It’s all happening in Kerman.

That’s not the official motto of Fresno’s neighbor to the west, but it might as well be.

Take Monday, for instance, when California’s first Denny’s drive-thru location opened near the intersection of Highways 180 and 145. The Fresno Bee spoke to the franchise owner, who explained the drive-thru menu is limited to get cars through the line in 10 minutes.

It’s not the first time Kerman has hosted a retail first in California. In April 2021, the Walmart Superstore there was the first location in the state to sell gas with its 16-pump fueling center.

Kerman is also getting its first Dutch Bros next summer, with Fresno franchisees Brent and Genesis Wilson not only developing the popular coffee shop there but also the 6,742 square-foot retail center where Dutch will call home.

And in more news last week that didn’t get covered as extensively, the City of Kerman accepted a $7.25 million grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The funding will be used to construct a 15,400 square-foot addition to Kerman’s community center.

The facility will be known as the Kerman Area Multi-Generational Resiliency Center, with a focus on emergency preparedness capabilities, particularly in response to climate change impacts, according to the city news release.

With the transition of senior center activities to another building, the multi-generational aspect will enable recreation activities for people of all ages. There will even be space available for business incubation and instruction.

Construction on that facility is expected to begin in early 2024.

If you are surprised that Kerman is getting this much love, don’t be. Kerman is perennially one of the fastest-growing cities in the Central Valley. The Business Journal’s most recent “Fastest Growing Municipalities” list from May has Kerman at No. 2 with 10.69% population growth from 2018-2023.

With its 2023 population estimate of 16,955 residents, Kerman was edged out for No. 1 fastest growing town by the City of Fowler, with 16.34% growth over the last five years.