looking for a place to live near Palm Springs (Riverside: condo, trip)

[Kayden]

Hello everyone. First and foremost, thank you very very much for your assistance.

I recently moved to Morongo Valley from northeast Ohio (I lived about half a mile from Lake Erie) and landed a job in Palm Springs. God I miss the water. Anyways, I'm 25, single, male with no children. Are there any places within 45 minutes of Palm Springs that won't feel so dry? Here's what I'm looking for.

- Semi-vegetation. I'm not expecting a lush garden of paradise, but something with color.
- Nice air quality. Good smells supple my morning coffee. =)
- A large body of water would be choice, but hey, ANY water will do at this point.
- Moderate winds. Morongo Valley is way too windy for my liking.
- Moderate temps. I can handle the heat in Palm Springs, I'd just rather not. Maybe a place that's 5 degrees cooler than PS?

That's pretty much all I'm looking for in life. Everything else I can conjure up myself. Hope to here from ya. ^_^

[penny lane]

Hi Kayden,

I live in Rancho Mirage (a suburb of Palm Springs). Been living here for over two years now. You have to remember this is the desert region of California, there's not a lot of moisture, if any at all.

The only place that I can think of that's near water and about 45 minutes to an hour from Palm Springs is the Salton Sea area. However, in my opinion, it's not a very nice area and it reeks of sulfur. The only other area that I can think of right now that's not quite as hot as PS in the summer that's somewhat close (about an hour and fifteen minutes) is Riverside, but it's not near any water that I'm aware of.

Hope that helps.

[Kayden]

Thanks for the information Penny.

Anyone else have an opinion? Thanks! <3

[Kayden]

I was thinking a resort style condo with a golf course (not that I play) and water way might be best. It'll be like a mini lake! :P

Aside from Riverside, are there any places that are slightly cooler than Palm Springs? Please stay within 45 minutes or closer.

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Kayden -

Unfortunately I don't think you're going to have any luck with your search, at least not given your criteria. Banning or Beaumont are within your 45 minute time frame and they will be cooler. However, you won't find any bodies of water and Banning especially will be windy. There might be housing developments in both places that have water features but I couldn't say for sure.

Beyond that you could look at Cherry Valley, Oak Glen or Yucaipa. Both Cherry Valley and Oak Glen have some elevation to them so they will most definitely be cooler. They are also wooded and are home to cherry and apple farms. Yucaipa seemed like an alright place, though admittedly I drove through it on the way back from Cherry Valley, and that was only because I wanted to visit the Crafton Hills College campus. Again, I don't recall seeing evidence of water in either of the 3 places though I suppose there might be creeks or something flowing through Cherry Valley or Oak Glen.

Driving 45 minutes to the east of Palm Springs will really get you just more dry desert. So other then the places I suggested, unless you can compromise on some of your points, your options are pretty limited.

[Twinkle Toes]

Any resort area in the Palm Springs area will have some sort of water feature. But if you want the cooler temps you might want to go up Hwy. 74 into Pinyon Pines and Mountain Center. Still close to Palm Springs, but stays much cooler than the valley floor.

[kturbe]

I was going to recommend Yucapia and or Redlands closer to the mountains/lakes and not 45 minutes away from Palm Desert!

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by kturbe

I was going to recommend Yucapia and or Redlands closer to the mountains/lakes and not 45 minutes away from Palm Desert!

Actually, Redlands and Yucaipa are 45 to an hour away from Palm Desert. I know - I drive to Redlands three days a week for dance training. I also drive into Riverside to train on the days I'm not in Redlands. The Riverside trip is about an hour and a half.

Mountain Center and Pinyon are about 20-30 minutes from Palm Springs. Cheaper up there and also cooler.

[Kayden]

Wow, you guys and gals are great! Best wishes and happy new years to all!

[nawlinsdude]

Idyllwild is a mountain community 50 miles away from Palm Springs, with cooler temps and trees. You can also take the Palm Springs tram to the top of Mt. San Jacinto for some immediate heat relief! $21.95, round trip.