A view looking Southeast on Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley
published on June 9, 2026 – 2:17 PM
Written by Ben Hensley
Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno was recently ranked No. 2 on a statewide survey of the historic downtown districts Californians most want to see revived, highlighting both continued nostalgia for the city’s urban core and optimism about its future.
The survey, conducted by financial media company MarketBeat, surveyed over 3,000 respondents to find which historic Main Streets and downtown districts they would most like to see restored. Fresno ranked behind Stockton’s Historic Downtown and Weber Avenue, with Bakersfield’s Chester Avenue and Marysville’s D Street Historic District rounding out the top four.
For Elliott Balch, president and CEO of the Downtown Fresno Partnership, the ranking reflects long-standing public attachment to Downtown Fresno — but also progress already underway.
“There’s been a lot of focus on events in the public area,” Balch said. “Events play the role of the anchor business, anchor tenant, that helps bring foot traffic to the area, which then small businesses can benefit from.”
Balch said Fulton Street’s reopening to vehicles in 2017, infrastructure improvements and increased maintenance have all contributed to downtown’s evolution over the last decade. The city worked to rebuild fountains and streetscape elements during the Fulton Street project, while the Downtown Fresno Partnership worked with the city to improve upkeep, including more frequent pressure washing.
He also pointed at efforts to highlight local businesses and entrepreneurs through storytelling and events, adding that those efforts have helped reconnect residents with Downtown Fresno.
The flexibility of the area has also played a role, with Balch adding that the opportunity to have sections of Fulton Street regularly close and reopen for ArtHop and other events has helped maintain both vehicle- and foot-traffic in the area.
“We wanted the flexibility to make the street work at different times of day and week,” Balch said. “Most of the time, Fulton is open so businesses can be seen and accessed. But for special events, that flexibility lets us create more programming.”
Balch said taxable sales on Fulton increased nearly three-times higher than the increase seen on nearby Kings Canyon between 2015 and the street reopening, pointing to measurable momentum downtown.
The addition of food-retail hubs like The Garage, entertainment downtown including the Fresno Grizzlies and recent return of the Fresno Falcons and a new outdoor drinking zone ordinance in Downtown add to atmosphere, especially on days that the street is shut down for events.
“We’ve designed a street that’s always pleasant to walk on, and we see that in how people show up,” Balch said.