California city once known as crystal meth capital smashes into top 100 summer vacation rankings

Fresno was once declared “The City Addicted to Crystal Meth” in a 2009 documentary — but now, somehow, it’s landed on a new list of America’s best summer vacation destinations.

The much-trolled California metro ranked No. 84 overall in WalletHub’s 2026 “Best Summer Travel Destinations” rankings, beating out several better-known areas across the country despite finishing near the bottom in attractions and safety.

The Central Valley city was famously featured in the addiction documentary by British filmmaker Louis Theroux — the flick explored the devastating toll meth use took on parts of Fresno.

WalletHub compared 100 major metro areas across dozens of metrics tied to summer travel, including airfare costs, hotel prices, attractions, weather, activities and safety.

Fresno’s overall ranking was largely carried by its weather score, where it scored No. 2 in the nation.

The city, however, faired far worse in other categories.

Fresno ranked:

• No. 69 for travel costs and hassles
• No. 83 for local costs
• No. 77 for attractions
• No. 94 for activities
• No. 88 for safety

Still, Fresno managed to edge out destinations including Santa Rosa — the urban center of California’s wine country — Seattle, and Colorado Springs, CO.

California’s overall showing in the rankings was surprisingly weak.

Only one California metro area cracked the top 20, with San Diego finishing as the state’s highest ranked destination at No. 19 overall.

Los Angeles landed at No. 34 despite ranking No. 2 nationally for attractions, while San Francisco was stuck in the bottom 20 at No. 82.

Four California metros finished in the bottom 10 overall, including aforementioned Santa Rosa, Bakersfield, San Jose and Oxnard.

WalletHub said the study focused heavily on affordability and convenience rather than scenic beauty alone.

“In order to determine the best summer vacation spots, WalletHub compared 100 f the most populated metro areas across six key categories,” the company said.

The top overall destination in the country was Atlanta, followed by Orlando and Austin.

The 10 California cities that cracked the Top 100:

• San Diego — No. 19
• Los Angeles — No. 34
• Riverside — No. 62
• San Francisco — No. 82
• Sacramento — No. 83
• Fresno — No. 84
• Santa Rosa — No. 92
• Bakersfield — No. 93
• San Jose — No. 96
• Oxnard — No. 100.

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