Palm Springs Area? (San Jose, San Francisco, Riverside: crime rate, new home, neighborhoods)

[dreamfollower]

Looking to relocate to CA from NY. I am interested in any opinion on living in communities in the Palm Springs area {Desert Hot Springs?}.

I am in hospitality and would be looking at new home communities.

Also, exactly where does the fault line travel through this general area. Is this a more negative area than others in terms of this consideration?

Thank you.

[Deserter]

Desert Hot Springs has a ridiculously high violent crime rate which is probably why property is so much cheaper there. It's a good place to live if you're into meth. It's also very unattractive as far as the town goes.

The other desert cities are fine. (Well, Indio and Coachella have some iffy neighborhoods, but most of the new homes are in improving areas.)

The San Andreas fault line begins at the Salton Sea and runs west to the San Bernanadino mountain range, but the whole state gambles with it every day. It could be 50 to 100 years before a big one hits here or it could be tomorrow. There are many active fault lines throughout the state. Basically, every mountain range or crack in the earth is a fault line. There's plenty of them all over the state. It's pretty hard to predict. I wouldn't consider it a big factor.

The thing that you should really consider is the heat. Can you stand temperatures in excess of 100 degrees starting anytime from March to May and running sometimes into October. There were days /weeks this summer and last in excess of 120. The A/C bills can be outrageous. Not to mention how draining the heat is. It's the major factor in why I want to leave the desert.

[happ]

Deserter's summary is quite astute in pointing out the "heat factor." It is cooler up in Yucca Valley/Joshua Tree.

Moderately strong earthquakes have occurred in the Coachella Valley but not for several years [and that may not be a good thing].

Further south: Mecca/Borrego Springs

[lookingfortheperfectplace]

~~Also, exactly where does the fault line travel through this general area. Is this a more negative area than others in terms of this consideration?~~

here is a website that shows fault lines and daily earthquakes. fyi, if you have never felt one, we usually only feel the ones that are 3.0 and larger. Just telling you this so that you are not scared when you see the website and it has all these little ones every few hours or so.

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/117-34.html

[rgrowley]

in my experience earthquakes are not frightening and somewhat fun if living in a short city as I do in San Jose, but turn on the t.v. and I see the devestation in taller cities like San Francisco.

I've attended many 5 day conferences in Palm Desert so have had many evenings of driving around. I'd stay North of La Quinta and South of Palm Springs. It's my preference to live in Rancho Mirage if I choose to because of it's family atmosphere.

Nothing against the Gay lifestyle that is growing in Palm Springs where some of the street islands are painted purple. I do find it a negative when the Gay community in Palm Springs has no respect for heteral families with kids.

La Quinta is growing with middle class and the schools there are 45% speaking with English as a second language.

My wife and I really love the desert evenings and swimming in the pools, but we would'nt move there even as I enjoy dialog with those heavily populated Republican communities. It's just a nice place to visit, and its funny that the speed limit on city roads is 45 mph to 55 mph, yet everyone seems to drive 35 mph.

My advice is to keep within Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and Indian Wells areas.

[Johnnie Amour]

Hello those who also have a passion for dancing.
I am single hetero guy 59 and moving to Palm Springs area and love to ballroom dance and enjoy night life.
I am curious how the dance scene is for people aged 50 plus. Is there an active dance, club, dance studio and night life thing going. I hope it is not all golf and outdoor recreation and roll up the carpet at 10pm. Can one dance any night of the week at some venues?
I am coming from Canada to spend the winter's in Palm Springs, not sure where to buy a residence at the moment but will be researching the areas - I do not want to be far away from the night life but also seek a safe and secure neighbourhood. Can you help illuminate?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated from the like minded.
Regards, Johnnie

[LaQuinta Lady]

rgrowley
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
7 posts, read 6,828 times
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La Quinta is growing with middle class and the schools there are 45% speaking with English as a second language.

Hey ther, Rgrowly, don't mean to be rude, but you have La Quinta confused with Coachella or Palm Springs Unified, m'dear. Desert Sands Unfied School District has the lowest EL population of any school district in the Coachella Valley, and the 2 high schools that serve the district, Palm Desert and La Quinta High, both have school populations of 3,000 plus and FEWER THAN 300 EL students! PLEASE check your facts before posting : ) By the way, both schools made it onto the Newsweek yearly "top 1,000 high schools" and many of the elementary schools are ABOVE the 800 mark on API

[SouthCoast604]

Desert Hot Springs has a reputation for crime.

Palm Spings proper is quite nice, and less expensive than Rancho Mirage or Palm Desert, etc.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by Johnnie Amour

Hello those who also have a passion for dancing.
I am single hetero guy 59 and moving to Palm Springs area and love to ballroom dance and enjoy night life.
I am curious how the dance scene is for people aged 50 plus. Is there an active dance, club, dance studio and night life thing going. I hope it is not all golf and outdoor recreation and roll up the carpet at 10pm. Can one dance any night of the week at some venues?
I am coming from Canada to spend the winter's in Palm Springs, not sure where to buy a residence at the moment but will be researching the areas - I do not want to be far away from the night life but also seek a safe and secure neighbourhood. Can you help illuminate?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated from the like minded.
Regards, Johnnie

Yes!!! I have a passion for ballroom dancing - and you're in luck ... I am actively looking for a partner for competition, as I am presently un-partnered!

There are no Saturday night social dances in the desert to speak of. Beyond The Beat has a dance every other Saturday, but they are only from 6:15 to 8:30, which kind of sucks if you want to go to dinner before or after the dance, but I can't complain too much because it's close by and my son teaches there.

There are a lot of dances and classes going on during the week, but this is primarily a WCS area. If you want ballroom you have to drive into Redlands or Riverside, or just bite the bullet and drive all the way into LA or OC. If you feel comfortable PMing me with your email address I can forward one of the newsletters that has all the dancing for this area and the IE as well.

The places for ballroom here in the desert are Billy Reed's in Palm Springs on Sunday afternoons, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and some Friday evenings; the Palm Springs Pavillion on Wednesday nights from October through May, and Beyond The Beat in Palm Desert every other Saturday night. Agua Caliente Casino used to have WCS on Sundays and Salsa on Wednesdays, but I believe they are re-doing the floor, so I don't think anything's going on there at the present time. You can also go to the Esmeralda on Thursday nights and dance. They have a little band or a trio that plays some dance music, but it's mostly WCS, as that is primarily the crowd that goes out around here. However, we ballroom people can pretty much dance to anything. If WCS music is playing, I prefer to do cha cha or foxtrot, but there's no room to do foxtrot.

[aristile]

Hello;
I've just moved to Joshua Tree Ca. and am intrested in learning balloom. I have almost no experience but would like to give it a try, if there is anyone that may know of a studio close to my location it would be greatly appreciated if I could get the name and location. Thank you.