Learn me desert living

First and foremost, I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon–I just want to see what sort of info/advice the hive has.

My wife and I agreed that someday (not soon) we'd like to love somewhere out west in the desert. We fell in love with Joshua Tree when we visited family out in L.A., but we're not totally attached to that area.

My question is, especially for someone who spent most of his life in Southwest and Central Florida, what should I know about living in the desert? I know it'll be hot, and I know that dry heat is different from the humidity my body has grown accustomed to, but what else should I know?

It's not just hot, it's windy and dusty too! You'll notice the gas stations oftentimes have a foyer of sorts to keep the wind and dirt out. Chapstick will be your friend.

There tends to be cool old cars around because nothing really rusts, even though the paint is trashed. 

Water is not always easy. Do you have target areas? Do you want to live in a city or "way out there?"

It's austere compared to some place where stuff just grows everywhere. Minimalist. It's a stark beauty, like the tundra up north.

Live with the climate instead of battling it (no green grass, let the cactus reign) and you'll be much happier. I have some new neighbors from Denver and they keep trying to bend their acreage to their will and losing.

No bugs :) Also, when you make plans for the weekend, you never have to take potential weather into account. It'll be sunny and dry because it's almost always sunny and dry.

When you go back to FL to visit, the humidity will kick your ass.

I've lived for many months in eastern San Diego county. I love it out there. The canyons in a Cayman...oh my!

It's not just hot, it is seriously cold in the winter. I had frost on my windshield a number of times when I woke up. Go down to the coast and it was still 70 and sunny though.

Summer will take your breath away it can be so dry and hot.

I am a big fan of the high desert. If you get to see a super-bloom you will love it!

Drink more water. If you don't have to pee, you're not drinking enough water.

When I lived in Moreno Valley I always loved visiting west of San Diego, Antelope Valley and Tucson. 

Keith Tanner said:

It's austere compared to some place where stuff just grows everywhere. Minimalist. It's a stark beauty, like the tundra up north.

Live with the climate instead of battling it (no green grass, let the cactus reign) and you'll be much happier. I have some new neighbors from Denver and they keep trying to bend their acreage to their will and losing.

No bugs :) Also, when you make plans for the weekend, you never have to take potential weather into account. It'll be sunny and dry because it's almost always sunny and dry.

Lot of the reasons why desert living seems so attractive, tbh.

In reply to Colin Wood :

I like it.

In reply to matthewmcl :

Definitely not too far off the grid. Thinking more of a small town feel if anything.

I spent the majority of my childhood in the So Cal high desert. It can be really beautiful but where we lived it was windy and dusty almost every day. I don't know that I'll ever move back into the desert. As a family friend once said "It's a great place to be from."

The area you are targeting, I have been here 17 years. I can give you everything you need to know about it

There was a time these lands were all given for free, and you had to make a 400sq feet building and live on it. Thus you will see everything that has unit is 400sq feet. Of course people like us + hipsters + investors that are changing it all these days.. 

Irony is before Covid, nobody in LA knew about JT. During covid they couldn't go anywhere, so they all came here.  Now we even have chinese investors!!! Yup. Pretty hilarious.

Hipster Joshua valley I know it

White trash wonder valley - i know it

Hipster adjacent all military 29 palms - i know it. 

Summer - been to FL many times. I prefer CA high desert over FL. The area you are talking about - its a love it or hate it.  I actually don't love it. I am here to make $. That's it. 

Desert is very cold at night. Jacket all the time. During summer, we work 4am-11am and again 7pm-10pm if needed.. Too hot rest of the day. Splits+swamp coolers.  May-Sept we barely do any work - unless necessary. We leave most things unattended. Car paint die - all of our stuff is inside. But no rust. 

There is lots of crime. DEA. Lots of the dirty underbelly. Lots of people are here, who can't afford the nice things , and they don't choose to be here, but are forced to be here.

It is pretty in the fall/winter/spring. Lots to do (offroading).  No real culture. No amazing restuarants. Some people are here because it is like Alaska of the west - they are "getting away" from it all.. and their problems. Some people can't afford LA and are here... Some people are hipsters and can't afford Palm Springs and are here... many reasons... its the wild wild west. 

If you have specific questions on where to live, schools, RE, business, I can help in person and online. 

Come with your eyes wide open. It isn't as romantic as people make it out to be. 

I am 12 min from JT entrance - to give you an idea.  I currently have 350 acres and 11 SFR spread around from Yucca to Wonder, so I can give you a great view info/ on anything you are looking for. 

CAINCA nailed it above. Expect 60mph+ winds. Dirt/sand gets in everything.  I wouldn't say its "nice to be from here," as depends on which circle you roam in socially, not every looks highly or lowly about desert life. 

I am not from here. When I am old, I also don't want to be here. I am however, here, just like lot of my family live in Dharan and make money at Aramco.   We do it for the $$$$

White old people LOVE it here... thats for sure. 

here is a new project of mine - i have the last piece before BLM and all the military stuff. land costs less than a tesla Y. To grt it on grid and get everything i need to make it profitable will be more than a loaded Phantom 

People think of deserts as hot, but even on warm days, they get rather cold at night.

Also of note is that many of the desert areas, in CA at least, are the cheaper areas to live so can sometimes be a bit sketchy.  Sort of a split of poor people and retires.

Dust everywhere.

Lizard people... they are out there... not kidding.   (Not actually lizards, their skin just looks like they are, sometimes like roast turkeys  )

aircooled said:

 

Lizard people... they are out there... not kidding.   (Not actually lizards, their skin just looks like they are, sometimes like roast turkeys  )

Lizard people or lot lizards  or real lizards? We have all 3 

There's some specific area info in this thread (Joshua Tree) and some general desert info in this thread. Not all deserts are windy all the time. Not all of them are full of trashy people, and not all of them are necessarily cheap.

I've always liked the desert areas of CA better than the coastal areas, there's more individualism and less hustle. When I have to go to LA for press stuff, I usually stay in Lancaster/Mojave because it's just as easy to get to Angeles Crest from that side :) But you don't have to live in CA to live in the desert.

I spent a year in Palm Desert. The only good thing that I can say about the summers is that nightimes were great. Loved lowering the top and cruising under a million moons. Remember always having the sniffles during the day because you'd be outside in 110 degree heat, drenched in sweat and step into a place air conditioned to 72 and the sweat would turn your body into an evaporative cooler. 

I'd consider living in the desert, but only the high desert. Have friends in Bisbee which is south of Phoenix, and the difference between the climate at 1100 ft elevation and 5500 feet is pretty significant.  

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

If we ever get serious about moving towards Joshua Tree, we'll be in touch. 

You might want to consider Marfa way out in West Texas. There are artists there trying to turn it into a bargain basement version of Santa Fe. Lots of art galleries and people from out of state moving in. More fancy restaurants and expensive lodging there than in most of West Texas. They filmed the movie, Giant there back in 1954. They also have the famous Marfa lights. Google it. There is also nearby Alpine, Texas which also has a lot of art galleries and Sul Ross University. There is more there that in most West Texas towns and it is desert and rustic. Down the road is Terlingua where Carroll Shelby used to hang out where he had his famous Chili Competition. Google the Terlingua Racing Team. Unlike locations in the Mojave Desert, you are far away from Southern California criminality and drug use, taxes are cheaper and you don't have to deal with the California DMV.

If you want to visit civilization you are about 3 hours from Midland (don't forget to check out Jim Hall's Chaparrals at the Permian Basin Museum) and about 7 hours from Dallas.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Good to know. Again, not serious about moving anytime soon, but I personally like the idea of those California deserts.

There is also Pahrump which is over the border from the Mojhave Area in Nevada. Still in the high desert but an hour from Vegas.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks for the heads-up. Drove through West Texas once and thought it was a pretty cool looking area. I'll have to add it to the list if we ever get more serious about relocating.

Keith Tanner said:

...Not all of them are full of trashy people, and not all of them are necessarily cheap....

I am pretty sure no one said all desert areas are trashy, or that all desert areas are cheap.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

...the difference between the climate at 1100 ft elevation and 5500 feet is pretty significant.  

Agreed. Even the difference in temps between here (5000'+) and Moab (4000') can be notable. 

Check out Wonderhussy on YouTube. She moved from LV to the desert, near Pahrump IRRC. Exploring old mines, camps, trails, hot springs but mostly it's everyday desert life. 

She's a little eccentric.

Probably a wealth of desert living knowledge right there.

aircooled said:

Keith Tanner said:

...Not all of them are full of trashy people, and not all of them are necessarily cheap....

I am pretty sure no one said all desert areas are trashy, or that all desert areas are cheap.

No, but there were very specific answers to the general questions being presented. I was pointing out that these specific answers shouldn't be taken as general.