Borrego Springs is no Palm Springs. The Anza Borrego desert town is about one 30th the size of Palm Springs.
Borrego Springs certainly does not have the reputation for being a mecca for the rich and famous, as does Palm Springs. It does not have the big names, the big money, the big golf tournaments, the baseball training camps, the convention business, the problems that Palm Springs has.
But some people are afraid that will change. Palm Springs is 100 miles from Los Angeles. Borrego Springs is 90 miles from San Diego. With the San Diego area growing in leaps and bounds, some worry that what began to happen to palm Springs 40 years ago will soon happen to Borrego Springs.
The most notable common denominator between Borrego and Palm Springs is their climate. The very thing that made palm Springs so popular. So why couldn’t Borrego in, say, ten years, become another Palm Springs?
Borrego Springs has a population of about 1200. Seasonal population can grow to. But most of that seasonal growth is from tourists, not part time residents like palm Springs.
Borrego relies on tourism to support itself. But besides the climate and the natural features of the desert, there is little here to keep the tourists longer. There are no high class hotels or motels, none of what you’d call nightlife, very few restaurants and one grocery store.
Some, like the De Giorgio Corp., are hoping to change that. The De Giorgio family has owned a lot of land in Borrego Springs for a long time. Until the mid sixtys, the land was used primarily to grow grapes. But a labor turnaround pushed the family interests in another direction.
They formed their own development corporation and began to build. They put up the town’s first and only shopping center and they’re building luxury condominiums near one of the town’s golf courses. The De Giorgio biggest plans are for this vast area of desert land in borrego springs called the south slope.
Over the next 20 years, they hope to turn these 3300 desert acre. Into a huge planned unit development with 1600 housing units. De Giorgio Development’s vice President George Kurtz would not talk with us about Borrego Springs growth, but it can be said that Borrego growth is in the interest of the Diorgio corporation.
Borrego Springs is in San Diego County’s Fifth District, and Lee Taylor is the county supervisor. He’s heard all sorts of opinion on Borrego and believes that the town can handle sizable growth.
“Gosh borrego could grow from where it is now, probably 1000, 502,000 people. It could go to 25 or 30,000 without any problem. I don’t think that the market is there. I don’t think the demand in Borrego will be there for perhaps another 15 or 20 years. I’ve been watching Borrego for the past 20 years and it just hasn’t moved.
I’ve gone over there three or four times to buy property, thinking I would, but every time I go, I come back because it just hasn’t moved. And it has. Moved yet. It may soon, but it hasn’t yet.”
Even though developments like De Giorgio’s South Slope Plan have been controversial, there is no organized, no growth or slow growth movement in the town. Opposition at county hearings has come, for the most part from those who own land or property in Borrego and live full time elsewhere.
Harriet Allen and her family own 40 acres in Borrego Springs near the south slope.
How big do you think Borrego could stand to be without having an adverse effect on the environment?
“I would wanted that to depend entirely upon the amount of water that was available, of good quality and good quantity and a good clean air for which that area is famous.
What are your major concerns with the developing Borrego?
“That it will be excessively developed and will not be able to support itself over the long run, either financially or through. Good environment.”
The Borrego Springs chamber of commerce president is jack pugh, a realtor. He’d like to see borrego grow enough to pick up some amenities for the town, like a children’s clothing store, a shoe store, a bookstore, another grocery store or two, and maybe a hospital, since the closest is 55 miles away in brawley.
“We’d like to see Borrego have a very controlled growth, and them a growth that gave us a supportive town for this 500,000 acre state park that we have. And by supportive, I mean we’d have adequate motel facilities, adequate eating places, adequate places for the campers and the people that come here to shop and so on. “
Borrego Springs now is no palm springs, though the potential may be there.
The town in the state park drew more than 2000 people over the April 1 weekend. That’s nearly twice. As many people as the town has residents.
There is, of course, no way to predict what will happen to this cozy little desert community, but it seems likely that Borrego Springs is in for some change. Doug McAllister, News8 on the move, Borrego Springs.
Learn More About Borrego Springs
By Andrea McKenna
•
September 1, 2026
As a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization, the store's proceeds benefit the Borrego Springs Children's Center, making every purchase impactful and meaningful.
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 30, 2026
Borrego Sun youth intern Mia Garcia talks with Martha Deichler about the Community Resource Center, the people it serves and what Borrego Springs needs for the future. When Martha Deichler first came to Borrego Springs about 20 years ago to work as an elementary school principal, she quickly noticed something that would shape much of her work in the community: opportunities and services readily available in larger cities were often difficult to access in Borrego Springs. Deichler went on to serve as superintendent of the Borrego Springs Unified School District. After retiring, she found she wasn’t ready to stop working for the community. “There’s just too much work to do,” she told Borrego Sun youth intern Mia Garcia during a recent interview at the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center. That work became especially urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic. As residents lost jobs and struggled to navigate unemployment, vaccinations and online government services, a local food distribution effort began growing into something much larger. Computers were made available to help residents access online services, and assistance expanded to include unemployment applications, English classes, employment resources and other programs. Today, the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center connects residents with a wide range of services and opportunities. Deichler said the center helps connect people with programs including CalFresh, Medi-Cal and CalWORKs, while also providing classes, community activities and access to visiting county services. But for Deichler, the impact is best understood through individual lives. She recalled watching a local worker improve his English and advance from dishwasher to busser, then waiter and eventually cook. “That’s what we’re about,” Deichler said, “giving people the opportunities they need to go to the next step of success in their life.” Why Borrego? Garcia also asked Deichler what she loves most about Borrego Springs. Her answer came quickly. “I came out here to work because I love the desert,” Deichler said. “I knew nothing about the people, but I stay because I love the people.” She recalled another resident who once asked where she could learn English. With access to classes and continued education, the woman eventually learned enough English to work for the school district, drive a school bus and advance in her career. She later purchased a home, and her daughter went on to graduate from UCLA. For Deichler, stories like that demonstrate what community support can accomplish. “You can make a difference and you can see it,” she said. One Gift for Borrego Springs Garcia ended the interview with a bigger question: If you could give the Borrego Springs community one gift, what would it be? Deichler chose transportation. She envisions a reliable transportation system that would allow young people — and adults — to reach educational and workforce opportunities outside Borrego Springs, including College of the Desert and Imperial Valley College. Her concern is not simply helping young people leave Borrego. It is giving them the ability to gain skills and education and then bring those opportunities home. “You need to be able to get out, get what you need, but come back and live in this beautiful place,” Deichler said. For Garcia, the interview offered a firsthand look at how one community organization — and the people behind it — can help create opportunities in a geographically isolated town. It also underscored a theme that runs throughout Deichler’s work: sometimes helping a person take one next step can change much more than one moment in their life.
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 25, 2026
Borrego Springs artist featured in regional landscape exhibition.
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 14, 2026
UCI Nature Chief Administrative Officer Job Posting
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 13, 2026
www.youtube.com/@under-the-borrego-sky
By BASIC
•
August 12, 2026
BASIC (Basic Assistance for Students in the Community) is hiring a Managing Director to lead programs, fundraising, operations, and community partnerships that support education for students and families in Borrego Springs. This is a visible, hands-on leadership role for someone who can build trust, get things done, and champion BASIC's C2G cradle to graduation mission. Key Responsibilities Partner with the Board to set priorities and support strong governance. Manage general daily operations, including use of technology, tracking data and written information, running meetings and supervision of a small staff. Guide BASIC programs, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Learning Academy, and Scholarships. Manage fundraising and communications (external and internal). Build strong partnerships and serve as a trusted community ambassador. Ideal Candidate Bilingual in Spanish and English Proactive, organized, and comfortable in our small community. Strong communicator (written and verbal) and relationship-builder. Leadership experience in nonprofits, fundraising, programs, administration, education or community service. How to Apply Send your resume to basic2026job@borregobasic.org by September 15, 2026 Learn more about BASIC: www.borregobasic.org
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 11, 2026
Saturday, September 5
By Andrea McKenna
•
August 3, 2026
Park closures highlight growing heat dangers as Borrego Springs temperatures climb toward 115°F.
By East County News Service
•
July 31, 2026
Shelter Near Capacity as San Diego Humane Society Seeks Homes for Hundreds of Animals
By Andrea McKenna
•
July 30, 2026
Longtime Borrego Springs resident remembered for her photography, artistic leadership, and community service.
By Andrea McKenna
•
July 25, 2026
The Man Who Helped Shape Borrego Springs
By Andrea McKenna
•
July 23, 2026
San Diego broadcaster and local Ram Media Foundation founder returns to the convention where his Comic-Con journey began. Gabriel B. Wisdom, founder of Ram Media Foundation and creator of KRAM 90.5 FM Borrego Springs, will speak at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 24. Founded in 1970, San Diego Comic-Con has grown into one of the world’s largest pop culture conventions, drawing more than 130,000 attendees for panels, exhibits and appearances by creators, artists, filmmakers and celebrities from around the globe. Wisdom will join Radio Hall of Fame inductee (Shotgun) Tom Kelly for "A Conversation with San Diego Celebrities Gabriel Wisdom and (Shotgun) Tom Kelly," from noon to 1 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. Beginning at KPRI-FM San Diego in the late 1960s, Wisdom went on to work at KGB-FM San Diego and KMET-FM Los Angeles during the formative years of FM rock radio in the 1970s. Today, he leads Ram Media Foundation and, among other roles, serves as a portfolio manager with American Money Management, LLC (AMM),
Show More
