My experience visiting and living in Palm Springs as a Black person

Palm Springs, California, is a desert oasis known for its hot springs, stunning golf courses, and luxurious resorts. However, beyond its reputation as a vacation destination, Palm Springs is also home to a vibrant and diverse community of people from all walks of life.

In recent years, more and more black people have been visiting and settling down in Palm Springs, attracted by its warm climate, beautiful scenery, and welcoming community. We chatted with one of those people, Lauren, a 25-year-old black woman, who calls the area home.

From the challenges she’s faced to the joys of living in this beautiful desert city, we'll take a closer look at what it means to be a part of Palm Springs' growing black community.

Key takeaways

• The black population in Palm Springs is very small

• But Palm Springs is generally safe for black people

• The black population in the Coachella Valley (where Palm Springs is located) is growing

How long have you lived in Palm Springs?

To start off, I actually live in La Quinta which is about a 30-minute drive from Palm Springs, but I do visit Palm Springs almost every weekend. Palm Springs is part of a larger region in Riverside county called the Coachella Valley. It’s one city amongst several that are very closely connected by a highway called HWY-111 or the I-10 freeway.

But to answer the question, I’ve lived in La Quinta since 2020, and before that, I had visited Palm Springs multiple times a year since 2012.

How often do you see or meet other black people in Palm Springs?

Honestly, not very often. In Palm Springs itself, I’ll probably see about 3-5 groups of black people during the busier months, which is any time from October to March when the weather’s nice. But those are usually visitors. When it comes to Coachella Valley black locals, it’s very few and far between. I might go months before seeing another black person in other cities, including where I live in La Quinta.

Do you feel safe as a black person in Palm Springs?

Yes! Overall, the whole valley is very safe. You still have to be careful of your surroundings, though, as you would anywhere. Since I go to downtown Palm Springs often, I’ll usually go for dinner and walk through downtown late at night and I haven’t had any issues.

However, there has been an increase in the number of homeless people downtown over the last few years, some of who may harass you, especially if they’re not in the right frame of mind. But even then, I haven’t had anyone actually do anything harmful.

What has been your experience with police in Palm Springs as a black person?

There is a heavy police presence in all the cities, including Palm Springs. It’s not uncommon to see 2-3 police cars as I’m driving from La Quinta to Palm Springs, and speed traps are also very abundant. I remember a friend visiting from Rancho Cucamonga was also surprised by the amount of police. But I haven’t had any negative experiences.

How has your experience as far as racism been in Palm Springs?

For the most part, almost everyone I’ve met has been super friendly, especially the old white people. I always joke with my family about how in the Inland Empire, where we’re from, people don’t really wave at or say hi to strangers when passing by on a walk or make conversation with strangers in stores.

But in the valley, it’s been a totally different experience. I’ve had people of all races, but especially older white people, strike up conversation with me, smile, or just be friendly. Palm Springs, in particular, is also the most liberal city in the Coachella Valley, since it has a big gay community and that’s where most out-of-towners visit so it’s pretty diverse there.

However, that’s not to say I haven’t experienced my fair share of microaggressions, which have happened mostly in the workplace. Though, I think any less-than-ideal experiences I’ve had have been due to ignorance rather than intentional animosity. I also remember back in 2020, my neighborhood was filled with Trump yard signs and there was even a Trump store nearby, so that was a little alarming, but again, no bad experiences.

The most overt racist experience I had was in downtown Palm Springs when my family and I were eating at a restaurant outside and a homeless woman walking by, who was clearly mentally ill, called me and my mom the N-word. It was shocking since that hasn’t happened to us anywhere else, but nothing like that has happened since then.

What’s the best thing about Palm Springs?

It’s hard to put it all into one, but I would say the overall atmosphere and landscape. It’s so much more laidback than most cities or areas in California. There’s really no industry here so there typically isn’t any traffic unless there’s construction or people are visiting for a big event, both of which don’t happen often.

I love how I can actually see the stars at night. I love that you can just take a scenic drive through the streets or a particular neighborhood. Palm Springs especially is very Instagram-friendly.

I also love how with just a short drive, you can be out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. It feels very rugged, natural, and disconnected. They have some really awesome jeep tours that go deep into the deserts or old Native American regions. You can even ride a horse in the desert which is a fantastic experience. It makes me feel like I’m in a movie, exploring the wild west. There’s nothing like it.

What’s the worst thing about Palm Springs?

The summers are absolutely brutal. I think the highest I’ve seen the temperature get is 120 degrees in July. Fortunately, the heat is dry for the most part, but it does get a little humid in August. From May to September, the heat is intense so you just have to stay indoors most of the time. It’s not that hard for me as a bit of a homebody, though. But I also don’t let the heat keep me from going out. Eventually, like a true desert native, you learn to just sweat it out, go out in the evenings, and just live your life.

Would you recommend other black people move to or visit Palm Springs?

Definitely! In the past few years, especially after the pandemic, I’ve noticed a lot more black people visiting downtown Palm Springs, which has been awesome. But I would love to see more black people out here in the overall valley, especially more moving into the area. I hope that eventually Palm Springs can have its own vibrant black community because I think that would only add to and benefit the culture.