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The city once dubbed America’s meth capital is apparently becoming surprising wholesome.
Fresno was once called “The City Addicted to Crystal Meth” in a 2009 BBC documentary — but now, somehow, it’s apparently one of the better places to raise a family in the United States.
The much-maligned Central Valley metro — which also recentlylanded on a list of America’s best summer vacation destinationsdespite its reputation — ranked No. 138 overall in WalletHub’s 2026 “Best Places to Raise a Family” rankings.
California dominated the nationwide list overall, with 28 Golden State cities cracking the list, including two cities in the national Top 3.
The city was famously featured inBritish filmmaker Louis Theroux’s documentarywhich explored the devastating toll meth addiction had taken on parts of Fresno.
WalletHub compared more than 180 US cities across 45 metrics tied to family life, including affordability, education, health and safety, family fun and socioeconomic factors.
While Fresno finished well outside the Top 100 overall, it still managed to outrank several major American cities including Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and New Orleans.
Fresno’s rankings across the board were mixed.
California’s strongest performer was Fremont, which ranked No. 1 in the nation overall.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
