Desert Shores (formerly Fish Springs)
is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) in
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern Californi ...
, 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
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...
in the
Imperial Valley
, photo = Salton Sea from Space.jpg
, photo_caption = The Imperial Valley below the Salton Sea. The US-Mexican border runs diagonally across the lower left of the image.
, map_image = Newriverwatershed-1-.jpg
, map_caption = Map of Imperial ...
, within the
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna.
Geography and geology
The Colorado De ...
ecoregion. It is west-northwest of
Calipatria
Calipatria (portmanteau of ''California'' and ''Patria'', Spanish for "homeland") is a city in Imperial County, California. Calipatria is located north of El Centro. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,515 a ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land.
The surficial geology is dominated by Quaternary-era alluvial sands and clays.
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Desert Shores has a
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
hot-desert climate ("BWh"). The coldest month is January with an average daytime high temperature of 63 °F (17 °C) and an average nighttime low of 35 °F (2 °C), while July is the hottest month, with an average daytime high temperature of 105 °F (41 °C) and an average nighttime low of 72 °F (22 °C). The all-time record high temperature is 126 °F (52 °C), and the all-time record low temperature is 13 °F (−11 °C). Sunshine is abundant all year due to a large amount of descending high pressure, and rainfall averages about 3 inches (76 millimeters) annually.
Demographics
The population was 1,128 at the 2020 census, up from 1,104 in 2010, up from 792 in 2000.
2010
The
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
reported that Desert Shores had a population of 1,104. The population density was . The racial makeup of Desert Shores was 709 (64.2%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 8 (0.7%)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 26 (2.4%)
Native American, 4 (0.4%)
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1 (0.1%)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 307 (27.8%) from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 49 (4.4%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 848 persons (76.8%).
The Census reported that 1,104 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 344 households, out of which 167 (48.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 181 (52.6%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 37 (10.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 27 (7.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (8.4%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.3%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 80 households (23.3%) were made up of individuals, and 42 (12.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21. There were 245
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
(71.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.84.
The population was spread out, with 352 people (31.9%) under the age of 18, 124 people (11.2%) aged 18 to 24, 263 people (23.8%) aged 25 to 44, 218 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 147 people (13.3%) 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 (65.4%) were owner-occupied, and 119 (34.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.4%. 704 people (63.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 400 people (36.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 792 people, 279 households, and 181 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 406 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 73.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.4%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.9%
Native American, 0.3%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 21.1% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.9% from two or more races. 60.9% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race.
There were 279 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.6.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 128.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $24,712, and the median income for a family was $29,550. Males had a median income of $26,176 versus $19,375 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the CDP was $8,352. About 12.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including none of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local
Desert Shores and its neighboring community of
Salton City are governed by the Salton Community Services District (SCSD), 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 every two years.
The SCSD has seven services that it is authorized to provide:
#Collect, treat, or dispose of sewage.
#Collect, transfer, and dispose of solid waste.
#Provide fire protection.
#Acquire, construct recreational facilities.
#Organize, promote community recreation.
#Acquire, construct, and improve street lighting and landscaping.
#Provide emergency medical services.
Aside from acting as the architectural committee for architectural compliance with the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R) 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
The Coachella Valley Water District is an independent special district formed in 1918, specifically to protect and conserve local water sources in the Coachella Valley. Since then, the district has grown into a multi-faceted agency that deliver ...
.
State and federal
In the
state legislature, Desert Shores is in , and .
Federally, Desert Shores is in .
In popular culture
A town based on Desert Shores called Sandy Shores is featured in the video game ''
Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
''; next to a lake based on the
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...
called the Alamo Sea.
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 2020 documentary
The Miracle in the Desert details a community-led effort to refill the Desert Shores canals from the Salton Sea.
See also
*
El Centro Metropolitan Area
Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern Californi ...
*
San Diego–Imperial, California
References
External links
Salton Sea West.com: homepage— ''a non-commercial website with a large library of government documents pertaining to Desert Shores''.
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Imperial County, California
Salton Sea
El Centro metropolitan area
Populated places in the Colorado Desert
Census-designated places in California