With a history of acceptance for gay and transgender people, Palm Springs is one of the most popular places in the USA for LGBTQ+ retirees. Not just known for its Pride celebration, which attracts over 100,000 visitors every November, the city is also a great place to live.
If you’re considering moving here, you’ll be right at home with one of the country’s largest communities of LGBTQ+ retirees. This desert refuge has everything from golf courses and hiking to restaurants and clubs!
Introducing Palm Springs
Located in Colorado Desert’s Coachella Valley (yes, that Coachella), Palm Springs was home to the Cahuilla Native American tribe for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Many streets are named after prominent Cahuillans, including Andreas, Arenas, and Chino. After changing hands between Spain and Mexico, this part of California joined the United States in 1848.
In the 1900s, the city was a fashionable getaway resort thanks to the dry, hot climate. Its popularity grew in the 1920s and 30s when it became a refuge for Hollywood stars like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, searching for privacy so they wouldn’t be “outed” as gay and lose their jobs.
Now, Palm Springs has the largest gay per capita population in the country and is a favorite place for gay retirees. In a city of about 45,223 people, an estimated 50% are LGBTQ+. It’s only two hours from Los Angeles and San Diego and 30 minutes from Palm Desert, the geographic center of Coachella Valley.
Evolution of Palm Spring’s Gay Community
While Palm Springs was a haven for LGBT people keeping a low profile in the Hollywood Golden Era, the city was slower to adopt gay rights than some parts of America. This changed in 1979 when the Desert Business Association (DBA) was created to promote the businesses of gay people.
In 1986, the roots of Greater Palm Springs Pride started as a song and dance revue called “Sizzle” at the Riviera Hotel. In 1991, the city’s first gay bar, Streetbar, opened on Arenas Road.
Today, Palm Springs and neighboring Cathedral City have an incredible LGBT community. This is one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities and scores a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for its protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.
In 2018, the city elected its first all-LGBTQ+ city council, a landmark moment in LGBT history.
America’s Favorite Spot for Gay Retirees
As a welcoming town for Hollywood entertainers while under contract, it makes sense that many would retire here after leaving the spotlight.
By the 1970s, the gay retiree demographic exploded because it was cheaper to live here than in popular San Francisco or New York City. The LGBTQ community makes up about 50% of the retirees who call this desert oasis home.
While the city is known for its large LGBTQ cohort, there is also significant racial and ethnic diversity, too. The Palm Springs Black History Committee helps to honor the area’s significant contributions to Black History and hosts events throughout the year. Additionally, approximately 23% of the community identifies as Hispanic, representing California’s large population of Mexican and Latin American people.
Palm Springs Top Gay Neighborhoods
With its beautiful desert scenery and mid-century modern architecture, this is a welcoming mecca for the LGBTQ+ community. Known for its inclusive atmosphere, vibrant club scene, and diverse dining and shopping options, the city offers gay-friendly neighborhoods for everyone.
Downtown Palm Springs
Part of the vibrant Arenas District, chill Downtown Palm Springs has clubs and culture to celebrate the town's large LGBT population. Compared to the Castro District in San Francisco, the Arenas District is known as the place for fun all night long.
Downtown Palm Springs hosts an annual block party during Greater Palm Springs Pride, featuring drinks, dancing, and drag shows. If you're looking for a vibrant and lively area, this is a great place to live.
Moving to Downtown Palm Springs
This is a busy, bustling area with 1,013 residents who enjoy the walkability and proximity to amenities. Housing is primarily condos, with the average cost of living in Palm Springs for a one-bedroom around $200,000 to $300,000 and two bedrooms between $350,000 and $400,000. Students attend Katherine Finchy Elementary School, Raymond Cree Middle School, and Palm Springs High School.
Warm Sands
Nicknamed the “Sunny Dunes gayborhood,” Warm Sands attracts a lot of retirees to the Ramon Mobile Home Park, a blend of simple to upscale homes for ages 55 and above. A small community of about 995 residents, Warm Sands is home to some LGBTQ+ staples. There’s the Townie Bagels, where you can get authentic New York-style bagels, and Tool Shed, voted the best Dive/Gay bar in Palm Springs.
There’s plenty of culture, too. The “Jungle Red” sculpture indicates that Warm Sands has a thriving art district with enough galleries and studios to keep any collector happy.
Moving to Warm Sands
Known for its 1920s and 1930s Spanish-Mission and mid-century modern styles, Warm Sands homes range from $150,000 to over $1.8 million. Students attend Cahuilla Elementary, James Workman Middle, and Palm Springs High, but the population is mostly retirees, with an average age of 56.
Baristo
Baristo is the city’s hub for LGBTQ+ events and businesses. This is where the White Party Weekend and the Dinah Shore Weekend are held and is home to retro cafes, gay bars with happy hour, and vintage shops. The area attracts tourists thanks to live entertainment, resorts, and golfing.
Moving to Baristo
The population of 2,622 has a younger crowd than some of the other districts, but it’s a popular spot for retirees as a golf community. The Mediterranean and Mission-style condos and townhomes range in price from $330,000 to $500,000, while more contemporary builds are $700,000 to $1.1 million.
Kids in Baristo attend Rancho Mirage Elementary School, Nellie N. Coffman Middle School, and Palm Springs High School.
The Movie Colony
If the name doesn’t give it away, The Movie Colony, or TCM as it’s known to locals, was made popular by Hollywood stars who escaped to the traditional Spanish-style and mid-century modern homes. Houses sit on large, private lots surrounded by tall hedges. The Movie Colony is part of the Arenas District, and the small community is within walking distance of LGBTQ+ entertainment and nightlife.
It’s popular with retirees thanks to nearby Desert Regional Medical Center, for excellent and easy access to health care. Ruth Hardy Park, a 22-acre public park, adds to the area’s outdoor living space.
Moving to Movie Colony
About 350 residents with an average age of 61 live in this retiree-friendly community. The homes are predominantly single-family and some apartments, with an average price of $2.2 million and some properties up to $6 million.
Downtown Palm Springs is right next door, and you can get to the heart of downtown in about a 5-minute car drive. It’s also a very walkable area. Students attend Katherine Finchy Elementary School, Raymond Cree Middle School, and Palm Springs High School.
Whether you’re looking for a quiet and private residential street or get-up-and-go downtown energy, there’s a vibe for everyone. Start your retirement home search by checking out Pride Lending. Once approved, you can plan your move to one of the best LGBTQ+ cities in the country!
Living in Palm Springs
It’s no surprise that a city in one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states has a huge LGBTQ community. The art, history, and entertainment ensure that gay retirees find a great place to live in the Valley.
Weather
As you’d expect from a city in the California scrubland, the weather in Palm Springs is hot and dry. The winter months are more enjoyable for most people, with average highs in the upper 50s to 60s. Summer temperatures can easily reach over 100°F with averages in the 90s. There is very little rainfall, about 4.93 inches on average, and around 300 days of sunshine.
Traffic
Getting around the city is easy if you want to walk or catch the bus. Many people also bike when the weather isn’t too hot. However, a visit outside the city is cheaper when you use your car rather than hiring an Uber or cab. Traffic is usually light and backups are rare.
Events that draw in tourists, such as the Coachella Music Festival and the Pride Parade, temporarily increase traffic.
Arts and Culture
Palm Springs offers more than just Pride events and exciting nightlife; it also has its fair share of cultural attractions. The Native American tribe Cahuilla is immortalized downtown at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. Another city cornerstone, The Palm Springs Cultural Center, fosters art and creativity in the community and helps host the world-famous Palm Springs International Film Festival, one of the largest film festivals in the USA.
Palm Springs VillageFest on Palm Canyon Drive is a weekly Thursday evening street fair with food and craft vendors, and a favorite meet-up for friends before dinner and drinks.
Other city attractions include the Palm Springs Art Museum in the heart of Downtown and performances by the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, which is open to both cisgender and transgender gay men.
Events, Bars, and Restaurants
Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival is the area’s world-famous celebration of the gay community. Every November, a mixed crowd of over 100,000 people gather to remember the Stonewall Riots with a parade, festival, and hundreds of vendors.
White Party is an annual, 3-day-long gay circuit dance party that began in 1989. It attracts over 30,000 visitors with a kick-off theme event, dancing, and musical acts like Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
The Dinah Club Skirts’ event during Dinah Shore Weekend started in 1991 and is considered the largest lesbian/queer women event in the world. Every March, the “Largest Girl Party in the World” celebrates the lives of lesbian and bisexual women, with allies, gay men, and LGBT people included.
For bars and restaurants, locals and tourists flock to The Arenas District. Streetbar was the first gay bar in the city and is a fun location to people-watch while hanging out with friends on the patio. Blackbook is a gay bar and restaurant with cocktails and in-house food perfect for everybody to fill up on before a night out.
Nearby is the famous Hunters, a club with an eclectic nightlife crowd, a huge dance floor, and multiple bars. Chill Bar has retro cocktails, drag shows, and Sunday Brunch.
Parks and Recreation
There’s plenty of nightlife and socializing in Palm Springs, but when you’re ready to escape the crowds, visit Joshua Tree National Park. One of the most unique parks in America, Joshua Tree has hiking, rock climbing, camping, and more among its unique flora.
For something more “elevating” and to experience the wonder of the Coachella Valley, a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway lets visitors view life below from 8,516 feet!
If the great outdoors within city limits is more your speed, the Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium showcases over 3,000 species of desert cacti and plants. There are dozens of public parks, including Ruth Hardy Park and DeMuth Park, and over 100 golf courses.
Start Planning Your Desert Retirement
After working hard for years, you’re ready to settle in an LGBTQ+-friendly city with all the retirement amenities you want. Palm Springs is close to huge metropolitan areas but feels like a resort getaway – perfect for golf enthusiasts and clubbers!
The typical home here costs around $657,520. If you want to put down 20% to avoid mortgage insurance, you’ll need to have around $131,000 saved up. While many will use the sale of a first home to finance their retirement property, this may not always be possible; in this instance, Pride Lending can help connect you to down payment assistance programs that will make this expense more affordable.
For example, the CHFA Dream for All Program combines with the Dream for All mortgage program to offer closing costs and down payment assistance to eligible buyers. If you sell or transfer the home, you’ll repay this second loan, plus a share of the home’s appreciation. Riverside County also has its own first-time homebuyer program meant for low and moderate-income borrowers who want a slice of paradise.
We’ll search for both statewide and national programs that can reduce the upfront costs of homeownership, and we can connect you to mortgage options that may only require as little as 3% to 5% down.
Before you pick the ideal home for your golden years, contact our team at Pride Lending and start the free pre-approval process. We work with you to make your mortgage search as easy and stress-free as possible.
Pride Lending’s staff is all allies or members of marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-identifying individuals. We work on behalf of all our clients regardless of their race, sex, gender identity, or other identities, ensuring that everyone can achieve homeownership no matter their background. Our loan products are as diverse as our team: we’ll connect you to FHA, VA, conventional, and investment mortgages depending on your financial goals.
To get started, call us at 725-231-0192 or email us. You can also apply online with no obligation to see how much you can afford!
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