Fresno, the largest city in the region, has far to go as an economic hub. Just last month, the Brookings Institution gauged Fresno as having the worst concentrated poverty in America. With 43.5% of its poor living in "extreme-poverty neighborhoods," Fresno even beat out No. 2 New Orleans with the depth of its misery. And Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties rank in the top 10 in America for the percentage of adults without a high school diploma, according to a 2002 report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

South San Joaquin Valley's brain drain (includes map of San Joaquin Valley); CREDIT: Paul Duginski Los Angeles Times; EMPTY NEST: Cal State Fresno professor [George Raney]'s four children, ages 26 to 36, left the city after graduating from college.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Mark Boster Los Angeles Times; ARTFUL APPROACH: Some see hope for Fresno's revival in "boomerangs": young, educated returnees such as artist [Reza Assemi].; PHOTOGRAPHER: Mark Boster Los Angeles Times; JOBS NEEDED: Fresno, a city of nearly 458,000 people, is starting to show some signs of rejuvenation, but unemployment and low wages remain problems.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Mark Boster Los Angeles Times; GIVING IT A SECOND CHANCE: After working in New York City, [Jarah Euston], 26, returned to Fresno, where she runs a website dedicated to making her hometown "less boring with every issue."; PHOTOGRAPHER: Mark Boster Los Angeles Times