?s about moving to palm desert (Santa Ana, Riverside: rent, insurance, condo)

[xxhowiexx]

1st off, i did do a search and read the threads.

my girlfriend and i are thinking about relocating to palm desert from wisconsin. for a job, here i work for a water and sewer contractor, and im union. does anybody know if the union is in that area, and what the pay scale is like for construction work? is there a high demand or any demand for underground construction? also, ive looked at many sites, and will continue to do so, but where abouts do we NOT want to live? and, any other thoughts, tips, opinions, anything you want to teach me is very welcomed.

thanks

[Nature Guy]

Hello there! Geez, where to begin! I guess I know about Palm Desert, CA., as much as anyone could. My parents moved there in 1978 to retire, and I was "coerced" into moving there in 1981, to help my dad with his "retirement" job of a maintenance contractor for the many wealthy country clubs in the desert.

First, and most important of all, you MUST enjoy HOT weather. And when I say hot, I mean HOT!!! I moved from the "normal" coolish temps of northern CA, and was absolutely appalled at how hot it became in the SoCal desert regions! There's basically two seasons in the Palm Desert area, spring and summer. Starting around mid to late April, temps regularly go into the mid to upper 80's and gradually go higher through May, June, July, August, Sept, Oct., and even November! The hottest months are normally July, August, Sept., when temps rarely go below 100 degrees, and are often between 110 and 120 degrees!! Nights are often in the 100's all night long, too.
To add to the hot misery, the humidity soars, due to the jet stream (known as the Pineapple Express in that area) that shifts southward almost directly over SoCal. Hurricanes (yes...hurricanes) that normally spin around in the Mexico area, fall apart, and the remnants end up around SoCal. Since we often had to work outside during these months, we called it "desert slime". That's the heavy perspiration that virtually soaks you, since the air is too humid to evaporate it! Miserable doesn't quite define it....it goes WAY beyond misery, and can often be lethal, since the body can't cool off.
The BEST months (and what's normally considered "the season" to be there) are last half of November, December, Jan., Feb., and sometimes even March. In other words, half the year is upper 80's to over 100 degrees. Personally, I had to move to the nearby mountain community of Idyllwild (at 5400 ft. elev.) to escape the heat, and drive twenty miles one way and back to work in Palm Desert (40 miles, all told).
The alternative, of course, is to spend literally hundreds of dollars on air conditioning each month. (I tried it for one year, and paid more for my elec. bill than my rent at $350.00/mo.).
Additionally, the insects go absolutely banana's as the temps get hotter! We're talking now about HUGE cockroaches, about three inches long; which eventually get into everything, looking for water and food. My parents eventually were forced to put all food that came in paper packageing into plastic containers with a snap lid. These miserable "giant cockroaches" would actually eat through plastic and cardboard and into the food. They also got into all the cupboards, looking for ANY scrap of food (even the toaster and oven). Also there's some other pests like scorpions, which come out at night to hunt for bugs. They often find access to houses, which can bring REAL excitement when they're discovered, believe me! They can run amazingly fast when scared.
Also, being close to the Mexican border, the immigrants are ever-present and will usually work for below minimum wage. Smart-ass "white guys" would often round up these poor Mexicans and "employ" them for large scale landscape and gardening firms, not to mention construction projects. I, too, had this option, but decided the desert lifestyle didn't suit me. I relocated to Lake Tahoe, and now Carson City, NV.
So anyway, there's an insiders glimpse of what to expect in the Palm Desert area. I lived in that general area for twenty years, and there's not much I missed during that time. Good luck!

[xxhowiexx]

wow. i really appreciate you taking the time to put all that out there for me. thank you for the negative side of things. rarely do you get that.

so, what would the hottest, worst month to go there be? i'd like to get a good feel of the worst the desert has to offer. especially since all ive done is underground construction, so im outside all day.

[zekeny]

My experience coming from NE no nearly as negative as the above. I live in Rancho Mirage and relocated from NE about 5 years ago. The summers do get hot but I have no idea what humidity this person is talking about, certainly nothing compared to what I suffered in the DC/VA corridor. I have never seen a single cockroach since I have lived here. I have seen little ants but not a problem. The days are nearly always sunny and I actually like the windy days you get from the Santa Ana winds. The diversity is also nice (which you don't find in other areas). Come down in August if you want to sample the hottest; it didn't drive me away and I love living here year round. And you can always get away in less than an hour to Idyllwild/the mountains.

Good luck

[Richgatehouse]

I,m a superintendent in the Palm Desert area. 95 % of all work in this area is non-union. There are a handful of underground contractors in this area we use and competition right now if fierce. You will find work but the pay is between $15-$20 an hour right now. You may want to try and get on with CVWD (Coachella Valley Water District); the local water authority.

I've been working out here for 5-1/2 years and the good ole boy network is still pretty much in effect. Public Works projects are picking up and this work is either union or prevailing wage. If you are in the Laborers' Union you may want to contact them (they are in Riverside Ca) and see about signing-up on the out -of- work list. Southern California is predominantly non-union.

A couple of companies you want to contact are the Van Dyke Corp; ARB and Kincaid Industries. Good luck to you.

[Nature Guy]

Having lived in or around Palm Desert for a LONG twenty (20) years, what I said was and is true of the area! I'm always amused at people who are relatively new to that area. If you're financially able to afford tremendous electric bills, and/or live in the numerous "exclusive", gated condo complex's, you can convince yourself "it ain't that bad". I met literally hundreds of people who lived in Palm Desert (Coachella Valley) during my LONG tenure down there, and there IS a certain type who actually enjoys VERY hot temps. I even recall seeing LOTS of people (usually older) with sweater's on when it was around 100 degrees outside! Go figure.

Many of these more "exclusive" condo complex's have (as part of the maintenance bill for each resident) a very heavy bug irradication program which encompasses periodic spraying around the foundations of EACH building unit to discourage the ants, spiders, and yes....COCKROACHES that scurry about, especially during the hot summer months (about six months of the year).

I speak from not only a long-time resident status, but also one who actively worked OUTSIDE during the extremely hot summer months. And I worked in many of these "exclusive" condo complex's. Let's clarify something. The "cockroaches" I refer to, are called "date palm beetles" by the long-time residents, because that's primarily where they live, when outside. The desert, incidently, was (and is) a primary source of dates, hence many groves of date palm trees.

Anyway, during these very hot summer months, these very large "date palm beetles" fly everywhere, and tend to migrate into the cool, hospitable buildings that fill the desert. And I've seen these "beetles" in huge, exclusive condo units as well as humble small homes and mobile homes. Poisonous spray will deter them to some extant, if you don't mind living around poison spray residue! The fact is, once inside, they multiply like cockroaches, and tend to get into food stuff, like cockroaches. They even go into areas that don't have food, like closets and drawers!

At any rate, climate is all dependent on individual likes and dislikes. What annoys one, pleases another. My advice, frankly, is if you work outside....you DON'T want to be in the Palm Desert area in summertime. Period. Most residents find lodging elsewhere during these months, if at all possible. We used to work from daybreak to about noon or 1 pm, then quit for the day, as temps soared rapidly after noontime, as did humidity when applicable. It's not always humid, of course. But when it is...believe me, you're risking heatstroke, even death when you're body can't cool down enough.

My dad, who I worked with and for, took salt tablets because sweat depletes body reserves, with resultant risk for stroke, heart attack, etc. If you're inside, of course, you don't experience any of this! BEWARE. That's my take on the "wonderful" life style of the Coachella Valley and Palm Desert in particular. Most of the "outdoor" workers I met down there, were of Mexican origin, because they were accustomed to that sort of unusual heat. If you weren't brought up in that sort of heat, it's HIGHLY unlikely you'll adjust to it enough to be safe in it for any length of time. I met many workers, who moved there from greater L.A., and after a few summers....they couldn't deal with the heat any longer, and moved away. DON'T believe the hype about the SoCal desert from people who haven't lived around there for a LONG time!

Normally, (...and normal is variable) the most miserably hot months are from July to September. Rarely, you'll get small breaks in this regime. Don't count on it, however. And YES, the "pineapple express" jet stream DOES drift over the SoCal area during most of these months. And brings tremendous humidity when it does, because it consists of deteriorating HURRICANES from the central tropics (South America).

[ODAAT]

Hi xxhowiexx, this is my first post. I inadvertently sent you a message another way, but found out how to do this the right way. Anway, I am also moving from WI to the desert and had to see if you were still around the forum.

I am a middle-aged (solo) woman, so it is scary for me on many levels, but any input is so appreciated. I have a position lined up, a position to get my foot in the door and hope for another to open up. I will be moving all the way out there, so any input, suggestions regarding moving, storage, insurance, job market, studios, rooms. I will probably have to do two jobs temporarily regarding chemical dependency, office work, etc. etc. Have a master's degree, but that and a nickel wont buy me a cup of coffee.

I just visited the area and it seemed lovely to me, especially after the weather in Wisconsin. 30 below zero for 6 weeks is not habitable, plain and simple. Lived in Florida for 10 years, so I did ask about the palmetto bugs, but the person I visited said in 7 years, she has not seen one. Was warned about rattle snakes, however. lol.

Other than all that, how is life for a quiet, straight, sober, professional woman to relocate out there?

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by zekeny

My experience coming from NE no nearly as negative as the above. I live in Rancho Mirage and relocated from NE about 5 years ago. The summers do get hot but I have no idea what humidity this person is talking about, certainly nothing compared to what I suffered in the DC/VA corridor. I have never seen a single cockroach since I have lived here. I have seen little ants but not a problem. The days are nearly always sunny and I actually like the windy days you get from the Santa Ana winds. The diversity is also nice (which you don't find in other areas). Come down in August if you want to sample the hottest; it didn't drive me away and I love living here year round. And you can always get away in less than an hour to Idyllwild/the mountains.

Good luck

No joke there.

I am a Wash DC native; born and raised.......now live in the Phx, Az. area------DC is more unpleasant IMHO and that is not counting the nasty winters.

Am doing some recon of the Yucca Valley/Joshua tree area for relocation......it is about 5 degrees cooler than Phx (3,000' elevation in the first two places).

BTW: I left DC 30 years ago, never been back.

[dig2dye]

you don't want to live in North pam Springs or Desert hot Springs. You do want to live in Rancho Mirage, very nice.

[xxhowiexx]

yes i am still on the forum. no i did not want to start any feuds here. i havent yet gone there. my girlfriend has friends there and we were talking about moving there. she loves the heat, me, well despite the posts, im sure i can get used to the heat. i"m just looking for all kinds of feedback, opinions, etc. already talked to my union rep, he called out to Colton where my union office is. seems i wont have a problem getting a job, so thats a start.

also, whats wrong with north palm springs? and we would be looking for a place out in the "country". not a condo, and preferably not a gated community.