13 Best Family Neighborhoods in Fresno, California

Fresno has a very high crime rate among many other issues, so if you are planning on raising a family here it is super important to take care with picking a neighborhood.

There are a few neighborhoods in Fresno that are actually extremely nice, but they can be hard to find so this article provides a layout of the most suitable neighborhoods for families.

13. Woodward Park

Woodward Park is by far the most popular and highly demanded family neighborhood in Fresno. The population of this area is roughly 59,000 and 46% of these residents are families with kids under the age of 18. Nearly 60% of the people living here are married, and nearly 60% of these married couples’ kids are between the ages of 6 and 17 years old. This leaves about 20% to be younger than 6 years old and about 20% to be a family with kids in all age ranges (0-17 yrs). A bonus of living here is that the crime rate is lower here than in the general population of Fresno.

Another positive thing about living here is that there is so much to do, there are countless restaurants, gyms, grocery/ convenient stores, a movie theater, and shopping centers. The most popular attraction of this area is Woodward Park itself, it is an enormous park that has all kinds of activities for everyone. There are different playgrounds, large fields, picnic areas, places to watch sunsets, and cycling and running trails that go for miles. The landscape of the park is very natural, there’s a river and wildlife like bobcats (sometimes). Many family-friendly events are put on at this park as well.

12. South Growth Area

The population here falls just short under 4,000 residents, but the percentage of families with kids under the age of 18 is 61%. The amount of married couples with kids aging between 6 and 17 is approximately 50%. It is almost an even split of 25 and 25 for the number of couples with kids both younger than and between the ages of 6 and 17 and the number of couples with kids only younger than 6 years old. Nearly 60% of the residents are married. It is ranked to be the 7th best neighborhood in Fresno and ranks 20% better than the average area.

The crime rate is 98% lower than the U.S. average, but the median home value falls 51% lower than the average in California. The schooling here is rated to be slightly below average, only 74% of the people in the area have completed high school (granted a lot of the residents are still children) but it is still 10% lower than the national average. 31.7% of the residents have an associate’s degree, 21.6% have a bachelor’s degree, and 5.9% have a master’s degree.

11. North Growth Area

Here 51% of the residents are married couples with kids under 18. The homes are grand and spacy with a beautifully modern and unique look to each one, they also feature clean-looking landscaping. This is a nice area if you like to have your space because the population density is 92% lower than the average of Fresno.

Here there is a noticeable difference in the demographics of residents, out of all categories, most of the residents are between the ages of 55 and 84. There is also a spike in the percentage of females in the age category of 35-44, they are disproportionately high compared to the males in this category. Because of these odd skews of resident data, the number of married couples and kids is less. Only 42% of married couples have kids between 6 and 17, 28% have kids under the age of 6 and 30% have kids in both categories.

The percentage of high school graduates is significantly higher than in the last neighborhood discussed, instead of being 10% below the national average, it is 10% above it, with the number of bachelor’s degrees being 56% higher than the nation’s average, this statistic applies to 47.3% of their residents. 91.7% of people in this area have graduated high school, this percentage of high school graduates is 17% higher than in the previous neighborhood. It seems that if schooling is a central selling point of a neighborhood to you, this would be the place to go.

10. Hoover

This area includes many possible activities such as restaurants like In’n’Out, popular places to shop like Bath and Body Works, gyms, Fresno State University, and fun things like Blackbeards or a pool hall. The SaveMart Center is right in the middle of this area so it might be noisy, there are a lot of busy streets in this area and a center is a place where there are often large, very loud events like monster truck shows and concerts. While this could be a con, it is also a positive because there are so many activities for all age groups and interests to take part in.

There is also a high school and a hospital close by, both of which are good to have near you when you have kids, especially accident-prone ones.

9. West

The first reason this area is family-friendly is that its crime rate is 31% lower than Fresno’s average, a perk is that the cost of living is actually slightly lower too, it ranks 4% lower than Fresno with real estate prices that are also 28% lower. On the opposite end though, the rental prices here are 13% higher than what Fresno is rated to be. 50% of locals rated this area to be family-friendly, they also included that there are lots of parks and friendly neighbors. 54% of the people living here have kids under the age of 18. 100% of reviews claimed that it’s safe at night, this adds to the family friendliness.

8. Bullard

The homes in this area give off two different looks, on one hand, some look like older, pretty cottages, and others look like modern getaway mansions that would be in a lush forest. Either way, the homes are gorgeous. The only downside to Bullard as a family neighborhood is that the crime is much higher than in the other listed areas. It is 31% higher than the U.S. average and 19% higher than California’s average.

As far as schooling goes, the high school graduation rate is 87% which is 4% higher than the national average and 9% higher than in California.

7. McClane

This is a very clean and kid and pet-friendly neighborhood, there are many families in this neighborhood and there are two elementary schools and one high school all within a few blocks of each other. This area was described to be a quiet place and central access to freeways and businesses.

One downside of living in this area is that it is near the airport so it might be really loud, this would most likely not be the best place to raise babies but every other stage would probably be fine. This location has great amenities for everyone in the family, ranging anywhere from bars to trampoline parks to steak houses, gyms, and art museums, there is something for everyone in the family to do.

6. Sunnyside

Most of the homes here were built ranging from the 1950s through the 1970s. This area includes the Kings Canyon Highway and Clovis Avenu, both of which are good for commuting to work or general easier access to main roads. There has been a recent surge in the construction of homes in this area due to its popular demand. Although some of this area is a lot more run down, there is a section that features a nice golf course that is lined with ‘stately’ homes.

5. Fig Garden

This area is also known as Old Fig Garden and is part of a homeowner’s association. This location is most definitely a family-friendly one, with a decently sized shopping center right in the center, it has activities to keep kids, teenagers, and parents busy. The homes here are on the older side but are not as old as Sunnyside, there is more of an older mansion vibe here. This area is popular for its unity in the community, the landscaping of the homes is detailed and beautiful and the yards are huge and grassy with lots of trees for shading. This is also a fantastic family neighborhood because it is home to the annual Christmas Tree Lane, which is coordinated by the community’s committee.

As someone who grew up in this area, I am a little bit biased. This neighborhood was beautiful to grow up in, there is very much so a community vibe because the road is the main road but not a busy one, so there are always people walking and saying hi when you pass. Giant, long-living trees line the roads and provide a nice shading perfect for kids to play under. My favorite thing about living there was Christmas Tree Lane, it was so amazing to have the opportunity of living in the area during Christmas time. It is a neighborhood that has the vibe of quiet and comfy. It also has a large, beautiful park.

4. Copper River Ranch

Copper River Ranch gives Woodward Park a run for its’ money. This community of homes is built by Granville Homes and is labeled as “Northeast Fresno’s Premier Country Club Community”. With a home, you can become a member of their country club and gain access to their 25-meter, heated swimming pool, tennis and ball courts, parks, trails, fitness centers, and golf course. While this sounds like a fantastic neighborhood (and it is) it definitely comes with a price. The starting point for houses is $500,000.

While this is technically a Fresno area, their school zones are split between Fresno and Clovis. The community takes pride in their children attending award-winning elementary, middle, and high schools. This includes Fugman Elementary, Granite Ridge Intermediate, and Clovis North High School. This high school is connected to the community college so students are able to enroll in college courses early to get a jump start on college. Another perk is that the high school is across the street from both the college and elementary school so everything is on the same block.

3. Fort Washington

This area includes homes that look like mansions, most of them are going to be over half a million dollars but the homes are so beautiful and spacious that it is worth it to raise your family in. The schooling here is outstanding as well. 63.2% of people have completed both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree, with 33.2% of them advancing to a master’s degree. For high schoolers, the residents of Fort Washington have a graduation rate that is close to 20% higher than the national average. As far as schooling goes this is one of if not the best area in Fresno.

There is no data on the crime rates in this area which leads me to believe that it is very low, (usually crime rates in Fresno are high enough to be documented).

I remember being a child and having a cross country meet at the Fort Washington Elementary School and it was a very nice, clean, and kept-up school.

2. Harlan Ranch

There are over 1,500 homes in this family community. There are events hosted here for its residents every month, there are movies in the park in the summer, a wine club, and even traveling throughout California. It was designed for residents to enjoy the outdoors through things like tree-lined trails and pathways. There is also a pool for families to enjoy in the summer. It is a large neighborhood with very close freeway access. It is also nice because it is kind of secluded, it is a big community but kind of in the middle of nowhere so it’s in its own little world.

1. Roosevelt

This area is home to the school John Muir, which is rated to be one of the best schools in all of Fresno. The student-to-teacher ratio is 26:1 which is a perfect amount for a variety of peers without it being so many students that the teachers are overwhelmed. There is also a high school here.

The perimeters of this neighborhood are debated but it was stated that while there are some, there should be more parks. It was stated by locals that this isn’t the best area in Fresno but it is a solid and stable one.