Reviews & Comments
La Quinta, CA
Nice town with warm weather -
3/14/2017La Quinta started as a very small resort town, frequented mainly by Hollywood folks as far back as 1926. Incorporated in 1982, it still has the feeling of a resort town.
In the last 18 years, it has seen tremendous growth, with the building of thousands of new homes on what was formerly open desert. Most of them are in gated or country club communities. And with this growth has come far more traffic, an unfortunate downside. The community thins out considerably, however, during the hot months (May through September) as many residents are part-timers, wintering over from colder climes.
Summers are brutally hot, averaging 110 during the day in recent years, with an overnight low in the high 70s or low 80s. Some days can be as hot as 118 and 120. Winters are short, just November through February, with daytime temps in the 60s and 70s. Sunny most of the time and practically no rain. From October through April the weather is very nice for outdoor activities, although some days during this period can reach the high 90s.
A modest clean home in a decent neighborhood runs about $375k, and a nice home in a gated community goes for between $450k and $650k. There is also a fine selection of deluxe homes in the $750k to $1.5 million range. Great outdoor activities 7 months a year: golf, cycling, hiking, tennis, swimming and horseback riding. Good restaurants, shopping, and medical services are readily available. Several big events held here -- one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments, the worlds best music festival, golf tourneys, art festivals, beer and wine festival and more. The valley is surrounded by very tall mountains, giving the landscape a dramatic appearance. Trees include acacia, ash, citrus, mesquite, olive, palm, palo verde, pepper, sumac, and tipuana. Combine all this with beautiful landscaping and underground utilities, and La Quinta is a very nice looking town.
If you can bear a very hot 5-month summer, you can live here year-round; otherwise, most people will find La Quinta best suited for a winter home during the October-April season.
La Quinta, CA
Paradise 7 months per year -
7/7/2016My wife and I have lived in La Quinta, CA for 16 years. Over these years we've seen a tremendous amount of development, which on the one hand has improved shopping and amenities, and on the other hand worsened the traffic.
The best thing about La Quinta is the October through April weather, which is like paradise. Warm and dry. In fact, we probably average a humidity of around 20 to 25. It can be 85 degrees with a humidity of 20, and that's a great day. To live here, however, you must be able to tolerate very hot summers. From May though September, it's rough. We get a lot of days over 100 degrees, and quite a few over 110. Every summer we get a few days that are 115 to 120, and that's when the overnight lows drop only to 88. I'ts brutal. You are basically stuck indoors, although you can always go out to restaurants, movies, and shopping, as there is never any danger on the road, such as in snow and rain climates. We barely get any rain here -- about 6 or 7 inches per year.
Overall, the city of La Quinta could be described as resort living. The best seven months really spoil you. Many beautiful golf courses and country club homes. And being a relatively new city, all utilities are underground. Very pretty landscape surrounded by tall mountains. Many people have winter homes here, as the winters are almost non-existent. A cold winter day is 60 degrees and sunny.
Many who live here find a way to get away during the hot months. If you can do that, it's paradise. Home prices range from about $350k to well over $1 million. Two hour 20 minute drive to L.A or San Diego. La Quinta has a population of about 42,000, and it's one of several cities in a valley of 130,000. The architecture is mainly early California Spanish. All the newer homes have very nice open floor plans. Many home communities are walled and private. Gardening and maid services are abundantly available. The city is quiet, no late night life.
Palm Springs is 25 minutes away, and nearby Palm Desert, with it's fancy El Paseo street, features upscale shopping and fine restaurants. All in all, a very nice place to live, especially if you can escape during the summer.