Desert Battle: High Desert vs. Low Desert (Los Angeles, San Diego: income, live)

[Reziac]

I'd guess the basic skew is:

People who live in the high desert prefer high desert.
People who do recreation in the low desert (but live elsewhere) prefer low desert.

A fun site that highlights what various deserts have to offer (and there's far more than even old desert rats might guess):
https://www.desertusa.com/
They have a nifty newsletter chronicling their jaunts through the back reaches of our little worlds.

[thepastorsson]

Originally Posted by Brandon Graves

What? Something wrong with Indio?

No not at all, just lol at myself for asking where you were from when it was right there. Derp.

[Brandon Graves]

Originally Posted by thepastorsson

No not at all, just lol at myself for asking where you were from when it was right there. Derp.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, it seems that you've made a decision since you first posted, re: preference for high vs. low desert....? I would opt for high desert, of those two options; higher elevations are always cooler, for one thing, and have more vegetation. Who doesn't like Ponderosa pines? What are your thoughts, at this stage?

[AFtrEFkt]

Brandon needs to be near In-N-Out.

[Brandon Graves]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, it seems that you've made a decision since you first posted, re: preference for high vs. low desert....? I would opt for high desert, of those two options; higher elevations are always cooler, for one thing, and have more vegetation. Who doesn't like Ponderosa pines? What are your thoughts, at this stage?

I've never been to New Mexico, so I really can't speak on Ponderosa pines.

[stillsue-z]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

The upper desert wins, for me!

Love visiting my brother and his family in Palmdale. They get a nice breeze at night that comes up the pass from Ventura County and cools things off. I love that there are Oak Trees, Cottonwoods, Junipers and Joshuas all over the hills around Palmdale. For me, it's just an hour's drive from my townhome here in Studio City to my brother's home in the foothills of West Palmdale. And, as Volosong says, it's an easy drive to the Sierras, or anywhere in the state for that matter, from there.

That being said, the Antelope Valley isn't a "true" desert. It's more of a steppe classification.

Another thing I like about the Antelope Valley is that it's solidly middle class. In my brother's neighborhood, he's got nurses, both LAPD and LA sheriffs, firemen, aerospace workers, teachers, professors, military veterans and retirees, people who commute to L.A., social workers, small business owners, people in management, federal workers at Edwards AFB, etc. I love the area near him called "Leona Valley" which is ranches and beautiful acreage.

That middle class dynamic is largely absent from the Coachella Valley where you essentially have the ultra-wealthy and their servant class. It's also something I notice here in the south San Fernando Valley and it's sad.

Coachella Valley also doesn't have the foothills, the oak tress and cottonwoods, and the ocean breezes in the evening.

Oak trees and cottonwoods all over the hills around Palmdale. Where?? Some oak trees and cottonwoods along riparian areas next to usually dry creeks like Littlerock,Big Rock, Bouquet etc. Some oaks in the "Lakes" area like Lake Hughes, Elizabeth etc. but certainly not "widespread" in the hills around Palmdale. It's mostly chapparal and junipers. Higher elevations the pines are pretty much dead or dying from combination of drought, extended heat, bark beetles. We do often get the prevailing wind out of the west and its breezy much of the year, especially afternoons. But Lake Palmdale often has some of the highest winds in the valley in the 50 mph range gusts. Breezes are nice, wind and dust storms are not. AV has some of the worst air quality in the county when there are dust storms.
Also have to disagree about AV being solidly middle class. Your brother must live in one of the nice tracts on the west side of Palmdale where it is pleasantly middle class. However east Palmdale and east Lancaster are not solidly middle class, parts are already borderline ghetto. Considerable HUD homes, other rentals and low income population. Still some middle class of course but certainly not "solid".

[citizensadvocate]

Coachella Valley is a very unique situation in California desert. Its everything opposite of most other desert towns. Most other desert communities are pretty isolated, conservative, live and let live, and low profile.

Though some unknown reason however Coachella Valley seems to appear like a piece of the coastline moved into the desert.
Though one can also ask why many the OC coast except for Laguana Beach seem to be politically like the inland despite being a Hollywood star playground for so long.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

I'm not sure those northern areas are considered high desert. Mammoth Lakes region definitely does not feel like desert at 7,880'. It's much more like a mountain town with lakes and a big ski resort.

I would prefer that whole Eastern Side of the Sierra. Lee Vining is an interesting beast with Mono Lake.

Its funny that that you didn't mention Death Valley which actually has the lowest point in North America. It also has some of the highest sand dunes.

Just fyi, part of northern NM is classified as "high desert", including Santa Fe, which has a ski area, and is considered a resort town, to some extent. It's at a similar elevation to the one you cite. The high-desert designation relates in part to the vegetation and climate in the area, not the presence of mountains, the odd lake, or ski resorts. I do agree that the classification of some of the NorCal counties as "high desert" is a bit counter-intuitive for CA natives, but a perusal of the areas does bear that out the validity of it.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Brandon Graves

I've never been to New Mexico, so I really can't speak on Ponderosa pines.

What does that have to do with NM? We're talking about California. Have you never been to the Tahoe area? Ponderosa pines border on the NorCal high desert area you're considering. Or have you changed your mind, and decided on low desert? You didn't answer that question. Are you still weighing pros and cons to the two options?