Palm Desert, California (San Diego, Riverside, Palm Springs: home, rent, work)

[RUBIES77]

WHAT ELSE do I need to know about Palm Desert before moving there, besides the fact that it has many rich people, and the summers are 120 degrees farenheit! thanks,

[jkoz]

You will probably want to check the Riverside County forum for more information on this (this is the San Diego forum). Most San Diegans stay away from there in the summer, that much I do know!

[qballnv]

Hey there,
My wife and I recently moved to the Palm Desert/Bermuda Dunes/La Quinta area of the Coachella valley from Atlanta, Ga back in November of last year. We currently reside in north La Quinta and we absolutely love it. Although technically we haven't lived here long enough to qualify as experts on the subject, I'd like to tell you about a few things we have observed just in the past five months that we have been here.

1. CRIME IS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT
Back in the "ATL", it was a common, daily occurence to flip on the evening news and be bombarded with stories of murders, home invasions, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and a multitude of accidents on every major highway in and out of the city. In fact, for several years during the 90's, Atlantans had to endure the humiliation of knowing that their city consistently ranked #1 on the list of the nation's deadliest cities according to FBI crime statistics. Atlanta even unseated cities like LA and Detroit for that un-coveted title. By comparison, anywhere in the Coachella valley is a cakewalk. I've heard that there is gang/drug-related criminal activity in this area, lots of meth labs and I have seen the graffiti, but it's nowhere near as dangerous as where we come from. I am orginally from the Big Apple, and grew up in Howard Beach in Queens, and I can remember hearing the sounds of small arms fire on Cross Bay Blvd just about every night after my mom put me to bed. I have dreamed of living in a community like La Quinta my whole life. There's no reason to fear living here.

2. THE WEATHER IS GORGEOUS
Now I'm sure that this will be met with strong opposition from those who have lived through the summers here, but let me tell you just how good these valley people(and I now include myself in this group) have it. Yes, I hear it gets extremely HOT in the summer months. And I have been told that 120 degree days should be met with fear and trembling, but imagine living in a place that has 90-100 degree weather with 90 percent or higher relative humidity with little or no wind practically every day from April through October. Unless you've spent any time in the deep south during the summer, you have no idea how unimaginably hellish this can be. Heat in itself is bad enough, but throw high humidity and stagnant air into the equation and you've got a recipe for disaster. When you sweat, the moisture in the air doesn't allow your sweat to evaporate fast enough to cool your skin. Not surprisingly, there are more incidences of heat stroke and heat related illness in the southern states than anywhere else in the country. 120 with dry air is manageable at least.

3 PALM SPRINGS WEALTH IS NOT LIKE HOLLYWOOD OR NEW YORK WEALTH
Yes, I've seen the Bentley's and Ferrari's parked up and down El Paseo, and I know Indian Wells has more millionaires per capita than any other city in the country. Who cares? But more importantly, I haven't had the unfortunate displeasure of being treated like a second class citizen by any fantastically wealthy people here. Probably because the energy I project as an outspoken, wise-ass New Yorker doesn't leave much room for doubt as to how I feel about people who flaunt their money. As a former salesman working the streets of lower Manhattan, I'm no stranger to *******s. I've met and minlged with some of the most powerful and well-to-do patrons of New York's financial elite, and they're much harder to deal with than these rather subdued desert rats. It's all in how you look at it. Most people either despise wealth and ostentatiousness and feel threatened by it, or they embrace it and try to get in on the action. I've evolved beyond the need to be one way or the other. I just luagh and keep movin along. My wife and I didn't move to the valley to have other people look down their noses at us anyway. We're here for the Mexican food!!

4. EVERYTHING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
Whether it's furniture, appliances, groceries, restaraunts, dealerships, ice cream, entertainment, you name it, it's literally within walking or bicylcing distance of our neighborhood and I would suspect it is the same all over this valley. In fact, in my assessment, it would take years to sample everything the valley has to offer just in terms of fine dining.

5. AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO DO IS WITHIN A SHORT DRIVE
2 hours to the beach, 2 hours to the mountains (even quicker if you take the tram up to the top of San Jacinto), sand dunes to the south, Vegas and Havasu to the north and east, and so much more.

I hope this helps. Just remember there are much, much, much worse places to hang your hat in this country.