I was just reading through this thread because I found it interesting and then I found ^^this post^^ about Fresno, CA.
Fresno is a smallish town in the Central Valley of CA. This is where fruits and veggies are grown in CA. Other than growing produce, there really is fuck all to do. The kickiest thing they do, I’m told, is riding in small crop duster planes. I’ve been there and my BFF is from Fresno so I can say this with certainty.
Pretty much all the kids turn to drugs and alcohol by high school age and the Central Valley is notorious for meth. Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto and Tulare are hotbeds of meth production, distribution and use. There are lots of old tweekers running around with brain damage and plenty of new ones, too.
Fresno is not typical of the average CA city. It’s kind of a FUBAR place that people drive through to get to Yosemite National Park, but I wouldn’t advise staying there much longer than a gas station stop or maybe a lunch break.