Yucca Valley , quality of life in Coachella Valley? (Riverside, San Bernardino: sales, apartment)

[TBCasino]

After growing up in the inner city and working LE in Phoenix, I find the crime rate in the Coachella Valley to be absolutely laughable.

[Twinkle Toes]

Yeah, people getting murdered, robbed, burglarized, shot, stabbed, beat up, raped, run over and left to die ....... funny stuff! "Laughable", even.

[TBCasino]

I'm talking in terms of the crime rate, when compared to other places I'm familiar with (which I mentioned in my post) is laughable. I made no distinction of the types of crimes, just the overall crime rate. Got it now?

[dogmom]

There's plenty of crime to go around in the Coachella Valley..We live in DHS but in a country club gated community on the N.W. end..DHS has it's fair share of crime, but we like our neighborhood and neighbors and feel safe where we are..As safe as you can feel anywhere..because crime is everywhere you go..big towns, little towns..we have lived in several states, same thing, crime everywhere..

A good idea to read the local newspapers. My grandparents homesteaded in Yucca Valley in the mid 1950's..at that time there was one little market in town and that was about it..there has been a lot of growth but when we go up to Yucca it doesn't impress me any more than driving around DHS impresses me..it doesn't..We like to take a run up there now and then and go to home depot or Walmart..there is a lot of stop and go traffic..

Unfortunately, the cities here with the least crime rates tend to be the cities that are for wealthier folks..kind of goes hand and hand..if we could have afforded to buy in Rancho Mirage or Palm Desert, we would have, but being retired and on fixed income, we feel lucky to have the nice neighborhood and home that we do..

good luck with your search!

[Sweaty in Texas]

I lived in Joshua Tree 20 years ago and left after the Landers quake. Having been in Texas all this time, I am now planning to return to the high desert for health reasons and nothing that I have read so far has changed my mind. I am waiting for the new senior housing project to be ready and then I will relocate. As a retired single woman on a fixed income, I think a lot has to do with what you plan on doing. Going to the shopping center and doing errands by foot and by bus is about all I'll be doing. If I can do some volunteer work, that would be fine too. I live a quiet life and don't go to places where I am likely to get into trouble. I also do not go out after dark. Earthquakes are happening in places that never had them before, so that is not a reason to stay away from YV. Building codes are strict. I recently lived through a historic wildfire and my city's response was pathetic. Now, almost a year later, they are taking steps and preparing for the next disaster. It's as if they thought nothing would ever happen, so they didn't have a clear plan in place. As I watched this all unfold all I could think of was how it would never have gone so badly in California. Also, remember that the folks in YV want to keep things as they are. If you can be scared off, that means they keep more of paradise for themselves.

[Twinkle Toes]

Sweaty ....... shhhhhh! You're revealing "the plan"!!!!!

[Sweaty in Texas]

LOL, once I get there I'll be doing the same thing....oh, it's so awful. Horrible! Better that you should stay away! Hehehe.....

[AAAplus]

Originally Posted by Sweaty in Texas

Also, remember that the folks in YV want to keep things as they are. If you can be scared off, that means they keep more of paradise for themselves.

however, YV is building new single family housing, yet on the other hand, the golf course didn't make it. what happened to the golf course?

and I'm not sure that they want to keep things as they are, since that would imply a continued closing of businesses and loss of jobs i.e. the auto dealers, golf course, etc.

and they are remodelling (as of last spring) Copper Mtn. college

I feel that the high desert communities have a lot of potential to create jobs, and bring in tourists, especially from palm springs where it's so hot in the summer.

also, joshua tree national park, ATV riding, etc. when the cochella valley is 110 degrees, it's 90 to 100 in the high desert and joshua tree

Originally Posted by Bluesmama

What is the source of the increasing crime in that area? Gangs? Meth? Home invasions?

It IS unfortunate to read all this because I, too, once seriously considered moving to the PS area and never completely ruled it out. I remember when PS itself was pretty sleepy with a low level of crime. Over time I did notice increasing amounts of youth parading all over the town. (I used to go there often.)

At least people are up front and honest in this forum. I cringe at the forum of my city because the posters are in obvious denial of the problems here.

it would be advisable to point out that the crime issues affecting the Palm Springs area compared to the high desert areas such as yucca valley, joshua tree, 29 palms, can have different causes, yet the same results, as reflected in crime stats.

also, some areas of palm springs are much safer than others, as others have pointed out.

Originally Posted by tishpit

I see the humidity for YV as average... does not reflect a dry, desert climate. Is that accurate??? Also, pics of SNOW in YV... yet the graph shows next to no snow.

yucca valley - 29 palms - joshua tree (the town of) - and joshua tree national park are in the mojave desert, with very warm summers and cool winters - it can freeze occasionally in the high desert.

palm springs is in the western sonoran desert, the difference is hot summers and very low chances of killing frosts.

there isn't a lot of snow in the high desert, when it does, it melts quickly. this spring I was in the area for a week, it snowed for an hour in yucca valley, was beautiful - all the ATV's came out to ride up the hill south of town, and then the snow melted.

overall, I like both climates, they complement each other since if it's too hot in the valley you drive up to the high desert. I might move there someday but have reservations for the same reasons as mentioned in this thread.

from some of my experiences,
if you visit the palm springs area, you have to stay in quality hotels that will CHECK YOUR DRIVERS LICENSE - since "the locals" like to check into hotels to "party" and they'll keep you up all night on their pot and meth. hotels that check drivers licenses are excluding "the locals," hopefully ! I would post a recommendation, here, in palm springs, but can't, due to forum rules.

I would NOT recommend staying in the high desert towns, due to crime and vandalism of vehicles and METH labs INSIDE hotels.

and do not stay in any hotel property ANYWHERE in the lower or higher desert that has WEEKLY RATES since IT WILL HAVE METH LABS ON THE PREMISES - that's a rule of THUMB ANYWHERE in the SW and Colorado.

[AAAplus]

Originally Posted by katnip kid

Wow. Is this news about crime saddening! . See, these are the things those of us who are tourists do not see or know about.I am greatful for the responses. Boards like this are wonderful sources for getting the inside info on a place.

The area around PS is still attractive. Gotta take the good with the bad. But, how bad is bad? Gangs, huh. Wow. How bad are they, esp. for the average person to deal with? I will probably be asking lots of questions about the area. I started a thread regarding the availability of higher education in the PS area, esp. concerning community colleges.

I am in the Philadelphia area. I call the city Kill-adelphia. The murders reported on the nightly news are a joke. What, is it 3 or 4 a night? Then there is all the other crime, plus the crime that doesn't get reported. A pal of mine was mugged. Why bother to report it. He just came home.

would love to find yr thread somewhere ...

examples,

UC-Riverside (Riverside)
Copper Mtn. College (Joshua Tree)
College of the Desert (Palm Desert)
there's a branch campus of either Riverside or one of the others in the palm springs area with a masters in business and also a masters in writing, perhaps other degrees

any others?

anyone know where "katnip kid's" thread is ? does he still post?

thx

[Twinkle Toes]

Hey, AAAplus ..... Just click on Katnip's name and a bunch of tabs will come up and you can click on the one that says something like "See All Posts/Threads By Katnip". When you click on that, you should see a little summary or 'blurb' of what was posted by him and where to locate that particular post or thread, for instance ... "California/Riverside and San Bernardino Counties/(and what the title of the thread is called)".