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The area is NOT child UNfriendly. Not sure where you got your information from. The area is not all retirees and old people. Have you been here lately? The only way you will know whether or not you can get an interdistrict transfer is to go to the district offices and ask. I have an interdistrict transfer for my son because we lived in Palm Desert and then moved to La Quinta, so instead of going to La Quinta schools (which are good schools) he is in Palm Desert because he has been in Palm Desert schools since kindergarten and he wants to graduate high school with the same kids he's basically grown up with.
[quote=Twinkle Toes;2711363]The area is NOT child UNfriendly. Not sure where you got your information from. The area is not all retirees and old people. Have you been here lately? [quote]
Thanks Twinkle Toes. You make me feel so much better about the desert. Yes, we have been there 3 times in the past 6 months. The first two times were in the summer so there weren't any kids around. Everyone I ask talks about how the schools aren't great. Then there are some posts to me here about how it isn't a great place to raise kids. One of them is actually from someone who grew up there. But like you said, it is what you make of it. We are VERY conscientious parents so I think our kids will be fine.
[quote=jaynetarzana;2711567][quote=Twinkle Toes;2711363]The area is NOT child UNfriendly. Not sure where you got your information from. The area is not all retirees and old people. Have you been here lately?
Quote:
Thanks Twinkle Toes. You make me feel so much better about the desert. Yes, we have been there 3 times in the past 6 months. The first two times were in the summer so there weren't any kids around. Everyone I ask talks about how the schools aren't great. Then there are some posts to me here about how it isn't a great place to raise kids. One of them is actually from someone who grew up there. But like you said, it is what you make of it. We are VERY conscientious parents so I think our kids will be fine.
I am glad you visited during the summer. Now you have a taste of what summers here are like. No, they aren't all that pleasant and most people leave here during summer, so there aren't going to be a lot of kids around during summer. On the other hand, the kids who are here during the summer are indoors because it is too hot to play outside during summer. The rest of the year is absolutely beautiful and wonderful in the desert and that is why people are here.
As for the schools - they ARE good. I have two boys, one is 23 so he is no longer in school, but I will tell you that he graduated Valedictorian of his class and was an honors student with a high GPA. My other son is in 8th grade and is an honor student with a high GPA as well. School really is what you make of it. What you put into it is what you are going to get out of it. My children have always been involved in extra-curricular activities in addition to the activities they were/are involved in with their school(s). Both of my boys are competitive ballroom dancers (like their mom!) outside of school and my oldest frequently choreographs dance routines for teachers at different valley schools to perform during school assemblies.
There really are a lot of activities for kids to do here in the desert, you just have to do your research. The desert is more and more about families with children. Sure, there are still retired folks here and people with no children, but this is a family area, just like any other - except that we have the best weather and the prettiest mountain views! Take more trips out here and partake of the lifestyle we live. I think you are going to love it, and if you don't, that's okay too.
You just blew my mind. Do you believe in the law of attraction? I am a ballroom dancer and I have two little girls who I plan to get into it. I told DH that I had a gut feeling that I was going to find my dance community there in the desert. We also moved to Chicago, but my gut feeling told me that it wasn't going to be conducive to my dancing. Can I private message you? I have so many things to ask you. I am so excited to have connected with a fellow ballroom dancer!!!!!
You just blew my mind. Do you believe in the law of attraction? I am a ballroom dancer and I have two little girls who I plan to get into it. I told DH that I had a gut feeling that I was going to find my dance community there in the desert. We also moved to Chicago, but my gut feeling told me that it wasn't going to be conducive to my dancing. Can I private message you? I have so many things to ask you. I am so excited to have connected with a fellow ballroom dancer!!!!!
OMG! YES!!! Absolutely - Private Message away!!!!! I'll give you my email address when you PM me. I'm competing at CA Open in 2 weeks. Perhaps I'll see you there?
If you define clean air as in little or no smog, then yes, the Coachella Valley does have it. However, if your children suffer from allergies, then you might find the air not so clean. During the windy time of year or when they are "scalping" lawns and golf courses, the pollen count can be quite high. While the desert used to be known as a place to escape such problems, that isn't true any longer.
As for schools, I can't really speak to those. I would think the schools in Palm Desert or Palm Springs would be better than say Cathedral City. I know there are some private schools but as you mentioned, they won't necessarily be cheap.
I would say that it is probably a decent place to raise children. However, it can be very boring for them as the Valley is geared more toward vacation and retirement activities for adults. It is especially challenging to find things for teenagers to do. I realize that is not a problem now but it is something to consider for the future.
My wife and I currently reside in La Quinta and have been here since November. Although we have yet to suffer through a summer here, as former residents of the Atlanta, Ga area, I can tell you that there is nowhere in the US with worse pollen-related air quality issues than the deep south. In Georgia it's common to see springtime pollen counts in the 10,000 parts per million range (on a scale of 0-100, 100 being extremely unhealthy)and that's the stuff you can't see, like ragweed pollen. If you've never seen cars and streets covered in a blanket of near flourescent yellow tree pollen, it is a sight to behold (imagine a light dusting of snow and, you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about). People who suffer upper respiratory problems are advised by health officials to avoid anywhere east of the Mississippi in the spring months. This is part of the reason why we moved here. My nose is not threatened by a couple hundred golf courses and housing developments. And as far as it being "humid" here during certain months, try 90-100 degrees with 90 percent relative humidity practically every day from April through October. Georgia is no different than Florida when it comes to heat misery. You can actually "see" the moisture in the air in your headlights as you drive down the road at night. Georgia is a hellish, sauna-like nightmare for asthmatics and anyone who hates mosquitos, bees, and windless, stagnant air (save for the occasional tornado). Yesterday it was in the nineties here and my wife and I were laughing uncontrollably because there was no humidity. In short, we love the desert. I can finally breathe again. I love wind and air that actually moves. Yes, it is really that bad back in the ATL. Move here and count your blessings, and that goes for everyone else who lives in this paradise.
qballnv is dead on. We are residents of Atlanta Ga. right now and will close on a home in Rancho Mirage a month from now. My red truck is currently yellow, as it is every year at this time. I will not miss the climate in Atlanta. But there are some very nice folks living here and that offsets some of the misery. I hope the residents of Rancho Mirage are just as nice.
After vacationing in the Coachella valley many, many times over the past 10 years, we have decided to make this beautiful city our home. We saw the current price drops as our window of opportunity to buy a home proir to retirement.
My wife and I currently reside in La Quinta and have been here since November. Although we have yet to suffer through a summer here, as former residents of the Atlanta, Ga area, I can tell you that there is nowhere in the US with worse pollen-related air quality issues than the deep south. In Georgia it's common to see springtime pollen counts in the 10,000 parts per million range (on a scale of 0-100, 100 being extremely unhealthy)and that's the stuff you can't see, like ragweed pollen. If you've never seen cars and streets covered in a blanket of near flourescent yellow tree pollen, it is a sight to behold (imagine a light dusting of snow and, you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about). People who suffer upper respiratory problems are advised by health officials to avoid anywhere east of the Mississippi in the spring months. This is part of the reason why we moved here. My nose is not threatened by a couple hundred golf courses and housing developments. And as far as it being "humid" here during certain months, try 90-100 degrees with 90 percent relative humidity practically every day from April through October. Georgia is no different than Florida when it comes to heat misery. You can actually "see" the moisture in the air in your headlights as you drive down the road at night. Georgia is a hellish, sauna-like nightmare for asthmatics and anyone who hates mosquitos, bees, and windless, stagnant air (save for the occasional tornado). Yesterday it was in the nineties here and my wife and I were laughing uncontrollably because there was no humidity. In short, we love the desert. I can finally breathe again. I love wind and air that actually moves. Yes, it is really that bad back in the ATL. Move here and count your blessings, and that goes for everyone else who lives in this paradise.
I have never lived in Atlanta or the South, so have no means of comparing those pollen levels to what I experienced living in Palm Springs for 7 years. But as a lifetime allergy sufferer, I can personally attest to the fact that Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley is not a magical pollen free zone. Maybe 50 or 60 years ago, but not today. The spring winds, the blooming of all the non-native trees and plants, did nothing but aggravate my allergies and those of others that I knew.
You say that your "nose is not threatened by a couple hundred golf courses and housing developments". But given that you have only lived in the desert since November, you have yet to experience the joy of all those golf courses and developments being "scalped" in October. Maybe after you do, your nose won't be so happy. Don't believe me? Ask any longtime resident with allergies that has lived in the Coachella Valley for more than 6 months, and see what they say. I seriously doubt that many can honestly say that "scalping" doesn't send them to the pharmacy or doctor for allergy medication.
I am glad that you are enjoying the desert and that you can breathe easier than you did in Atlanta. Hopefully it will stay that way. But that is your personal experience thus far, just as the situation I described is mine. The people inquiring may end up sharing your experience, mine, or fall somewhere in between. But at least the information was imparted to them so they can keep it in mind when they are making their decision whether to move to the area or not.
Twinkle toes - we are moving to the desert area Dec 22nd. I have to get my 9th and 11th graders enrolled before winter break is over. Can you please tell me if you were moving to the area which three highschools you would recommend? I get that school is what you make of it but I want to give my kids the best opportunity. They went from private school in FL to public school in Utah and that was tough. I am looking for public highschools. My husband will be working in Palm Desert so anything within a 20 mile radius of that will work. Thank you in advance for your help
Twinkle toes - we are moving to the desert area Dec 22nd. I have to get my 9th and 11th graders enrolled before winter break is over. Can you please tell me if you were moving to the area which three highschools you would recommend? I get that school is what you make of it but I want to give my kids the best opportunity. They went from private school in FL to public school in Utah and that was tough. I am looking for public highschools. My husband will be working in Palm Desert so anything within a 20 mile radius of that will work. Thank you in advance for your help
I can definitely recommend two - Palm Desert High School, which is where my son is now (you dug up an old thread ) and La Quinta High School, which is actually the school we live near. Both schools are excellent and have been designated as California Distinguished Schools. La Quinta has the International Bacclaureate program. Both schools fall within your 20 mile radius. Here is the website for the Desert Sands Unified School District, so you know who to contact for enrollment: DSUSD Schools .
Best of luck on your move to our area!
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I am so excited to have connected with a fellow ballroom dancer!!!!!
I'll give you my email address when you PM me. I'm competing at CA Open in 2 weeks. Perhaps I'll see you there?
you're kidding, right?
