CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : FRESNO : City Moves Up on Places Rated List

Fresno, which finished in last place a few years ago, has moved well up into the middle of the pack in the latest Places Rated Almanac. The annual compilation of the supposedly best places to live in the nation puts Seattle on top, followed by San Francisco. The ratings were made before last week’s Bay Area earthquake. Fresno was ranked 166th, highest among San Joaquin Valley metropolitan areas. Other valley rankings: Stockton, 246th; Merced, 285th; Modesto, 290th; Bakersfield, 293rd, and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, 307th out of 333 metropolitan areas studied.