Any Scots in the Coachella Valley?

**ktk1961** · 6th June 25, 10:43 AM

My wife and I are now spending half the year in Rancho Mirage to help us escape the Chicago winters. I'm curious if there are any other Scots or even kilt-wearers in the Coachella Valley! If so, feel free to reach out.

Best wishes to one and all,
Kevin

**SF Jeff** · 7th June 25, 10:37 AM

Apropos of your new locale, my uncle used to live in Rancho and one time when I was a kid we visited in the summer and he let us fry an egg on the hood of his black Rolls Royce. Just a heads up as to how hot it can get there...

That being said, there are some pipe bands in Riverside and San Bernadoo that perform locally in addition to the highland games. You can find their schedules on their websites. And maybe check out this group, they are not too far from you:

https://iescots.com/

**OC Richard** · 8th June 25, 08:54 AM

That's a good question. I lived in the Coachella Valley during my teenage years, and when I decided to learn how to play the pipes I got the impression that there were no pipers around.

It wasn't until I started college and moved to "Greater Los Angeles" AKA "The LA Basin" in 1976 that I discovered a thriving Scottish community. In truth this highly populated area includes the coastal strip reaching through Orange County down through San Diego County and up into Ventura County.

The Coachella Valley has grown so tremendously since the 1970s that I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a nascent Scottish community there.

BTW we who lived there pronounced it "cuh-CHELL-uh" 3 syllables while Bugs Bunny and other outsiders pronounced it "CO-uh-CHELL-uh" 4 syllables.

The biggest advice to people who haven't lived in a hot dry desert is to drink far more water than you're used to. It's so dry you don't perspire and thus don't realise how much water your body is losing.

While I lived there an annual news story was a tourist just dropping dead in the 120 degree summer heat. The other annual news story was some idiot trying to drive across the Whitewater River in flood season. Sometimes the car wouldn't be found till months later.

If you're wintering there you'll enjoy glorious weather, crystal clear skies, and views of the beautiful mountains surrounding the valley.

One other thing- here in Southern California we have Rancho Mirage and Rancho Cucamonga, residents of both places sometimes just saying "Rancho" which has led to mixups.

**SF Jeff** · 10th June 25, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

and other outsiders pronounced it "CO-uh-CHELL-uh" 4 syllables.

Guilty of the 4 syllable pronunciation. My cousin used to own a horse ranch in Indio and she always pronounced it that way. I think most people did back in the day. It wasn't until the annual music festival started that I started hearing co-'chell-uh. I was at Power Trip two years ago and that was the only pronunciation I heard.

**OC Richard** · 10th June 25, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by SF Jeff

Guilty of the 4 syllable pronunciation. My cousin used to own a horse ranch in Indio and she always pronounced it that way. I think most people did back in the day. It wasn't until the annual music festival started that I started hearing co-'chell-uh. I was at Power Trip two years ago and that was the only pronunciation I heard.

That's interesting, I lived in the valley from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s and can only remember hearing "cu-CHELL-uh" from locals.

Nowadays I'm hearing "CO-CHELL-uh" giving equal weight to the first two syllables.

In the early 1960s I lived in Cucamonga at which time people said "koo-kuh-MONG-uh" but the younger generation of residents of Rancho Cucamonga (which didn't yet exist when I lived there) are saying "koo-kuh-MUNG-uh" which I find annoying for some reason.

Coincidentally the family of a High School friend stabelled three horses in Indio. I would join him to take care of the horses, do hay runs, and go riding.

**SF Jeff** · 12th June 25, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

are saying "koo-kuh-MUNG-uh" which I find annoying for some reason.

LOL. Guilty there too.

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Coincidentally the family of a High School friend stabelled three horses in Indio. I would join him to take care of the horses, do hay runs, and go riding.

My cousin raised polo ponies. In grade school I worked at a horse farm on the weekends, cleaning the stables, filling the troughs, some grooming and whatever else needed doing. Made a whopping $5 per weekend, but that was big money for a 12 year old back then.

**ktk1961** · 12th June 25, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by SF Jeff

Apropos of your new locale, my uncle used to live in Rancho and one time when I was a kid we visited in the summer and he let us fry an egg on the hood of his black Rolls Royce. Just a heads up as to how hot it can get there...

That being said, there are some pipe bands in Riverside and San Bernadoo that perform locally in addition to the highland games. You can find their schedules on their websites. And maybe check out this group, they are not too far from you:

https://iescots.com/

Thanks very much! I'll check them out.

**ktk1961** · 12th June 25, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

That's a good question. I lived in the Coachella Valley during my teenage years, and when I decided to learn how to play the pipes I got the impression that there were no pipers around.

It wasn't until I started college and moved to "Greater Los Angeles" AKA "The LA Basin" in 1976 that I discovered a thriving Scottish community. In truth this highly populated area includes the coastal strip reaching through Orange County down through San Diego County and up into Ventura County.

The Coachella Valley has grown so tremendously since the 1970s that I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a nascent Scottish community there.

BTW we who lived there pronounced it "cuh-CHELL-uh" 3 syllables while Bugs Bunny and other outsiders pronounced it "CO-uh-CHELL-uh" 4 syllables.

The biggest advice to people who haven't lived in a hot dry desert is to drink far more water than you're used to. It's so dry you don't perspire and thus don't realise how much water your body is losing.

While I lived there an annual news story was a tourist just dropping dead in the 120 degree summer heat. The other annual news story was some idiot trying to drive across the Whitewater River in flood season. Sometimes the car wouldn't be found till months later.

If you're wintering there you'll enjoy glorious weather, crystal clear skies, and views of the beautiful mountains surrounding the valley.

One other thing- here in Southern California we have Rancho Mirage and Rancho Cucamonga, residents of both places sometimes just saying "Rancho" which has led to mixups.

Thank you for this reply ... and for sharing your own experiences! I've heard it pronounced "cuh-CHELL_uh" more often than not ... although I have also heard "COH-CHELL-uh" as you described!