Economy

For California's Drought Towns, the Next Challenge Is Growth

As development booms in the San Joaquin Valley, poor communities see both opportunity and heartbreak.
A sign is posted near a cluster of vacant homes in Sacramento County, just north of California's San Joaquin Valley.REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Editor’s note: This story is the last in a three-part series on the future of the San Joaquin Valley’s unincorporated communities. Read parts one and two.

FRESNO, Calif.—In the 600-person, unincorporated community of Lanare, travel options are limited. One bus heads 30 miles to Fresno in the morning, then comes back in the evening. It takes roughly two hours each way.