Coachella, CA

430 Apartments for Rent

The "Music Festival Capital of California." This is, without a doubt, the biggest attraction that draws music lovers from all over the southwestern United States to Coachella every year.

Coachella is a relatively small town of about 40,000 people, according to the 2010 US Census. It is located in Riverside County, California, and is populated primarily by farmers and other industries related to agriculture. Its population has grown dramatically in recent years, due in part to the the economic boom of the early 2000s, as well as the growing population in nearby Palm Springs. If you're considering a move to Coachella, make sure you love the heat. Average daily highs are above 80 degrees for most of the year, and the average high during the summer is over 100 degrees most of the time. The flip side of this is that the winter is absolutely perfect, with temperatures in the 70s most of the time during the day.

Moving to Coachella

For anyone considering a move to Coachella, now is a great time to do it. The housing crash of 2008 hit Southern California particularly hard, and Coachella was no exception. One of the biggest differences between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles or San Diego and the more rural areas like Coachella is that years after the housing crash, the price of real estate still has not recovered in the same way that it has in LA or SD. For anyone looking to rent an apartment, find a rent to own home or buy a home in Coachella, this is great news. It is only a matter of time before the rest of Southern California catches up with the metropolitan areas, so getting in now offers tremendous value in the long term.

Moving to Coachella is relatively easy. There are a number of realtors actively looking for customers. You can get a lot of house for a relatively low amount of cash. A 3,000-square-foot house with five bedrooms and three bathrooms in a nice neighborhood will be comfortably under $2,000 a month, and a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home will be under $1,000 a month. Because Coachella is still recovering from the housing crash, landlords are willing to accept a wider range of tenants than they might have before the crash. This means that issues such as credit checks, proof of income, etc. should be relatively easy to overcome, compared to areas like Los Angeles.

Neighborhoods in Coachella

Although the city of Coachella is fairly small, there are a number of different neighborhoods worth considering before moving.

Abdelnour: Abdelnour is a small neighborhood of about 300 homes centered on the intersection of Harrison Street and Avenue 52. Abdelnour is also close to Bagdouma Park, a well-known park that is perfect, especially during the mild winter weather in Coachella.

Rancho De Oro Estates: Rancho De Oro is an upscale part of town and includes just over 40 homes. Although it is somewhat more expensive than other neighborhoods in Coachella, it is still fairly affordable when compared to places like Los Angeles and San Diego. Rancho De Oro Estates is located at the intersection of Avenida De Oro and Avenue 50. The large and gorgeous public park, known as Avenue Oro Park, is directly next to the neighborhood and is less than a minute's walk away for most homes in the neighborhood. On the other side of the neighborhood is the Coachella Shopping Center, which offers everything from grocery stores to restaurants and clothing stores. The Coachella Shopping Center takes only a minute or two to walk to from most of the homes in Rancho De Oro Estates.

Benedict: Benedict is a great neighborhood for those who want to be close to the commercial center of Coachella. It is located off of Harrison Street between Bagdad Avenue and Cairo Street. Benedict is a neighborhood of about 30 homes and is within walking distance from downtown Coachella. Major bus routes are available on Harrison Street, so residents looking to take advantage of the mass transit options in Coachella should strongly consider the Benedict neighborhood.

Things to Do in Coachella

Although Coachella is considered a rural and agriculturally based city, there are a surprising amount of cultural events and other things to do throughout the year. The original part of the city, "Pueblo Viejo," is deeply rooted in Hispanic culture. There are a number of incredible and authentic Mexican restaurants in Pueblo Viejo, and a strong cultural influence is visible in everything from the style of the buildings to a large population of bilingual speakers. As part of the cultural influence in the city, there are Mexican festivals throughout the year. The best known are the Cinco de Mayo festival, the Mexican Independence Day festival (Fiestas Patrias) and a festival to celebrate Santa Maria de Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.

For those who like to gamble, there are three Indian casinos located on the outskirts of the city. Augustine Casino, Spotlight 29 Casino and Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino are all just a short drive from downtown Coachella.

For music lovers, there is simply no better place to be than Coachella in the spring. The aptly-named "Coachella Music Festival" is a nationally recognized and respected event, with headliners that have included Kanye West, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, Jay-Z, Muse, Paul McCartney, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, Tool, Madonna, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Spoon, Wheezer, Radiohead, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Flaming Lips, Beastie Boys, White Stripes, Jack Johnson, Oasis, Foo Fighters and countless others. If you live in Coachella, you have an advantage over every other visitor in the area every spring, as you'll be able to sleep in your own bed every night instead of trying to find a hotel room in the completely overbooked area or sleeping in a tent like the majority of festival-goers. Coachella Music Festival might be enough reason to consider a move! The other major festival, Stagecoach, is a country music festival featuring everything from well-known to relatively anonymous country music singers every spring.