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Desert Shores is a tiny town of 801 people in Imperial County, California. It's about 51 miles from El Centro, CA and 75 miles from San Diego, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 108°F and winter highs 71°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $179k and rent runs about $1k a month.
801people
$179kTypical home
$1,056/moRent
108° / 71°Summer / winter
0"Snow
338Sunny days
12Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 801
- Part of a metro area
- About 1,148 people per sq mi
- 75 mi to San Diego, CA
- 51 mi to El Centro, CA
- 21 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $179k (≈$1,126/mo)
- Median rent $1,056/mo
- Median household income $47k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 108°F
- Winter highs around 71°F
- Dry summers (dew point 45°F)
- 338 sunny days a year (226 totally clear)
- 27 cloudy days a year
- 14 of 90 winter days are gray
- 12 days a year with rain or snow
- Basically no snow
- Snow days are rare
- 124 days a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Low violent crime (266 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (637 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 47
- 30% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 8% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 6% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to PSP airport
- 40 mi to PSP (major hub)
- 45 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1983
- 78% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation -197 ft
- 77 mi to the ocean
- 1 mi to a big lake
- 24 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 73 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 35 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 102 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 33 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 7 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- Farmers market in town
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 16% of California districts (reading)
- 18 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 24 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 34 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 28 mi to the nearest vet
- 18 mi to the nearest dog park
- 3 congregations per 10k people
- 31 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Imperial County: Purple — split almost evenly
- California: D+20 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Moderate 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.