Learn Spanish or LEAVE! - 10/5/2021

Nobody speaks English... It`s overran by Mexican drug cartels! The best thing I EVER did was get the hell out of Mexifornia! GOODBYE!

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Some good...some bad. - 8/4/2017

Porterville is a small town in need of employment opportunities. Our crime rates are par with the rest of the US. The 1st generation immigrants are not the problem, they are mostly hard working and friendly. Gangs are here..but not overly visible except some graffiti. The extra hot summers are bad but mild non-snow winters are nice...2 seasons. There are things to do but most require involvement...local sports for all ages, dance schools, a live theater, churches, and events and festivals put on by the city. We also have a bowling alley, community center for kids, city pool, movie theater, medium size lake, and a casino. We are within 2.5 hours from Los Angeles to the south and 2.5 hours from the ocean to the west. Sequoia National Forest is about 15 miles east. So day trips are easy. We have good schools (27 students per teacher). Many of us attended Porterville Junior College then commuted to Fresno State or Cal State Bakersfield (about 65 miles) for our BA's and/ or Masters. The average home cost is $200,000. New homes start at about $275.000. We need companies to come here. Foster Farms and Walmart Distribution saw the potential and are doing well we need more!

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My experience living in Porterville - 8/30/2015

I moved to Porterville 7 years ago when I moved from the east coast. My first impression was the nice cooler climate with the majestic mountains nearby so it was good in the beginning. Also noticed that the traffic isn't bad either. Once summer hits with the 100 degree plus temp I thought to myself how can anyone deal with the intense heat, esp. with me so used to the cooler east coast weather. With the people here some can really be friendly and some won't even give you the time of day. And if you speak spanish that can be a plus with a lot of immigrants living here. I also notice a few old buildings like their downtown movie theater and a drive in one which has also been abandoned. The pricey grocery shopping here some have to travel to other places just to shop for cheaper prices. And as far as activities there isn't much here to do. After 7 years of living here I'm ready to move out of this place and to better climate where I can breathe the air again.

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Small Town - 8/5/2014

Porterville is fine if you want a small town atmosphere with a few communtiy events every year and afforadable homes in good neighborhoods (depending on which side of town you live in). However, if you're looking for fun and excitement there is not much here. There are no recreational activities unless you want to drive 17 miles up a windy mountain road to a casino, or 10 miles up to the lake which has picnic and boating facilities but is not well maintained and surrounded by dead grass most of the year.

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Porterville - 11/2/2009

I was raised in a small town about 13 miles from Porterille and as a young person oould not wait to move to Portervile at that time the walk-in theater was afordable, there was a skating ring and a drive in theater. Thats been a few years back now there is 1 theater that cost the ave family anywhere from 60 to 80 dollars for a night at the movies, for that price who can aford it. There are no more skating rings inless you drive about 25 miles or so. Porterville is not the place for kids because there is not alot for them to do unless you bring home more than 120 thousand dollars or more a year. There is alot of trouble your kids can get into in Porterville becaue it's free in order to get your children involed you have to work all the time and wheres the time to go to games, dances and other activis offered by the schools or the city, Children activietes should be afordable for families.

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gangs - 10/7/2009

Porterville, used to be a nice little town to live in. We have had an incredible increase in crimes due to the growing gang population. We are home to some of the richest agricultural land in the nation. Unfortunatly the people who come here to work the fields illegally make such little income they find a quick and easy solution here in the heart of California harvesting Marajuana crops and making meth labs. Check our local news papers to see for yourself at Visalia Times Delta and Porterville Recorder. If you don't mind living in a small rural drug infested town with shootings and stabbing occuring monthly, Porterville is the place for you!

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Life is what you make it. - 3/11/2008

Porterville,Ca. offers happiness and success to all who wish to dip into the opportunities this "small town", has to offer.

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Porterville is just OK - 6/18/2007

I have lived in Porterville for 18 years. Porterville has been very good to my family. Our business has done well and we have met wonderful friends over the years. I would have a hard time recommending Porterville as a great place to live for several reasons. First, the air quality is very bad. Second, the summers are very hot, and third, there isn't alot for kids to do. On the plus side of things, we have no traffic, can always find a place to park and the cost of living is affordable.

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not a place to be - 4/23/2007

i live in porterville california. why honestly i dont know. pville has nothing to offer unless u r elderly. even then things here are getting bad and u get sucked into this small town and never can get out.

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Not recommended - 8/17/2006

My wife and I have lived her for nearly 7 years and I'm sorry to say that the city and general area (Tulare County/southern San Joaquin Valley) does not have much to recommend. If anything, it's worse now than it was a few years ago... Here are a few examples of the issues and problems I have. The air pollution is dreadful most days; in Porterville you are situated right up against the foothills and yet you can rarely see the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada because of the perpetual brown haze of ozone pollution and particulate matter. Very depressing. There is a high (mostly illegal) immigrant population here; while I welcome cultural diversity I do not welcome living in a place where many people refuse to assimilate and learn English. With a high population of migrants we have an abundance of poverty, illiteracy, low wages, and an embarrassingly high rate of teenage pregnancies. One of the worst in the nation. The public schools are generally poor quality. I think most administrators and teachers do the best they can but the fact is they are struggling with overpopulation caused by an influx of children of migrant workers (again, mostly illegal aliens). The crime rate, especially property crime (home burglaries and especially car theft) is quite high. Gangs have become a serious problem in this town; most of the city's murders have come about as a result of gang violence. Graffiti appears throughout the city; even when it's removed it appears soon after. Finally there is the high unemployment rate which, like all of Tulare County, usually sits at 10% but often goes quite a bit higher. The fact is, there aren't many good industries, companies, and therefore jobs here. I think part of the problem goes back many decades...the polititicans and community leaders and others failed to recognize the importance of economic diversity. Instead, the San Joaquin Valley, especially this area, made the mistake of embracing one industry only: agriculture. How they could not recognize the long-term consequences of NOT diversifying the economy more I will never understand. As a consequence...good, high-paying jobs -- especially those in the Information Technology sector (which I'm in) are hard to come by. If there's one positive I could offer it's this: housing is still affordable compared to the rest of California. A newer, modestly-sized home (1500 sq feet) will be around $250K. This is a lot compared to other places in the countr

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THIS PLACE IS HORRIBLE! - 3/13/2006

Porterville, California is a dead-end, run-down, dump of a town. It stinks like a pit and the people are ignorant and small-minded. There is nothing to do and no where to go. If you want to go to even a sub-par mall, you have to drive an hour. For those of you who are looking for a cheaper alternative to California's high housing costs, DO NOT come here if you value your happiness. Stay where you are!

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