Palm Springs questions (San Diego, Temecula, Indio: apartment, home, school)

[Disciple of RP]

Hmmm, thought I had subscribed to this thread but I never got an email about these responses.

Anyhow, to answer one of the questions, Palm Springs isn't the only city we'd look into. We're really just interested in living in that area...want to move to California but don't really care about living right by the coast. The heat won't bother us. Again, I'm a native Houstonian and we've lived in San Antonio for years. I'm sure it gets much hotter in parts of the IE but we'll be fine.

I really like the proximity to Vegas, L.A., San Diego, etc...but I don't want to live in any of those cities. Thanks so much for the responses, I'll certainly check out those other areas. I've heard good things about Rancho Mirage from others as well.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by Disciple of RP

Hmmm, thought I had subscribed to this thread but I never got an email about these responses.

Anyhow, to answer one of the questions, Palm Springs isn't the only city we'd look into. We're really just interested in living in that area...want to move to California but don't really care about living right by the coast. The heat won't bother us. Again, I'm a native Houstonian and we've lived in San Antonio for years. I'm sure it gets much hotter in parts of the IE but we'll be fine.

I really like the proximity to Vegas, L.A., San Diego, etc...but I don't want to live in any of those cities. Thanks so much for the responses, I'll certainly check out those other areas. I've heard good things about Rancho Mirage from others as well.

Murrieta/Temecula will give you better access to San Diego and Los Angeles than Palm Springs. We are also closer to Las Vegas. We are 60 miles from downtown San Diego and about 70 from downtown Los Angeles. We are in the Temecula Valley in the Inland Empire with a metro population of about 350,000 and is separated from both SD and LA. It is a great area to live.

[Twinkle Toes]

If you move to the desert you will want to look into Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, or Indian Wells. Personally, I would look at Palm Desert because it is the "hub" of the desert. It has more to offer kids and families. Rancho Mirage is nice, but not very kid friendly. Not a whole lot to do there, and the kids in Rancho go to Palm Springs and/or Cat City schools.

Some parts of Palm Springs are nice, but others not so much.

If you look at La Quinta, you will probably want to stay out of the Cove. The Cove is a mixed bag - and you never know which part of the mixture you're going to get.

Indian Wells is nice, but again, nothing to do. However, it is very small and is sandwiched between LQ and PD, so a short trip in either direction will get you to a lot of things.

[Disciple of RP]

OK, so I'm gathering from the responses that perhaps Palm Desert, La Quinta and the Temecula areas would be places to seriously consider over Palm Springs. Very sad to here that Ranco Mirage kids attend school in Cathedral City...this is simply unacceptable for us. EVERYTHING I've EVER heard about that place has been negative.

Haven't looked at Temecula/Murrieta really at all yet, I'll do some research. I do remember one particular thread (not sure if it was here or not) that described Temecula as "going downhill" in recent years. I've heard the traffic there is even worse than everywhere else. Of course, everybody has an opinion and a few negative-Nancies won't deter me from making an informed decision about where I move my family this coming Spring. My wife already left her job (in a Jerry Maguire fashion I might add!) and I'll be ready to go after January. This is definitely happening for us...got a few months to pick our next spot.

[Twinkle Toes]

Temecula/Murrieta is nice, but be prepared for a TON of traffic and everything is over-crowded. It is, however, closer to the beach and LA/OC. I love going to the wineries in Temecula. I like the Temecula area, but as far as peace of mind is concerned, my personal preference is the Coachella Valley where I csn get from point A to point B without the hassles of traffic and crowds. It's also very serene here.

[KarlaT2]

I agree Temecula and Murrietta are very nice. I prefer that area mainly due to closer proximity to beaches, and friends in Orange County.
In Coachella Valley I wouldn't live anywhere other than Palm Desert or La Quinta (North, not the Cove). I do live in the North La Quinta area, and it's very nice with great schools.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by Disciple of RP

OK, so I'm gathering from the responses that perhaps Palm Desert, La Quinta and the Temecula areas would be places to seriously consider over Palm Springs. Very sad to here that Ranco Mirage kids attend school in Cathedral City...this is simply unacceptable for us. EVERYTHING I've EVER heard about that place has been negative.

Haven't looked at Temecula/Murrieta really at all yet, I'll do some research. I do remember one particular thread (not sure if it was here or not) that described Temecula as "going downhill" in recent years. I've heard the traffic there is even worse than everywhere else. Of course, everybody has an opinion and a few negative-Nancies won't deter me from making an informed decision about where I move my family this coming Spring. My wife already left her job (in a Jerry Maguire fashion I might add!) and I'll be ready to go after January. This is definitely happening for us...got a few months to pick our next spot.

Temecula hasn't gone downhill. Old Town Temecula has been expanded in the last year or so with new restaurants etc. I do agree that there is a lot more traffic here than in the metro Palm Springs area. I am not going to knock the Palm Springs area. We spend a lot of time there but wouldn't want ot live there and we can live anywhere we want. The summers in Palm Sprinngs are like a blast oven. The Temecula Valley can get pretty hot but nothing compared to Palm Springs. Today it was a beautiful 88 degrees here and we don't get any humidity.

Murrieta/Temecula has almost 4 times the percentage of married couples with children, much lower crime rate, lower cost of living, better schools, etc. Almost 1/2 of the households in Palm Desert are single people with no children. All of this can be verified at the following link:

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

The population figures are low for both Murrieta and Temecula which are just over 100,000 each. Housing is not the same as the homes are generally much larger and newer in Murrieta and Temecula. You should think of both being one city as they are very similar in all aspects and adjoin each other.

[BabetteLisotta]

I bought a condo in the Villas last year as an investment and I think its an OK place. They keep the grounds really nice and its got an awesome view of the mountains. Its not the nicest part of town but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to live there. Its only about 10 minutes to downtown PS.

[Urban Boys]

Palm Springs is very nice and there are lots of neighborhoods that are good for children. North Palm Springs is not one of them. I have lived here for 2 years now and I like it. Yes the Summers are really hot, but we don't really have a Winter to speak of. We have pretty decent nightlife and some good restaurants. Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage have a lot more history and are more appealing for me than some of the cities down valley.

Temecula is nice, but it is part of the LA metro area, and that means lots of traffic and congestion. You would be looking at a very different lifestyle from what you would have here in the Coachella valley.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by Urban Boys

Palm Springs is very nice and there are lots of neighborhoods that are good for children. North Palm Springs is not one of them. I have lived here for 2 years now and I like it. Yes the Summers are really hot, but we don't really have a Winter to speak of. We have pretty decent nightlife and some good restaurants. Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage have a lot more history and are more appealing for me than some of the cities down valley.

Temecula is nice, but it is part of the LA metro area, and that means lots of traffic and congestion. You would be looking at a very different lifestyle from what you would have here in the Coachella valley.

Temecula/Murrieta are hardly part of the LA Metro area. There is a definite break between them and LA is 80 miles away. San Diego is closer but there is also a definite break there as well. Yes, there is more traffic than Palm Springs.