Is San Diego County's Borrego Springs the Palm Springs of 50 years ago? It has sprawling, undeveloped desert land, a full-time population of fewer than 3,000 people and streets without traffic lights -- just like old Palm Springs did. Can fancier homes, golf courses and retiree- and second-home-communities be far behind?
Beginnings
Residents of Borrego Springs enjoy living in the midst of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Borrego Springs' desert landscape was used to train Army and Navy servicemen during World War II, and this helped bring electricity and paved roads to the area. Following the war, developers subdivided Borrego Springs in an attempt to create a resort community that would capitalize on the tourism generated by the state park.
Borrego Springs, which is unincorporated, lies 91 miles east of San Diego, 85 miles southwest of the Palm Springs International airport and 67 miles from La Quinta.
What it's about
The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park's mountains, desert landscape and wildlife make Borrego Springs a tourist destination, attracting up to 240,000 visitors each year. Yet it has retained its rustic surroundings. There are no traffic lights or corporate-owned retail and restaurant chains and just 3,000 full-time residents call it home.
Borrego Springs also has its share of second homeowners who flock to the area during spring and fall for its moderate temperatures. Like other desert communities, temperatures frequently reach a sweltering 100 degrees or more.
And like other desert communities, there is a bit of desert madness.
Every year around the first of April -- wildflower season for tourists -- the "Greatest Prevaricator of All" competition is held. The event honors the legendary liar from these parts, Thomas Long "Pegleg" Smith. Just a few miles northeast of Borrego Springs, at the Pegleg Smith Monument, participants gather around a bonfire and spin tales of lost gold, hidden treasures and other desert lore. The legend of Pegleg's lost gold mine is one of the most enduring stories of the desert.
Insiders' view
Erica Savage has lived in Borrego Springs for three years and enjoys its slow pace. Savage said she finds the absence of chain stores and movie theaters refreshing but admits that living in a remote area has its drawbacks.
"This place isn't urban or even suburban. It's very natural here," she said. "It can feel kind of isolated at times but that's the whole point."
