I can remember playing in the Fulton Mall common areas in the early 1970's while my mom shopped. Unattended. By the late 1970s that had changed. In the course of like 12 months all the anchors left - replaced by homeless people. Back then we called them bums. I remember seeing homeless there for the first time outside of SF on one of our last trips there.
Retailers headed north to Manchester Center on Shields and the brand new Fashion Fair on Shaw. By the early 1990s, Manchester Center was seeing the same decay caused by the exidous of the anchors - this time to Sierra Vista in Clovis and an expansion of Fashion Fair.
River Park opened in the late 1990's. Frankly, it's across in the the nicest neighborhoods in Fresno proper (the homes around Woodward Park are lovely). They've continued to expand it, apparently. Fashion Fair is apparently now the newest Fresno "Scab Mall", once again suffering from that Northern track of Urban Sprawl.
On a positive note, Fresno has now ran up against the San Joaquin river and can no longer develop North.
The nicest neighborhood in Fresno isn't actually in Fresno. Fig Garden is a county island surrounded by the city. If you've ever been there you'll understand why I make a big deal out of having the Sherrif as law enforcement as opposed to the city cops (no offense intended Trooper). And why I desire a North Tustin address.
http://www.oldfig.org/
I have some business interests up there, and hopefully in the future I can take care of them remotely and not have to move back. But if I did, a home in Fig Garden and a membership at the Fig Garden raquet club would probablly take the edge off. Nah. I'll probablly move back on the farm. I can dream though.