Its pace is slow, its future booming

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.”

Kellie Hamilton, owner and broker of Coldwell Banker Borrego, moved to Borrego Springs three years ago but vacationed here for four years before that. She said the area’s natural landscape and three public golf courses attract retirees, the semi-retired and second-home buyers looking to get away from urban environments.

Housing stock

From fixer-uppers that date back to the mid-1950s to newly constructed homes, Borrego Springs has a wide spectrum of housing styles, according to Hamilton.

Single-story homes and condominiums designed to withstand desert heat come in a variety of architectural styles.

Condominiums are priced from $100,000 to $450,000. Single-family homes are priced from the low $200,000s.

On the market now is a 1,143-square-foot, single-story home in a private, gated community. It’s listed at $230,000. Built in 1999, the Spanish-style home has two bedrooms, two bathrooms as well as access to an 18-hole golf course.

A ranch-style home, which was built in 1970, is priced at $745,000. The 2,841-square-foot home has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, mountain views and access to a golf course and a swimming pool.

Report card

Served by the Borrego Springs Unified School District, children from kindergarten through the fifth grade attend Borrego Springs Elementary School, which scored 732 out of 1,000 on the 2006 Base Academic Performance Index Report. Borrego Springs Middle School and Borrego Springs High School scored 662 and 623, respectively.

Historical values

Residential resales for ZIP Code 92004:

Year...Median Price

1990...$101,000

1995...$92,000

2000...$161,500

2006...$329,500

* 2007...$397,000

*year to date

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Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; www.coldwellbankerborrego.com; www.borregosprings.org www.desertusa.com/mag00/jun/stories/pegleg.htmlcde.ca.gov.