Visiting Loma Linda, California

The charming and well planned town of Loma Linda, California is home to one of the desert of Southern California's largest medical facilities. The community of the town surrounding the medical complexes is mostly focused on building up this thriving medical community that is filled with many different medical and nursing students. For anyone who is considering moving to or visiting the town of Loma Linda, here is a basic overview on the town and what to look out for or expect during the duration of your stay there.

First of all, Loma Linda is a town started by members of the Seventh Day Adventist religion. Because of this, the basic businesses of the town typically follow some of the religious practices of the Seventh Day Adventists. Most notably, since the Seventh Day Adventist religion believes in recognizing the seventh day of the week (Saturday) as a Sabbath rest, many businesses in the town close down on this day in accordance with their religion. Before going to check out a new restaurant or small business, be sure to call in advance to see if the place is operating on Saturday. In addition to being closed on Saturday, many other businesses also close early (before sun down) on Friday afternoons, including the Dreyson Center, the premier gym facility of the town that is connected with the Seventh Day Adventist University in Loma Linda. There is also no mail service on Saturday in all of Loma Linda.

Besides the businesses being closed on Saturday, there are other things to look out for and be aware of during your time in Loma Linda. Since the town is fairly small and centered around the various medical facilities within the town (private doctor's offices, the VA, the hospital, the medical and nursing school, etc.) the population within the town swells during the daylight hours as people commute to the town to work or got to school. Because of this and the close proximity of many of the classroom and medical facilities, many of the students and doctors within the town choose alternative methods of transportation around the town. This can easily mean that they are wheeling around the smaller streets and sidewalks of Loma Linda on motorized scooters and bicycles. As a driving tourist, be careful when cruising the streets of Loma Linda.

Finally, the Seventh Day Adventist religion is primarily vegetarian. Because of this, many of the restaurants around the town offer vegetarian options or even all-vegetarian menus. Depending on your personal dietary choices, you may either love or hate this fact.

Overall, Loma Linda is a pleasant and clean small town in the desert of Southern California. While it is probably not the most interesting town to visit on a vacation, it would certainly make a pleasant community to live in.