Neighborhoods Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert (Oakland, San Bernardino: apartments, rental, crime rate)

[DJSundrop]

My wife is being relocated by her job to Indio. We are looking for suggestions on what is the best area to live in Indio, La Quinta or Palm Desert. I have heard there are some sketchy areas to avoid in Indio. We plan on doing a short term rental and then buying a home. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Brandon Graves]

Originally Posted by DJSundrop

My wife is being relocated by her job to Indio. We are looking for suggestions on what is the best area to live in Indio, La Quinta or Palm Desert. I have heard there are some sketchy areas to avoid in Indio. We plan on doing a short term rental and then buying a home. Thanks for any suggestions!

Yes, there are definitely some areas of Indio that are quite a bit dodgy (most specifically, the older parts). That being said, Indio is the most unsafe of the three cities you mentioned, but there are still wonderful areas you can choose from. The following bad areas of Indio are (I'm speaking from experience, BTW) :

Anything north of the railroad, but south of the 10 (known locally as "North Side Indio") is perhaps one of the most shady areas in Indio, and it's basically anything from Kenner Ave all the way down to Ave 45. On the upside is that it has one of the best restaurants in Indio, called Bob's Twin Kitchen. I'd recommend you go try it.

South Indio (anything that's south of the railroad) has several shady areas as well, except for the country clubs, senior communities, and gated communities. For example: Las Brisas Apartments, "Mayfair" Apartments, Jackson Terrace Apartments, Colony Park, Cielo Vista Apartments, etc. All of them are a bit sketchy. South Indio is home to the Old Town Indio, which is a beautiful historic district! Some great restaurants, El Mexicali Cafe I, El Mexicali Cafe II, Rincon Norteño, etc. are located in South Indio. They're worth a try!

If you decide on Indio, I'd recommend looking into West Indio or North Indio (Shadow Hills Area), where more of the gated communities and newer shopping centers are located. The only areas in the Shadow Hills area of Indio that I would consider sketchy are the Shadow Hills RV Resort, and the area in which the boundaries from north to south are Ave 38 and Varner Rd, east of the Indio Auto Mall, and from west to east, Adams St and Tarr Rd. For future reference, I'll refer to this area just mentioned as "Poor North" Indio.

In short, all of the sketchy areas of Indio I mentioned are problem areas where gangs and drugs (mostly meth) are present. Obviously, nowhere near as bad as say San Bernardino, Oakland, or even Desert Hot Springs, but the crime rate is still quite a bit above the national average, and make sure you still take precaution, just like in any other area in any other city in the world, and you'll be just fine and dandy (in Southern accent for comedic effect).

Indio itself is diverse, and is home to a predominantly large Hispanic and migrant farm-worker presence. The city is located in the eastern half of the Coachella Valley, which means there's more agriculture and a far larger presence of Hispanics and migrant farm-workers, from here in Indio all the way to the Salton Sea area. These characteristics and demographics are more prevalent in the East Coachella Valley (Indio - Oasis) than the Western Coachella Valley (Whitewater - Bermuda Dunes). If you like diversity in population, then you'll like it here as long as you're in the right area.

Other than that, if I were you I'd choose La Quinta. This is coming from someone who was born and raised here in Indio.

Got any more questions? Let me know!

[DJSundrop]

Thanks so much for the detailed information on Indio. I did have some concerns. I think La Quinta is what we are going to aim for. Thanks again!

[Brandon Graves]

You're very welcome! For La Quinta, just make sure to stay away from the La Quinta Cove. One benifit of La Quinta is that the A/C costs are lower than you would find in say Palm Desert, Palm Springs, or Rancho Mirage. The reason being is that La Quinta is within the boundaries of Imperial Irrigation District (IID), while PD, PS, and RM are within the boundaries of Southern California Edison (SCE), which costs more. The cutoff between the two A/C companies is considered to be Washington St.

[Klaybus]

Hi, new to the forum. Would love some insight on the LA Quinta cove. I've been looking at houses via the web & it appears like a middle income area..... What's going on up in the cove?

[Brandon Graves]

Originally Posted by Klaybus

Hi, new to the forum. Would love some insight on the LA Quinta cove. I've been looking at houses via the web & it appears like a middle income area..... What's going on up in the cove?

Hello! Here's what I know about the La Quinta Cove in La Quinta, CA:

The La Quinta Cove (or, by locals, LQ Cove) is supposedly the least desirable neighborhood in the city of La Quinta (or, LQ). I heard that this specific area suffers mainly from lots of petty theft. Nothing major, really. As long as you use common sense, you will do just fine. Another downside is that it's a bit more distant from shopping centers in LQ. A benefit is that it is served by Imperial Irrigation District (IID), which has lower rates for electricity than Southern California Edison (SCE). Another benefit is that you are really close to a hiking trail that's on a mountain side. If you are into hiking, then have at it! Several people that I met and know reside in the LQ Cove.

That's all I know about this area!

[Klaybus]

Thanks for the reply. We're still a bit out before retiring, but am constantly looking trying to get a feel for the area. We come to the desert every May & October Celebrating our birthdays with friends in our happy place.
We have lived in the Seattle area our entire lives & am tired of the rain.

[TBCasino]

I live in LQ, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[Klaybus]

I sure will. Thanks

[2MovingForward]

Originally Posted by TBCasino

I live in LQ, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I have some questions too about the area. What are your thoughts on palm desert and Rancho mirage neighborhoods?