A New City of 100,000-Plus People Rises in California's Central Valley

"Within five miles of the Highway 41 interchange at Friant Road, quickest freeway access to Fresno’s largest and most popular shopping and entertainment area, a future city planned for more than 100,000 people rises from the dirt," reports Marek Warszawski.

"In 2019, this corner of Highway 41 and Avenue 12 may not seem like much: some pistachio trees, the semi-famous flag barn and a line of residential rooftops to the west. Take a good look, because it won’t be rural for long. Plans call for a large commercial center on one side of 41 and a hospital on the other."

There are numerous master planned communities planned for the area, enabled by the Rio Mesa Area Plan detailed in a 2016 article by Marc Benjamin.

As detailed Warszawski, Madera County officials and developers of some of the master planned communities on the way are debating whether the new conglomeration of development will amount to more than a bedroom community.

According to Warszawski, the distinction relies on the presence of jobs. "At present, the largest employer in this part of Madera County is Valley Children’s Hospital, home to 3,570 staff members and 644 doctors. After that probably comes the Golden Valley School District and Vulcan Materials, which won county approval for a controversial 671-acre gravel extraction operation at Highways 41 and 145," reports Warszawski.