Desert Shores, California


Desert Shores is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California, US. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography and climate

The town is located at the western shore of the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley, within the Colorado Desert ecoregion. It is west-northwest of Calipatria. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The surficial geology is dominated by Quaternary-era alluvial sands and clays.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Desert Shores has a subtropical hot-desert climate. The coldest month is December with an average daytime high temperature of 71 °F and an average nighttime low of 40 °F, while July is the hottest month, with an average daytime high temperature of 108 °F and an average nighttime low of 76 °F. The all-time record high temperature is 126 °F, and the all-time record low temperature is 13 °F. Sunshine is abundant all year due to a large amount of descending high pressure, and rainfall averages about 3 inches annually.

Demographics

Desert Shores first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.
The population was 1,128 at the 2020 census, up from 1,104 in 2010, up from 792 in 2000.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Desert Shores had a population of 1,128. The population density was. The racial makeup of Desert Shores was 358 White, 5 African American, 40 Native American, 1 Asian, 1 Pacific Islander, 543 from other races, and 180 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,009 persons.
The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 326 households, out of which 120 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 188 were married-couple households, 30 were cohabiting couple households, 49 had a female householder with no partner present, and 59 had a male householder with no partner present. 65 households were one person, and 38 were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.41. There were 242 families.
The age distribution was 316 people under the age of 18, 120 people aged 18 to 24, 283 people aged 25 to 44, 275 people aged 45 to 64, and 134 people who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 32.1years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males.
There were 379 housing units at an average density of, of which 326 were occupied. Of these, 219 were owner-occupied, and 107 were occupied by renters.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Desert Shores had a population of 1,104. The population density was. The racial makeup of Desert Shores was 709 White, 8 African American, 26 Native American, 4 Asian, 1 Pacific Islander, 307 from other races, and 49 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 848 persons.
The Census reported that 1,104 people lived in households, 0 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized.
There were 344 households, out of which 167 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 181 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 37 had a female householder with no husband present, 27 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 80 households were made up of individuals, and 42 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21. There were 245 families ; the average family size was 3.84.
The population was spread out, with 352 people under the age of 18, 124 people aged 18 to 24, 263 people aged 25 to 44, 218 people aged 45 to 64, and 147 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
There were 421 housing units at an average density of, of which 344 were occupied, of which 225 were owner-occupied, and 119 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.4%. 704 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 400 people lived in rental housing units.

Government

Local

Desert Shores and its neighboring community of Salton City are governed by the Salton Community Services District, which is a special district per California Government Code. The legislative body of the SCSD is a five-member Board of Directors who are elected by the registered voters in the district for staggered four-year terms.
The SCSD has seven services that it is authorized to provide:
  1. Collect, treat, or dispose of sewage.
  2. Collect, transfer, and dispose of solid waste.
  3. Acquire, construct recreational facilities.
  4. Organize, promote community recreation.
  5. Acquire, construct, and improve street lighting and landscaping.
Aside from acting as the architectural committee for architectural compliance with the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions of the 80 plus tracts within the district, the SCSD has no land use authority under existing law; that responsibility falls on the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.
Water service is provided by the Coachella Valley Water District.
Electric service is provided by Imperial Irrigation District.

State and federal

In the state legislature, Desert Shores is in, and.
Federally, Desert Shores is in.

In popular culture

The 2019 film Desert Shores was filmed in Desert Shores and around the Salton Sea. The movie is based on George McCormick's short story collection Salton Sea.
The town of Sandy Shores in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V is based on Desert Shores and also nearby Bombay Beach.