Pros and Cons of Living in Palm Springs California
Palm Springs Living: the Pros and Cons of life in the desert
Palm Springs, California in the Coachella Valley is a great place to head to for an even or a vacation. But what is it like to actually live in Palm Springs? People always ask me about the pros and cons of Palm Springs living all the time. When I get that question, the answer falls into the categories of what do people love about living in Palm Springs, what don’t they like. And what do I wish I knew before I moved to Palm Springs and what have I found out since living in Palm Springs.
In the video above and this blog post, I’m going to be sharing what no one usually tells you about life in the Coachella Valley. You’ll also find out that surprisingly sometimes the pros of living in Palm Springs and the cons are two sides of the same coin.
Usually on this website and my related YouTube Channel, “All about Palm Springs”, when I say Palm Springs I am referring specifically to the city of Palm Springs unless otherwise mentioned. Most of the comments in this blog post are true throughout the Coachella Valley (aka Greater Palm Springs), unless otherwise noted.
As you read this post or watch the video, ask yourself if any of the following might be you:
You are thinking of moving to Palm Springs full time. Maybe you have a work from anywhere job or are retired. Or you may have just landed a job in the desert or already own or are starting a local business.
You are a snowbird and are looking for a second home to escape the cold weather elsewhere in the world.
You want a vacation home for holidays and family getaways.
You are interested in owning a property that can be monetized - i.e. used for short term rentals like for Airbnb or VRBO when you are not using it.
Weather
In Palm Springs there's 7 months of just about the best weather you can find anywhere with very little rain and sunny skies almost every day. And then there's 3-4 months with stifling triple digit weather.
The best weather in Palm Springs is found November through May. Those months include both the High Season and the Shoulder Season. During the summer months, June through September you can see triple digit heat for months on end. October can go either way.
But during the summer months and through October, you can having multiple triple digit weeks in a row. Even after the sun goes down, the temperature can still be in the 80’s and 90’s. If you are living in Palm Springs during those months, you’ll probably want to try to get whatever it is you need to do outdoors done before 10 AM. Whether that means shopping for groceries, putting gas in your car or playing golf or tennis, everything becomes a morning outing or activity.
And surprisingly, there are times of the year when it gets quite humid. So for all the talk about “it’s a dry heat” - well not always. The humidity is definitely one of the things that surprises people after they live in Palm Springs.
The extreme heat makes it very important to stay hydrated all the time. Keeping those water bottles handy becomes extremely important.
What a lot of people don't tell you about the pros and cons of the weather in Palm Springs is that it can also be very windy - particularly in the north end. Once you get north of Vista Chino and closer to the 10 Freeway, the winds intensify. During the Spring and other times of the year, 30, 40 or even 50 MPH winds are not unheard of.
And the winds blow the sand around. Sometimes major roads like Indian Canyon Driver or Gene Autrey Trail are closed because they are covered with sand. (Other times they are closed because of flooding.) The wind and the sand can wreak havoc on your car’s finish and windshield. Combine the heat with the wind and it can be like holding a hair dryer directly in your face.
Another surprise for many people who move to Palm Springs is that during the winter, it can get quite cold at night. December and January, you may wake up to temperatures in the 40’s.
Because of the extremes - overnight lows in the 40’s in the Winter to daytime highs in the 120s in the Summer, many elements of your home take nore of a beating than in other parts of California where the temperatures aren’t as extreme. Homeowners in Palm Springs may spend more on maintaining their home than elsewhere.
The pro of living in Palm Springs is the great winter weather. The con is the summer months, wind, humidity and wear and tear on you and your stuff.
Active Outdoor Lifestyle
Whether it's golf, tennis, pickleball, biking, hiking, jogging, swimming or just pool parties, there's almost no place that offers more things to do outdoors for as many months as Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.
For golfers, there’s over 100 golf courses in the Greater Palm Springs area. There are both private clubs and public courses. For those enjoying racquet sports, many homes have tennis courts as do many communities. There are public courses and at super high end there’s the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home of the BNP Paribas Open.
And let’s not overlook pickleball which I have heard is the fastest growing sport in the United States. There are public courts at Demuth Park in Palm Springs and there are plans to expand them. The Rowan has pickleball courts across the street from the hotel that both guests and the public can rent for a few hours.
If bike riding is your thing, exploring some of the historic neighborhoods can be a great way to get some exercise and take in some historic sites. For those looking to ride a but away from the traffic, there’s the CV Link which has 40 miles of pathways. Great ride unless it is too windy.
For hikers, there’s no end to the possibilities. Some of my favorite hikes are the North Lykken Trail, the Tahquitz Canyon waterfall hike, the trails at the Indian Canyons, the Bump and Grind Trail in Palm Desert and for the real pros, the Cactus to Clouds hike that leaves from the Museum Trail in downtown Palm Springs and summits at the top of Mt San Jacinto. Wherever you hike may take you, just remember that it is wilderness and you are as likely to see a rattlesnake as a bighorn sheep.
And no discussion of Palm Springs is complete without mentioning the pools. Almost every house and condo has one. Whether it is relaxing by the pool, jumping in for a dip or going to a Palm Springs pool party, nothing could be better,
The con of the outdoor lifestyle is that during the warm summer months when it can be triple digit heat for weeks on end, is that you probably won't be doing too much outdoors after around 10:30 AM. People tell me they have tee times as soon as the sun comes up and ditto for everything else.
Things to Do
In addition to the famous festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach, there's other events like Modernism Week, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the PGA Golf Tournament, the BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open. And if that doesn't keep you busy enough, you can always head up to the top of Mt San Jacinto in the aerial tram, go to the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Palm Springs Air Museum or the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. And if gambling is your thing, there's the casinos.
The con of all this is that just like the Palm Springs outdoor lifestyle, during the hottest months you probably aren't doing a lot of these things. Well maybe you’ll head up to the top of San Jacinto because it is cooler up there.
Local Restaurants
The Coachella Valley has some great restaurants and many of them are in the City of Palm Springs. You can find all kinds of food and in general you’ll find the service is excellent as well.
So that’s all a pro. The con is that during the high season and the festivals, it can be really hard to get a table so reservations - which often have to be made well in advance, are a must.
Small Town Feel
A lot of times, Palm Springs, has the feel of a small town. And that's a pro of living in Palm Springs. The flip side is that Palm Springs is also a world known international tourist destination. While some people live in Palm Springs full time, there are many people who have second homes of vacation homes in Palm Springs and are only in residence for part of the year.
The con of the small town feel is that a) you can get bored and b) it can get really crowded during the high season when tourists and snowbirds all flock to Palm Springs.
Palm Springs has an International Airport and is a few hours from the beaches in LA and Orange County
Whether you want to drive to LA or the OC or jump on a plane to a further away destination, living in Palm Springs makes other destinations accessible and thats a pro. The con is that sometimes you can hit some major traffic and a 2 hour trip to the beaches can become four hours.
Driving
The pro is that often there's not a lot of people on the roads. So even if you are driving longer distances locally, it might not take as long as it would elsewhere. The con is that sometimes roads are closed because of the winds and blowing sand which makes visibility difficult. Also the 10 Freeway can get gridlocked when there is an accident. And then, there are some really bad drivers. It is not unusual at all to see people going the wrong way on one way roads or running through lights. If you are on the road, remember to look both ways.
The Palm Springs Real Estate Market
The pro of Palm Springs real estate is that there’s something for every buyer in every price range. You can find some amazing amazing properties that would cost a lot more in other parts of Southern CA. And for those who can get a short term rental permit, your home can make money for you.
The con of Palm Springs real estate is that many homes are built on leased land which can make getting a mortgage challenging and it is often easier to buy a home in Palm Springs than to sell one. Another con is that depending on where we are in the real estate cycle, it can be a lot easier to buy than to sell.
The cost of living
Food and utilities may cost more in Palm Springs than elsewhere in Southern CA and that's just a con. Because of the vast weather swings, you might be paying a lot for electricity, gas and water.
The People
I have some really great neighbors in Palm Springs and even though many do not live in the desert full time, the experience of Palm Springs living can be quite fulfilling.