Desert Hot Springs??? (Riverside, Palm Desert, La Quinta: 2009, sex offenders, crimes)

[wr!ter]

We've just started looking at the Sky Valley area SE of Desert Hot Springs (which I guess is also called Desert Hot Springs even though it's miles from the center of that town). I've read several very negative posts about how awful DHS is and on their advice I read some articles in the local paper that confirm that

So! How are the rural areas to the South East along both sides of Dillon Road? We would like to buy 5 acres and build a house and keep horses and it looks perfect for that. I imagine we would shop in La Quinta and Palm Desert so wouldn't really have much dealings with downtown DHS. We work from home so commute is not an issue. Is it still scary in the outlying areas? I notice there are mobile home parks scattered here and there throughout the valley but I don't want to assume those are a negative.

Other questions: Is it very windy? Is that why no one has a pool?? I'd want a pool for those 115 degree days, so I'm looking at satellite photos and wondering why no one seems to have one. I realize it's not an upscale area but I don't even see the cheap portable pools

I'd love any insight into this area as it looks great from photos (love the new "street view" thing on google maps) but that's not the same as living there

Thank!

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Desert Hot Springs and the areas immediately adjacent to it along the I-10 corridor are the most consistently windy spots in the Coachella Valley. That's why the windmills are where they are.

Sky Valley is very rural which is appealing to many people. Besides your hard core desert rats and those just seeking solitude, the other group of people that find it appealing are those looking for spots to put their meth labs. Because it is so isolated, sporadically patrolled by law enforcement, and the houses tend to be widely spaced from each other, it makes for the perfect place to conduct this activity.

I don't know what utilities you would have at your disposal out there. I never paid that much attention but I would guess that electrical and phone service are available along Dillon Road, but how far out past that I don't know. I would imagine that in order to get water you would have to drill a well. If you wanted to live off the grid, then it is the place you could probably do it quite well.

My biggest concern would be how long it would take to receive assistance from police, fire, or EMS. I can't recall if that area is covered by DHS or by Riverside County. If it's Riverside County, I'm not sure where they would be dispatched from, and I doubt that you would be looking at a rapid response time.

Another thing to consider is what do you do if you wish to go out of town for an extended period of time? It isn't as if you can have your neighbor watch your place if your nearest neighbor is miles away. A nice big house sitting out in the middle of nowhere is a very tempting target for meth heads and vandals alike. Yes you could get an alarm, but I know that only two alarm companies in the Coachella Valley have local dispatch centers. All the big ones farm that service out to places not within the valley and in some cases, completely out of the state. By the time they figure out where the alarm is, contact the appropriate authorities and those authorities finally get there, the damage will certainly be done.

I'm not trying to be an alarmist or dissuade you from doing this if that is what you want. But in all honesty, these would be my concerns, and personally they are enough to make Sky Valley somewhere that I would not consider living.

[roybuddy]

desert hot springs is a very, very cheap alternative to any lower valley town such as palm springs, palm desert etc. i just recently purchased a 1700 sq ft house with an inground pool for 135,000. taxes here are less also. i do not conduct any business here or shop for that matter. i basically live here and drive in and out. the view is fantastic (sunsets) the wind is a godsend on hot days and my part of town (eastern foothills) is quieter than most places i've lived which include florida, new orleans, new mexico and upstate new york. services are provided by palm springs (trash .police etc) and it is kinda like mayberry - but i also didn't have to pay 500,000 dollars to live in this beautiful valley with awesome year round weather. my only complaint/observation - a very large teenage population that behaves/drives as teenagers do. all in all the best value - return place i've ever lived and i've lived nine different places across the USA. my house has already been appraised at 250,000. did i mention i paid 135? all in all i think dhs is pretty good if you are smart about where you buy and don't mind driving 12 miles to stores (walmart,loews etc.)

[abovecoolmom]

I've lived in Desert Hot Springs for several years in 3 different houses. One of the houses had an inground pool, but the property is covered by a high concrete wall and there is a long row of trees that blocked the wind from the west/northwest side of the house, the direction the wind would blow from. Yes, it's windy. Yes, housing is much cheaper here. There are several areas of DHS that are very nice and have beautiful houses, especially up in the Mission Springs area. And the views are phenomenol. The best in the valley, as far as I'm concerned. You can see pretty much the whole valley up there. Yes, DHS is infamous for their crime. And yes, their is a high concentration of parole offenders, and sex offenders here. But because of this, we have increased the number of police officers and you really don't hear any news reports about crimes against children here. I don't now about the elementary and middle schools here, but both my kids went to the high school (they graduatd in 2004 & 2005), which was brand new, and did very well. They transferred from Palm Desert High School, which, although affulent, the teachers there were burnt out and didn't care. Since the HS in DHS was new,and most of the teachers young and enthusiastic, really did well by these kids. My daughter was almost flunking chemistry at PD, but was the highest ranking student in her chemistry class at DHS. Because the teachers were there for the students. The teachers at PD said they were only available at school.
There are always pros and cons to every situation. It's more about what you make of the situation. Hope this helps.

[Twinkle Toes]

Man is fatally shot in front of DHS store | MyDesert.com | The Desert Sun