest and one
of the largest
community colleges
in California,
maintains an Export
Center that provides
technical assistance
to area businesses
interested in
international trade.
- California
State University,
Fresno is part of
the California State
University system.
Its Sid Craig School
of Business will
soon offer a series
of classes in the
I-5 BDC area. Topics
will include
marketing to
Hispanic consumers
and using the
Internet, among
others.
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Pre-School
and K-12
- Four
high schools (Firebaugh,
Kerman, Tranquillity and
Mendota)
- Eleven
Kindergarten to 8th grade
schools
- Several
pre-school and day care
facilities
Career
Training Opportunities
- Area
colleges and training
programs provide specialized
training in specific job
skills and management
techniques.
- Fresno
Works has job training and
placement centers in Mendota
and Kerman.
- School-To-Work
Program familiarizes area
youth with various careers
and their requirements.
- The
I-5 BDC also partners with
local offices of the
Workforce Development Board
and Proteus, Inc. to offer
employee training.
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