There are an almost infinite number of ways to make a city pleasant to live in. Or rather, if one reads the profiles that the Southern California Association of Governments has created in its rundown of model cities in the region, there are an infinite number of ways in which one can combine a small number of basic amenities to create a good place to live. This paper profiles one of the cities that has succeeded in creating a highly livable space for its inhabitants: The Riverside County desert city of Cathedral City.
Before proceeding with an examination of the city and what it has done right, according to SCAG, it is important to note that not all options of livability are open to every city and not every option of livability would be equally embraced by all citizens. The ideals of people living in Berkeley are different from those living in Atlanta: Neither is better or worse. Cities are not interchangeable, however; they reflect local cultural conditions.
Cathedral City reflects both cultural and geographic specific conditions. In terms of its geography, its most striking aspect is its weather: It has an environment that is conducive to attracting older people who appreciate and tolerate its warmth better than younger people. The city is also blessed (for all age groups) with spectacular scenery: The austerity of the desert sets off the splendor of the mountains (and vice versa). Certainly there are a number of highly livable cities that are not blessed with such spectacular scenery; however, any city that is fortunate enough to have such scenery has an immediate leg up on any city that does not. The city also has a very specific cultural and demographic mix, one that may well be unique in the country and one that is certainly unusual in the area: Its warm weather (and the proximity of excellent hospitals) has drawn a large senior population. The city's liberal political tradition has drawn a number of gays to the city.
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