Nice town with warm weather
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3/14/2017
La 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.
Richard | La Quinta, CA