Clovis

Although a rather small part of Fresno County, Clovis is a densely populated residential city complete with a wide selection of apartment buildings and mobile home parks. Median household incomes are pegged at around $60,000/year, which pits Clovis as a firm middle-class community. The racial makeup of the city is dominated by a white community (70%), while Hispanic homeowners constitute a large segment of the minority (25%).

The residential areas are a mix between open-spaced, one-story homes and newer/remodeled communities which have a polished middle-class feel. In both cases, the areas are family-friendly, safe and bursting with residential appeal. With space considered relatively cheap for California, houses stand on large plots of land. However, the lower income areas, which are rare, can sometimes be unpleasant with tattered wooden fences surrounding smaller plots of property and unkempt house fronts.

Sierra Vista Mall is the city’s predominate commercial hub. It is a mid-size shopping mall located on Clovis and Shaw Avenue. The shopping center is complete with restaurants, popular department stores, a movie theater and ample free parking. The Rodeo Plaza shopping center, which garners less local attention, is located just across the street.

Geographically speaking, the city is relatively flat with miles of open space. Highway 168 cuts diagonally across the city and connects it to neighboring Fresno. Sierra Bicentennial Park acts as Clovis’s youth sports recreational area. The grassy terrain boasts a handful of soccer pitches, baseball fields and playgrounds. For long distance travel, visitors have the option to use Fresno Yosemite International Airport. The airspace is located on the southern end of the city and also shares a border with a small golf course (Fresno Airways golf course). One of the city’s biggest perks is its proximity to Fresno State. The university, which has a highly regarded athletics program and a middle-of-the-road state education, lies just west of Clovis.