IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Desert Center, CA
Desert Center is a tiny town of 144 people in Riverside County, California. It's about 67 miles from El Centro, CA and 117 miles from Riverside, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 106°F and winter highs 67°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $216k and rent runs about $2k a month.
144people
$216kTypical home
$1,518/moRent
106° / 67°Summer / winter
0"Snow
339Sunny days
17Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 144
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 5 people per sq mi
- 117 mi to Riverside, CA
- 67 mi to El Centro, CA
- 43 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $216k (≈$1,363/mo)
- Median rent $1,518/mo
- Median household income $83k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 8.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 106°F
- Winter highs around 67°F
- Dry summers (dew point 47°F)
- 339 sunny days a year (240 totally clear)
- 26 cloudy days a year
- 13 of 90 winter days are gray
- 17 days a year with rain or snow
- Basically no snow
- Snow days are rare
- 90 days a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Low violent crime (278 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,522 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 46
- 33% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 24% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 7% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 31 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 63 mi to IPL airport
- 66 mi to PSP (major hub)
- 69 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 65% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1983
- 95% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Mountain country
- Elevation 656 ft
- 121 mi to the ocean
- 32 mi to a big lake
- 47 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 91 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 1 golf course within 25 mi
Things to do
- Few or no sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 1 museum within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 34 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- 43 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 50 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 61 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 54 mi to the nearest vet
- 48 mi to the nearest dog park
- 2 congregations per 10k people
- 57 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Riverside County: Purple — split almost evenly
- California: D+20 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- High drought risk
- Very low winter storm risk
- High heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.