Idyllwild??? (Los Angeles, Riverside, Temecula: apartments, lease, hotels)

[AAAplus]

Moderator cut: new thread

who lives at idyllwild - is it a commuting town or are people mostly artists and self employed?

is the population growing or is there a moratorium on building permits?

is it mostly homes or are there also apartments?

do the very rich in palm springs have their summer homes in idyllwild? I have never heard anyone in palm springs say this but would not be surprised if it is true.

is it conservative, liberal, libertarian, GLBT, vegan, buddhist, etc. etc. ?

how is the crime?

are there grocery stores and other services?

peoples' attitudes ...... is the place open to newcomers and new population growth, or would the city rather stay the same size

(by that I am referring to places like bend, flagstaff, ashland, durango, san luis obispo, santa fe, and sedona who dislike newcomers and have growth management, compared to palm springs and vegas that love newcomers and freely issue building permits on request ...

... indeed much of palm springs is for lease by the native americans, there is lots of cheap land available, but some of the towns I mention above absolutely refuse to allow their own citizens to develop their own PRIVATE property, and sell it to companies and new people moving in who want to build homes ....)

thanks for any insights ....

[bouncethelight]

Moderator cut: thread created

Originally Posted by AAAplus

who lives at idyllwild - is it a commuting town or are people mostly artists and self employed?

Many are retired, some commute, some have jobs that allow them to telecommute, some have second homes close to where they work, and some own businesses or work for other businesses in town. A rare few are self-supporting artists. And a few have careers that take them off the hill for months at a time, when they're on a "project" - but then they come back for months in between.

If you plan on start a business, keep in mind that it's a very small town, so it's difficult to earn a living if there are others in town who offer the same services. Also keep in mind that because it's a cute tourist town, there will always be well-funded new-comers moving in who have always wanted to own a bakery/gift shop/restaurant/whatever. You may own the only ice cream shop in town this summer, but next summer you may get competition, even though the town can't really support two shops.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

is the population growing or is there a moratorium on building permits?

The population is not growing, and cannot grow in any significant way, because there are only so many lots in town, and the surrounding area is national forrest.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

is it mostly homes or are there also apartments?

Almost exclusively houses and cabins - and they range from tiny little old one-room cabins built in the 1930's to modern custom homes.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

do the very rich in palm springs have their summer homes in idyllwild? I have never heard anyone in palm springs say this but would not be surprised if it is true.

I don't know if the very rich do? But there are a lot of people from the desert with second homes in Idyllwild. It's not at all unusual.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

is it conservative, liberal, libertarian, GLBT, vegan, buddhist, etc. etc. ?

The locals represent a cross section of California. They may dress a little more casually than people in the city do - but they aren't really any different than you'd find anywhere else in California. There's a little bit of everything.

Sometimes Idyllwild gets mis-labeled - someone coming up for the day, sees a few locals or tourists in birkenstocks and assumes the whole town is Vegan and plays in a drum circle. Or they meet a few rock climbers and assume that everyone in town spends their free time hiking up to Suicide Peak. Or they meet a filmmaker or artist and see Idyllwild Art, and go away thinking the whole town is full of artists.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

how is the crime?

I personally never had any trouble.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

are there grocery stores and other services?

There is one main grocery store by the post office, and then a smaller grocery store in the center of town.

As for other services, you could stay on the hill most of the time - just about everything is available. That said, most people do go down at least a couple times a month - whether it's to see a doctor, to shop for clothing, or to buy bread!

Originally Posted by AAAplus

peoples' attitudes ...... is the place open to newcomers and new population growth, or would the city rather stay the same size

Very open to newcomers and new people in general - it is a tourist town after all! But as I explained above there won't be any population growth, thankfully!

Originally Posted by AAAplus

some of the towns I mention above absolutely refuse to allow their own citizens to develop their own PRIVATE property, and sell it to companies and new people moving in who want to build homes ....

Are you saying you want to be able to develop land? If so, Idyllwild probably isn't a good fit.

[AAAplus]

Originally Posted by bouncethelight

Maybe a Mod will come along and separate this into a new thread, since it has nothing to do with the original post?



Many are retired, some commute, some have jobs that allow them to telecommute, some have second homes close to where they work, and some own businesses or work for other businesses in town. A rare few are self-supporting artists. And a few have careers that take them off the hill for months at a time, when they're on a "project" - but then they come back for months in between.

If you plan on start a business, keep in mind that it's a very small town, so it's difficult to earn a living if there are others in town who offer the same services. Also keep in mind that because it's a cute tourist town, there will always be well-funded new-comers moving in who have always wanted to own a bakery/gift shop/restaurant/whatever. You may own the only ice cream shop in town this summer, but next summer you may get competition, even though the town can't really support two shops.



The population is not growing, and cannot grow in any significant way, because there are only so many lots in town, and the surrounding area is national forrest.



Almost exclusively houses and cabins - and they range from tiny little old one-room cabins built in the 1930's to modern custom homes.



I don't know if the very rich do? But there are a lot of people from the desert with second homes in Idyllwild. It's not at all unusual.



The locals represent a cross section of California. They may dress a little more casually than people in the city do - but they aren't really any different than you'd find anywhere else in California. There's a little bit of everything.

Sometimes Idyllwild gets mis-labeled - someone coming up for the day, sees a few locals or tourists in birkenstocks and assumes the whole town is Vegan and plays in a drum circle. Or they meet a few rock climbers and assume that everyone in town spends their free time hiking up to Suicide Peak. Or they meet a filmmaker or artist and see Idyllwild Art, and go away thinking the whole town is full of artists.



I personally never had any trouble.



There is one main grocery store by the post office, and then a smaller grocery store in the center of town.

As for other services, you could stay on the hill most of the time - just about everything is available. That said, most people do go down at least a couple times a month - whether it's to see a doctor, to shop for clothing, or to buy bread!



Very open to newcomers and new people in general - it is a tourist town after all! But as I explained above there won't be any population growth, thankfully!



Are you saying you want to be able to develop land? If so, Idyllwild probably isn't a good fit.

Mountain towns that are open are very hard to find and my family members are facing the issues that I addressed above. Many thanks for your answers !

It probably seemed like a strange series of question ... I was interested in learning more on Idyllwild since I've never been there, and was very curious, since I've never found a mountain town that extends hospitality to newcomers. Most tourist, mountain, and college towns under 100,000 persons are rude and obnoxious towards newcomers, with horrible quality hotels, campgrounds, and inferior guest services, charging extra fees, calling you at 8am letting you know its time to check out, issuing tickets for overnight parking, and that sort of thing.

many mountain towns also demand "trendiness" out of their residents in order to make friends or even get jobs, requiring that all folks be in perfect shape, have a perfect athletic build, wear bierken-stochs, ride the most expensive brands of carbon fiber bikes, etc. etc. do you know what I mean, like in bend, oregon and flagstaff, arizona? so it sounds like you have a diversity of people who are friendly and although I have no plans to move there I will look forward to visiting some day

[bouncethelight]

Originally Posted by AAAplus

Most tourist, mountain, and college towns under 100,000 persons are rude and obnoxious towards newcomers

Idyllwild has less than 4000 people - so it would be hard to compare it to cities that large.

Originally Posted by AAAplus

many mountain towns also demand "trendiness" out of their residents in order to make friends or even get jobs

I'm sure you could find some of that in Idyllwild too, if you looked hard enough! There is some of that in any town, but in general, no, in my experience that does not describe Idyllwild.

That said, the "even get jobs" part of that quote is a little troublesome. I know you say you're not planning to move to Idyllwild, but in case anyone else is thinking about it, try to bring a job with you! It's not that there's a big conspiracy against hiring new people - it's just that most of the businesses in town are very small - and there are limited openings.

[steel7]

The summer climate is quite warm but the nights are cool & comfortable.
Idyllwild CA

[Ulysses61]

I've never found a mountain town that extends hospitality to newcomers.[/b]

Try Crestline or Lake Arrowhead. They are about a 70 minute drive from Idyllwild. Far easier commute into the IE than Idyllwild as well. As for "trendiness," there is none in Idyllwild or the other two communities I mentioned.

I think your overall characterization of mountain towns in So. Ca. is wildly inaccurate. Sounds more like Colorado mountain towns like Vail, Telluride or Aspen.

[bouncethelight]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

Far easier commute into the IE than Idyllwild as well.

It depends on where you want to go, when you come down off the hill.

Idyllwild is a little closer to the 10 freeway, but it's also a little further east, so if you want to head toward Los Angeles, it's a longer commute.

But if you're commuting to Riverside or Temecula or Palm Springs - then Idyllwild is closer.

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

As for "trendiness," there is none in Idyllwild or the other two communities I mentioned.

Oh, there's a little trendiness in Idyllwild. It may not be apparent at first glance, and it may not be the same kind of trendiness you'd encounter in Palm Dessert, but there is a little!

[cindy220]

Would you consider the highway used to commute here a dangerous one?

[MamaRed]

Originally Posted by cindy220

Would you consider the highway used to commute here a dangerous one?

Yes and no. Accidents are pretty common, but as far as I recall they are usually single car accidents. People not using care with the curves and hills find themselves going over an edge.

[waggie]

was just up visiting Mountain Center today. The roads from the 10fwy to Idyllwild is in EXCELLENT condition. Also, certain sections were repaved.