When did these queer changes happen in Palm Springs?

[Guest]

I'm in Palm Springs for the first time in some 30 years. We went to a gay restaurant, Pinocchio's, for breakfast, and "Chris" has informed me that all the gay bars are now in Palm Springs. When I was his age, all of the bars and other gay establishments were in Cathedral City. When and how did the switch take place? Did this happen gradually, with places in Cat City closing down one by one, or was it a pretty sudden change? I know a lot of readers here have been going to PS for many years....

[+ glutes]

[rvwnsd]

My first trip to PS was in 2000 and most of the bars were there at that time. 

[+ Charlie]

There used to be some kind of ordinance in PS that caused the bars to all be across the line in Cat City, but I believe that was changed in the early 21st century; the bars were here when I moved here in 2004.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Charlie

[jeezifonly]

Gay clubs in the 80’s sprang up all over in areas where people didn’t want to live. Dollar signs on the horizon, heralding mass arrival of Gay-be Boomers changed the community’s mind on what the land could be. Things change, except for the profit motive, which is the true pledge of American Allegiance. 😬

 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Charlie said:

There used to be some kind of ordinance in PS that caused the bars to all be across the line in Cat City, but I believe that was changed in the early 21st century; the bars were here when I moved here in 2004.

Thanks. I had a suspicion it was something like that. I take it that it was just bars or discos in general which were illegal in PS, not specifically gay bars or clubs?

[+ Charlie]

I don't remember the details. I do know that night clubs and gambling establishments were not allowed within PS city limits for a long time, so most of the night life entertainment was situated in Cat City.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Charlie

[Boy4]

Makes sense though.  Isn’t the entire city council LGBT+

[curt gregory]

The story I heard was that the city (or village, at the time) used to be primarily Republican, like much of Southern California, and didn’t allow gay bars.  What is now Cat City was unincorporated.  When Sonny Bono became mayor in 1988, he began loosening some of the restrictions against bars and they began opening in P.S.

[Epigonos]

Also keep in mind that quite recently the ENTIRE Palm Springs City Council consisted of all gay or lesbian members.  At the time it was the only city in California with a total gay and lesbian city council. Don't know if that is still the case but the city has been gay and lesbian friendly for years.  At one time when Cathedral City was unincorporated it was the low rent district where many of the working class area residents lived -- maids, gardeners, roofers, etc., etc.  - they have since moved across the freeway to Desert Hot Springs.  I vividly remember the days when Cathedral City was very shabby.  Those days are now long gone and today there a numerous relatively high end developments in incorporated Cathedral City. 

[+ Charlie]

The PS city council is no longer completely LGBTQ+--one council member is an openly straight woman!

Cathedral City is the most densely populated city in the western end of the valley, and still has a reputation as the least expensive place to live at that end (other than Desert Hot Springs or unincorporated areas), so it is still home to much of the working class in Palm Springs to the west and Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert to the east of it.

[Antonio1981]

Is Desert Hot Springs a suburban area with single family homes? Or is it more dense with apartments and rental units? I have never been there - how far is it from Palm Springs? Does Cathedral City have a “downtown” area or main area for restaurants/entertainment?

[+ Charlie]

DHS is a typical California suburban-type community. It is about 5 miles north of Palm Springs, the westernmost and northernmost town in the valley, and the only one on the north side of Interstate 10; a lot of the residents actually work to the west in the Los Angeles area, because housing is cheaper in DHS than it is on the other side of the Banning Pass, while others work in Palm Springs or other towns in the west end of the Coachella Valley.

Cathedral City has what is referred to officially as "downtown" on the southern end of town, along route 111 (all the towns in the Coachella Valley, except DHS, are strung out between I-10 on the north and 111 on the south), but it is not recognizable as "downtown" in the typical sense other than as the location of city hall. There is a new large casino there, a couple of movie theaters, and a smattering of commercial activity, but you are more likely to be aware of the numerous car dealerships. CC doesn't have any real center for restaurants or entertainment. Almost all of the gay activity for tourists is located in PS.

[+ Lucky]

Thousand Palms is north of the 10. It's a community if not a city.

29 minutes ago, Charlie said:

DHS is a typical California suburban-type community. It is about 5 miles north of Palm Springs, the westernmost and northernmost town in the valley, and the only one on the north side of Interstate 10;

 

 

[+ Charlie]

8 hours ago, Lucky said:

Thousand Palms is north of the 10. It's a community if not a city.

 

It's unincorporated, as is Sky Valley.

[+ WilliamM]

On 10/22/2021 at 12:34 PM, Charlie said:

The PS city council is no longer completely LGBTQ+--one council member is an openly straight woman!

Cathedral City is the most densely populated city in the western end of the valley, and still has a reputation as the least expensive place to live at that end (other than Desert Hot Springs or unincorporated areas), so it is still home to much of the working class in Palm Springs to the west and Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert to the east of it.

@Kenny lives in Rancho Mirage until recently near where Willie Mays lives.

[BSR]

On 10/22/2021 at 9:34 AM, Charlie said:

The PS city council is no longer completely LGBTQ+--one council member is an openly straight woman!

I'm so glad we've moved beyond the days of calling them "practicing heterosexuals."