Phoenix or Palm Desert?

[Tacoma]

As Canadians we have lots of friends buying properties in these areas but have never been to either one. To be honest always thought we'd need a beach location to be happy but so many friends love it thought I'd ask pros and cons of these areas. Ideally I will get down to both of these areas but as a teacher most of my holidays are in the summer and the idea of over 100 degree temperatures does not appeal. We are not golfers but enjoy walking boating etc. Which area do you prefer and why?

Thanks in advance
Joan

 

[NWL]

We chose Palm Desert over Phoenix because Palm Desert, to us, has less of a "retirement community" feel. Make no mistake, there are plenty of retirees in the Palm Desert area, but it has more of a "younger" feel to it. Plenty of "early bird" specials too if that's your cup of tea.

We also found it easier to get around in Palm Desert. To be honest, we haven't been to Phoenix in about 8 years, so things may have changed.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

 

[zinger1457]

My view is just the opposite of NWL as far as the 'retirement' feel of each community. Phoenix is a major city, has professional sports teams, major airport, there is much more going on for those who want entertainment, shopping, night life. The median age in Palm Desert is 48, Phoenix is 31. Don't believe either area is much of a boaters paradise.

 

[Steve]

I much prefer the Phoenix/Scottsdale area over Palm Springs/Palm Desert. As the previous poster mentioned, there is a lot more to do in metro Phoenix. There are many more options for younger people especially. You get the feel of a relaxed resort in Scottsdale with the bonus of having the amenities of a big city next door in Phoenix.

In addition, I much prefer the scenery in Arizona. The Sonoran Desert is beautiful. It has a surprising amount of foliage including the giant saguaro catus and a lot of other plants. There is a nice mixture of terrain. The sunsets are fantastic (especially away from the city).

In contrast, I find the desert around Palm Springs to be very desolate. The indian canyons with the native palm trees are neat, but the overall area seems foreboding and just not attractive to me. (No offense to anyone who loves the area. This is just my opinion.)

Steve

 

[NWL]

My view is just the opposite of NWL as far as the 'retirement' feel of each community. Phoenix is a major city,....

...a big city next door in Phoenix.
Steve

Yet another reason we chose Palm Desert. It is not a major city. We find it more relaxing. We go to "hang out", eat in fancier restaurants than we have at home, sit around the pool, etc.

It will come down to what you want to do while you are there. Keep in mind they are both HOT in the summer.

Oh, and Palm Desert is closer to water!

Cheers!

 

[NWL]

I forgot to point out that we go to Palm Desert for our "Winter Break". I personally would never consider either location for a summer visit.

Have you considered Eureka or Whitefish, Mt. for a summer break? Many of your neighbors visit in my neck of the woods!

Cheers!

 

[loafingcactus]

Im no where near retirement, but I wouldnt pick either. In Palm Desert I would die of boredom, in Phoenix I would die of road rage.

 

[Tacoma]

Always great to get some ideas from people who have been to both. I believe most of our friends bought one or the other without seeing both. I know the draw of hockey games in Phoenix would be great and I think the proximity to Sedona would be nice as it sounds great. The draw of palm springs is proximity to the coast. Although no road rage is a definite benefit.

I would never plan on going in the summer don't worry. I have a place at a lake just west of Banff but this will be our last summer there as the kids are graduating and need to work. I have bought a couple of extra timeshares to take up the slack.

Really just trying to figure out the allure of the desert other than cheap prices for second homes right now. Until my husband stops snowboarding it will continue to be skiing/boarding holidays a lot of the time.

With only 4 hours in between the 2 cities I will likely check out both when I do get down.

Thanks
Joan

 

[siesta]

I enjoy Phx and own a home in the Scottsdale area. Great to get out of the Chicago winters and play some golf. And as someone mentioned Phoenix has a lot more going on than palm desert, spring training baseball, suns bball, Sedona or Payson close by, old town Scottsdale, and much better Mexican food! But yes indeed, horrible drivers.

Don't worry to much about any draw the coyotes have, the team will probably end up in Canada soon

 

[slomac]

In Palm Desert you are still 2 hours from the coast definitely more than a day trip. Why not buy at the coast if that is what you want? The desert is not for everyone and it is not a year round desitination due to the summer heat. The coast is.

 

[LynnW]

Hi Joan

We like both but prefer to spend more time in the Phoenix area. When we drive down in the fall or spring we usually book 1 week in the Palm Springs area and 2 or 3 in Phoenix although this spring we spent 1 week in Palm Springs 1 in Palm Desert and 1 at Lawrence Welk in Escondido. This coming fall we are back to 1 in Palm Springs and 3 in Scottsdale. Of course being golfers we like the fact that there is more choice of courses in the Phoenix area but you do have to get used to a lot of driving. You should try a week in both places if you can.

Lynn

 

[eal]

Hi Joan,
We spend a lot of time in both cities as well, of course in the winter. Palm Springs has Big Bear sorta nearby for skiing, and you can ski near Flagstaff as well, although whether there is enough snow is sketchier there.

Phoenix is the bigger city with lots of variety in the activities it offers, but Palm Springs has a lot going for it as well. I guess that's why we tend to do both - Palm Springs in February and Phoenix (Scottsdale) in March.

Decisions decisons!

Ann

 

[randyz]

Really just trying to figure out the allure of the desert other than cheap prices for second homes right now. Until my husband stops snowboarding it will continue to be skiing/boarding holidays a lot of the time.

With only 4 hours in between the 2 cities I will likely check out both when I do get down.

Thanks
Joan

Joan,

From Vancouver here, never been to Arizona, but spent a good part of my youth in Palm Springs etc.. I also currently have numerous friends and acquantainces with homes in Palm Springs/Desert and Arizona. And yes many are picking up homes lately like many Canadians. (Happening in Hawaii too).

The key thing you mentioned is you don't golf and you are active people. Easily 75% of the people I know with places in Palm Springs golf. Judging by the dozens I know there are 2 main reasons "Canadians" head to Arizona or Palm Springs.

1. Retire and hang out in the sun. The laid back lifestyle.
2. Or pre retire or retire and head south to golf. (and like your partner many of these people ski and snowboard and also own in Whistler).


As a Canadian travelling south I prefer timeshare because like you I can't travel for a month in winter. TS gives me flexibility. Also buying resale means no capital gains or losses likely, so no cross border tax issues etc..

Randy

 

[JeffW]

Not retiring trips, but my wife & my parents did a 1wk vacation last June in Scottsdale, this July in Palm Desert. Both were hot, and I assume yearly weather is about the same.

Other than that, sort of as others have inferred, I'm sure sure the two places are really comparable. Phoenix area is like 5th largest city in the US (tends to bounce back and forth with my home city, Philadelphia). It's a big city (growth is mainly by annexing neighboring towns), and has a full complement of sports: hockey, football, basketball, and baseball. They also have some Indian casinos. It's probably a major stop on concert tours.

Palm Springs basically is none of that. It's main claim to fame is that it's probably the escape destination from another main city, Los Angeles. PS also has some Indian casinos, and they can draw some entertainment. But for major entertainment, you'll probably need to drive 2+hrs west to the LA area.

I would tend to think PS might be more expensive housing wise, though if you "step down" to Cathedral City or Indio, it's probably more affordable.

If you want more of a laid back lifestyle, I'd think PS is a better choice. If you want a less expensive place, particularly if you or family will be flying in, Phoenix is definitely better (on our recent PS trip, we flew into PHX because it was so much cheaper than PSP).

Jeff

 

[randyz]

Jeff,

Yours and other posts in this thread made me realize how much harder or expensive it is for Americans to fly direct to PSP. Ironically from Vancouver, Canada its can actually be cheaper and easier to fly direct at least in the winter months.

In the last few years in Vancouver we have the additional option to cross the border to Bellingham and use the discount airline to fly direct to most of the California/Nevada/Arizona locations. Strange you can do that from Bellingham but not alot of major centres in the USA.

Randy

 

[EZ-ED]

For winter timeshare stays of two to four weeks we prefer Palm Desert to Phoenix but we are looking to buy in the Greater Phoenix area for the variety of activities.

One item that I have not seen mentioned here is the San Andreas Fault runs through the Coachella Valley and we were awaken one night by a 3.7 jolt.

 

[CalifasGirl]

PS vs PHX

As Canadians we have lots of friends buying properties in these areas but have never been to either one. To be honest always thought we'd need a beach location to be happy but so many friends love it thought I'd ask pros and cons of these areas. Ideally I will get down to both of these areas but as a teacher most of my holidays are in the summer and the idea of over 100 degree temperatures does not appeal. We are not golfers but enjoy walking boating etc. Which area do you prefer and why?

Thanks in advance
Joan

Summer in Phoenix is very hot, but so is Palm Springs. I have been to both in the summer. This summer, we took advantage of a bonus week that II gave for going to Phoenix, and there were some sandstorms (haboobs), but we managed to miss them. Both locations are similar in climate, but as Jeff W has mentioned, Palm Springs is a smaller city, while Phoenix is a metropolis. In addition, there are lakes to enjoy close to Phoenix. If you drive out to Apache Junction, AZ you'll find an area where people swim and boat.

http://www.lasr.net/travel/city.php?Apache+Junction+Lakes&TravelTo=AZ0612001&VL=Y

There is also a lake near Palm Springs as well.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...views-Lake_Hemet-Palm_Springs_California.html

There is the PS Tram, which is fun to go up and get out of the desert heat during the summers in Palm Springs.

It depends on what you prefer, a smaller community or a huge metropolis. I'm a city person, so I like Phoenix over PS, although PS is good for a getaway. If you like Mexican food, you should head over to Indio where there are better restaurants than PS.