Avenal is a small city in California's expansive Central Valley where you'll enjoy meeting the 65% of your town's population who aren't inmates at Avenal State Prison. Too dark? Don't worry, the criminals are behind bars. Besides, the city actively sought a prison to be built in their town to provide jobs for its residents and boost the local economy. We know, still sounds weird.
Avenal -- from the Spanish for "oat field" -- is not a tourist destination, but there's a certain natural beauty in the Central Valley for those who appreciate rolling hills: dry and brown in the summer, green and dotted with large swaths of wildflowers, almond blossoms, and various crops in spring. The landscape is reliably industrial agricultural as you travel up and down Interstate 5.
Moving to Avenal
In 1979, Avenal did the opposite of what most towns do and lobbied for the state to choose it as the home of its next state prison facility. Today, the city relies on this state facility employer, agriculture, and the service industry to preserve its future.
Chances are, if you're moving to Avenal, it's to start work in one of a few specific industries -- agriculture, residual oil drilling, or you're coming to join the ranks of California's correctional officers. If it's that last one, rely on your new fellowship of state employees to guide you to the desirable streets of this small town.
The majority of residents live in the southwestern center of Avenal and the entire grid is only about 3 square miles. Because there are only two neighborhoods in this town -- City Center and Route 33 / 36th Ave -- it is easier to describe the general areas of the city than neighborhoods:
Eastern Avenal: If you're looking for an apartment to rent, Avenal has some great choices. Some rental homes are quite large, even up to 4-bedrooms with amenities like pools, playgrounds, even included cable and all utilities covered. You'll find some newer-built apartments along this edge of town and a Subway restaurant within walking distance!
Southern Avenal: you'll find older homes in this area. Two or three bedroom houses for rent can be found here. If you whip up a hunger on moving day, head on over to the nearby Debbie's Place restaurant for a great meal.
Northern Avenal: Newer built larger homes can be found in this section of Avenal. Three and four bedroom houses featuring good lot sizes and yards make this area popular. Better yet, Super Burger and a number of other restaurants surround this portion of town.
These areas are close to everything the city has to offer, and if you can walk a couple of miles, you can get anywhere on foot. If you're lazy, just stick out your thumb and hitch a ride. In a town this size, everyone knows everyone else, so trust comes easily to the residents. By the way, don't be afraid of that scowling stranger -- at least, not much. Despite being home to a correctional facility, Avenal has a low crime rate and is safer than most cities in the country, as well as in California. So, you might want to live here specifically because criminals choose to go to the big cities to rob, steal, or kill.
Speaking of living here, houses for rent come up less frequently than do homes in an apartment complex in Avenal, so if your relocation timeline is limited, you may want to rent an apartment first and keep your eye out for available homes as they come up.
To make sure you're ready to rent when your perfect rental home becomes available, have your regular tool kit of renter's documents ready to go. Plan to have proof of income, credit history, references, and money for first and last months' rent and the security deposit available. Oh, and have a car -- Avenal is not a connected city and just getting groceries requires your own wheels.
Living in Avenal
For a small town, Avenal has a lot of public schools - nine, to be exact. It also has a theater, a city hall, a landfill, and a library. The lesson? You will not fall off the face of the earth by moving to Avenal! In fact, there is plenty to do here.
Celebrate springtime in Avenal with Avenal Old Timers Day, held in late April or early May each year. The event features everything you'd expect in quintessential small town life, even in California: spaghetti dinners, a movie night, breakfast at the Veterans' Hall, Softball Tournament, a parade, live music, a town picnic and more.
Notably, Avenal is home to the Central California Soaring Club based at the Avenal Gliderport, one of the only glider-only airports in the western U.S. In the spring, you can watch the annual glider contest sponsored by the club. You can also learn to glide here.
When all that celebrating and gliding makes you hungry, you can satisfy your cravings at any of Avenal's local restaurants. You'll find some truly amazing, authentic Mexican Cuisine here. Restaurante la Carreta gets great reviews as does Los Primos Bakery for your pan dulce (traditional Mexican sweet breads) needs. You can also get some chow at Tumbleweeds Pizza, Avenal Caf, or Pioneer Kitchen II. When you need a big ol' steak, head about twenty minutes outside of town to the famous Harris Ranch -- a real Central Valley institution soaked in history and lost in a fog of heavenly barbecue scent.
Summers are scorching hot in the Central Valley. Beat the heat in shady Floyd Rice Park where you can go for a swing or a slide, or meet your new friends for a barbecue. There's a sprawling green for games of frisbee or sack races, or just running free and enjoying the sun (when it's not the peak of summer, anyway). When you need grander recreation options, Sequoia National Park is less than two hours east, a place where you can behold California's famous towering trees firsthand and enjoy unparalleled hiking and natural beauty. You can also get out of the heat by touring the Carnegie Museum in nearby Hanford.
Unfortunately, shopping options are limited in Avenal. Most of your big box, heavy supply runs will be in Leemore, about 34 minutes northeast of city limits, or just beyond Leemore in Hanford, the nearest thing to a major city in the near vicinity.
