Coachella, California
Encyclopedia
Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California
; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley
(or the Palm Springs
area). It is located 28 miles (45.1 km) east of Palm Springs, 72 miles (115.9 km) east of Riverside
, and 130 miles (209.2 km) east of Los Angeles.
Known as the "City of Eternal Sunshine", Coachella is largely a rural, agricultural, family-oriented community in the desert and one of the state's fastest growing cities in the late 20th century. When it first incorporated back in 1946, it had 1,000 residents, but the population was 40,704 at the 2010 census.
The eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level, and the area's average elevation is 68 feet (35 m) below sea level. The Salton Sea
, a saltwater lake located about 10 miles (16.1 km) South of Coachella, lies 227 feet (69.2 m) below sea level.
The city also lends its name to the Coachella grapefruit
; the town's stretch of State Route 111
is named Grapefruit Boulevard in its honor. Harrison Street or State Route 86
is declared historic U.S. Route 99, the major thoroughfare that connects with Interstate 10 a few miles north of town.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 28.95 square miles (75 km²), all of it land.
The elevation is 68 feet (20.7 m) below sea level, as the eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level. The saltwater lake, Salton Sea
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Coachella, is 228 feet (69.5 m) below sea level.
built a rail siding
on the site. In the 1880s the indigenous Cahuilla
tribe sold their land plots to the railroads for new lands east of the current town site, and in the 1890s, a few hundred traquero
s took up settlement along the tracks.
The origin of the name Coachella is unclear, but in 1901 the citizens of Woodspur voted on a new name for their community; at their town hall meeting, the homeowners settled on "Coachella". Some locals believe it was a misspelling of Conchilla, a Spanish word for the small white snail shells found in the valley's sandy soil, vestiges of a lake which dried up over 3,000 years ago.
Coachella began as a 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) territory gridded out on the mesquite-covered desert floor. Not until the 1950s did Coachella begin to expand into its present range, about 32 square miles (82.9 km²), an area which contained large year-round agricultural corporate farms and fruit groves, particularly of citrus
(lemons, oranges, grapefruit) and date palm
s.
Coachella became a city in 1946. During the incorporation voting process, the first city council was tentatively elected: Lester C. Cox, T. E. Reyes, John W. Westerfield, Lester True, and Paul S. Atkinson. Also elected on November 26, 1946, were City Clerk Marie L. Johnson and City Treasurer John C. Skene. John Westerfield was appointed mayor at the first meeting.
By the 1980 census, Coachella's population had reached at least 10,000 due to relative slow population growth. Due to a high percentage of Hispanics in the city, Coachella was a scene of Chicano
political activism including protests and visits by United Farm Workers
leader César Chávez
in the 1960s and 1970s.
, based in Thermal, California
. Its main high school is Coachella Valley High School
(with 2900 students) followed by a new high school Desert Mirage High School
about 5 miles to the south; its two middle schools are Cahuilla Desert Academy and Bobby Duke. Elementary schools include Cesar Chavez, Palm View, Peter Pendleton, Valle Del Sol, Valley View, Westside and Coral Mountain Academy.
The Coachella Valley Adult School, in operation since 1952, is the third largest adult school in Riverside County. It offers seven levels of English as a Second Language
(ESL), and has offered citizenship classes for over 20 years. In the last ten years, over 1,500 people completed citizenship classes at the school and submitted N-400 forms.
is interred in the Coachella Valley Cemetery. Professional boxing
champions Antonio Diaz
and Julio Díaz
(brothers), are originally from Coachella. The agricultural area surrounding Coachella was where the United Farm Workers
union staged strikes and protests, including visits by UFW leader César Chávez
. Migrant labor activist Sam Maestas has a home in the rural outskirts of Coachella.
Downtown Coachella is under renovation as the area experiences an economic boom which has brought increasing numbers of people in the city — Pueblo Viejo (the old neighborhood) as locals of Hispanic origin sometimes call it. Despite its image for Mexican immigration, a large percentage are US citizens, born and raised in Coachella. A multi-generational Mexican American
subculture has taken root in the town.
Much of its population consists of younger Latino families (an estimated 90 percent of Hispanic
origin) and, in the outlying areas, migrant farm workers. The city is officially bilingual in the English and Spanish languages, although city council meetings are nominally spoken and performed in English. Historically, Coachella was predominantly Mexican/Latino (including Central America) and/or Native American
, but had other ethnic groups like Arabs, Armenians, Filipinos
, Italians, Japanese
and recent immigrants from Southeast Asia and the former Yugoslavia
.
Three popular fiestas are celebrated each year in town: Cinco de Mayo
(May 5), the 16 de Septiembre Fiestas Patrias (Mexico's Independence from Spain) and the 12 de Diciembre (the patron saint of Mexico, Santa Maria de Guadalupe
) to celebrate the Virgin Mary.
Near the city limits of Coachella are three casino
s on Indian reservations: Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino, Spotlight 29 Casino
, and Augustine Casino, which are owned and operated by Native American tribes — the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
, Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians, and Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
, respectively. These small but highly profitable tribes have representative councils to ensure self-reliance as a community. Coachella is also home to a significant Southwest Indian (Apache
, Hopi
, Navajo
and Zuni) population, though not indigenous to the California desert region.
In the 1953 Warner Brothers cartoon
Bully For Bugs
, Bugs Bunny
misses his "left toin at Albuquerque" and pops up in a Mexican bull ring, where he asks for directions to "...the shortest route to the Coachella Valley and the big carrot festival therein?"
was 1,406.0 people per square mile (542.9/km²). The racial makeup of Coachella was 19,576 (48.1%) White, 320 (0.8%) African American, 290 (0.7%) Native American, 266 (0.7%) Asian, 34 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 19,154 (47.1%) from other races
, and 1,064 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39,254 persons (96.4%).
The Census reported that 40,646 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 58 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 8,998 households, out of which 6,625 (73.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,583 (62.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 1,927 (21.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 820 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 795 (8.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 76 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 464 households (5.2%) were made up of individuals and 151 (1.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.52. There were 8,330 families
(92.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.57.
The population was spread out with 15,786 people (38.8%) under the age of 18, 4,889 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 11,896 people (29.2%) aged 25 to 44, 6,306 people (15.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,827 people (4.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.5 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
There were 9,903 housing units at an average density of 342.1 per square mile (132.1/km²), of which 5,586 (62.1%) were owner-occupied, and 3,412 (37.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 25,519 people (62.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,127 people (37.2%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 22,724 people, 4,807 households, and 4,480 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,091.4 people per square mile (421.4/km²). There were 5,024 housing units at an average density of 241.3 per square mile (93.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.8% White
, 0.5% Black
or African American
, 0.8% Native American
, 0.3% Asian
, < 0.1% Pacific Islander
, 56.6% from other races
, and 3.0% from two or more races. 97.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,807 households,and many more of which 65.9% had children under the age of 18, 66.5% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.8% were non-families. 5.3% of all households were individuals living alone, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.72 and the average family size was 4.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 40.8% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% 65 years or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income
for a household in the city was $28,590, and the median income for a family was $28,320. Males had a median income of $23,044, compared to $15,550 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $7,416. About 29.1% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those 65 or over.
, a stronghold of Democrats in a largely Republican
voting bloc (the Inland Empire
) and compared to neighboring cities.
In the state legislature
Coachella is located in the 40th Senate
District, represented by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny
, and in the 80th Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Manuel Perez
. Federally, Coachella is located in California's 45th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +3 and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.
Coachella has dealt with socioeconomic issues which produced a history of above-average crime rates. Coachella received negative local media attention as a city riddled by youth gangs, drug trade activity, massive movement of undocumented immigration and racial separatism. Much of the non-Hispanic population moved away in reaction. However, the 2006 FBI crime statistical release placed Coachella at the lowest crime rates in all of the Coachella Valley
and Riverside County
.
In 1995, state and federal officials designated Coachella as part of the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone
to boost economic activity and entice businesses to relocate to this rural city which was once home to several fruit shipping plants.
Near Coachella, a new four-lane expressway State Route 86
was built for international trucking from Mexicali, Mexico to Los Angeles or Arizona
. Referred to as the "NAFTA highway" (in reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement
took effect in 1994), it replaces an older and less safe two-lane road known as the "killer highway" where over 400 auto accident fatalities took place since 1980.
In 2006 mayoral elections, 29-year-old Eduardo Garcia became the city's youngest mayor ever. Garcia was a lifelong Coachella resident and a 1995 graduate of Coachella Valley High School
. He attended the College of the Desert
in Palm Desert, California
.
Also in 2006, the city council passed a resolution (No. 2006-34) opposing the Clear Air Act and Sensenbrenner Bill , then pending in the U.S. Senate.
Today, retail and commercial properties appear on Coachella's two main streets: Harrison Street (formerly U.S. Route 99) and Grapefruit Boulevard (State Route 111
), along with a new retail development on Avenue 48 and Jackson street. Since 2000, thousands of single-family homes and multi-unit apartment complexes are being built at a fast pace, as the city's population soars, having more than doubled in the last decade.
In 2010, a Coca-Cola bottling facility was added to the city's new light industry facilities, a boon in the rapid-growth community which has a currently troubled economy.
The future of Coachella could be linked one day to tourism as well as agriculture. Coachella expanded recreational and social activities for which residents once had to drive ten or twenty miles (32 km) west. The city has a recreation center, a Boys and Girls Club center, and a boxing
club in Bagdouma Park. There are two dance clubs and the Corona Yacht Club located near Spotlight 29 casino; two new golf courses (Desert Lakes and the Vineyards) attract many retirees, RV owners, and local business people.
Regional Station. (The original Coachella Police Department was disbanded in 1998.) The City also contracts out for fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(Cal Fire). The County Fire Department currently staffs 2 paramedic engine companies out of Station 79 with plans for another station in the future.
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
(or the Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
area). It is located 28 miles (45.1 km) east of Palm Springs, 72 miles (115.9 km) east of Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, and 130 miles (209.2 km) east of Los Angeles.
Known as the "City of Eternal Sunshine", Coachella is largely a rural, agricultural, family-oriented community in the desert and one of the state's fastest growing cities in the late 20th century. When it first incorporated back in 1946, it had 1,000 residents, but the population was 40,704 at the 2010 census.
The eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level, and the area's average elevation is 68 feet (35 m) below sea level. The Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
, a saltwater lake located about 10 miles (16.1 km) South of Coachella, lies 227 feet (69.2 m) below sea level.
The city also lends its name to the Coachella grapefruit
Grapefruit
The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
; the town's stretch of State Route 111
California State Route 111
State Route 111 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is the main north/south state highway and retail corridor through the Coachella Valley, a part of the Colorado Desert in the southeastern corner of the state and famous as a resort destination...
is named Grapefruit Boulevard in its honor. Harrison Street or State Route 86
California State Route 86
State Route 86 is a north–south state highway in the southeastern desert region of Southern California, United States. It runs from State Route 111, near the Mexican border crossing at Calexico, north through the Imperial Valley via El Centro and Brawley, and around the west side of the...
is declared historic U.S. Route 99, the major thoroughfare that connects with Interstate 10 a few miles north of town.
Geography
Coachella is located at 33.679522°N 116.174488°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 28.95 square miles (75 km²), all of it land.
The elevation is 68 feet (20.7 m) below sea level, as the eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level. The saltwater lake, Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Coachella, is 228 feet (69.5 m) below sea level.
History
The city was originally founded as Woodspur in 1876, when the Southern Pacific RailroadSouthern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
built a rail siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
on the site. In the 1880s the indigenous Cahuilla
Cahuilla
The Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...
tribe sold their land plots to the railroads for new lands east of the current town site, and in the 1890s, a few hundred traquero
Traquero
A traquero is a railroad track worker, especially a Mexican or Mexican American railroad track worker . The word derives from "traque", Spanglish for "track".While the U.S...
s took up settlement along the tracks.
The origin of the name Coachella is unclear, but in 1901 the citizens of Woodspur voted on a new name for their community; at their town hall meeting, the homeowners settled on "Coachella". Some locals believe it was a misspelling of Conchilla, a Spanish word for the small white snail shells found in the valley's sandy soil, vestiges of a lake which dried up over 3,000 years ago.
Coachella began as a 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) territory gridded out on the mesquite-covered desert floor. Not until the 1950s did Coachella begin to expand into its present range, about 32 square miles (82.9 km²), an area which contained large year-round agricultural corporate farms and fruit groves, particularly of citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
(lemons, oranges, grapefruit) and date palm
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
s.
Coachella became a city in 1946. During the incorporation voting process, the first city council was tentatively elected: Lester C. Cox, T. E. Reyes, John W. Westerfield, Lester True, and Paul S. Atkinson. Also elected on November 26, 1946, were City Clerk Marie L. Johnson and City Treasurer John C. Skene. John Westerfield was appointed mayor at the first meeting.
By the 1980 census, Coachella's population had reached at least 10,000 due to relative slow population growth. Due to a high percentage of Hispanics in the city, Coachella was a scene of Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
political activism including protests and visits by United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
leader César Chávez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
in the 1960s and 1970s.
Education
Coachella is served by the Coachella Valley Unified School DistrictCoachella Valley Unified School District
The Coachella Valley Unified School District is a public school district in Riverside County, California, United States, with headquarters in Thermal. The District serves a area, including the city of Coachella, a portion of Indio, south of Avenues 48 or 49, and Salton City in Imperial County...
, based in Thermal, California
Thermal, California
Thermal is a census-designated place located approximately 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs and about 9.5 miles north of the Salton Sea. Although one can find sunny skies most days, residents occasionally endure strong winds and sizzling summer temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The...
. Its main high school is Coachella Valley High School
Coachella Valley High School
-Athletics:Coachella Valley High School is in the Desert Valley League which includes Cathedral City, Coachella Valley, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs. Out of conference opponents sometimes include Desert Hot Springs and Desert Mirage High School near Mecca, California...
(with 2900 students) followed by a new high school Desert Mirage High School
Desert Mirage High School
Desert Mirage High School is a public high school for grades 9-12. It is located in Thermal, California. The school is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District.-External links:*...
about 5 miles to the south; its two middle schools are Cahuilla Desert Academy and Bobby Duke. Elementary schools include Cesar Chavez, Palm View, Peter Pendleton, Valle Del Sol, Valley View, Westside and Coral Mountain Academy.
The Coachella Valley Adult School, in operation since 1952, is the third largest adult school in Riverside County. It offers seven levels of English as a Second Language
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
(ESL), and has offered citizenship classes for over 20 years. In the last ten years, over 1,500 people completed citizenship classes at the school and submitted N-400 forms.
Culture
The film director Frank CapraFrank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
is interred in the Coachella Valley Cemetery. Professional boxing
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
champions Antonio Diaz
Antonio Diaz
Antonio Magsaysay-Diaz was a Congressman of Zambales, the Philippines. He was a nephew of former President Ramon Magsaysay.-Early life:Diaz, a member of the Magsaysay political clan of Zambales, served the province variously as vice governor and representative since the 1960s.A lawyer, he was one...
and Julio Díaz
Julio Díaz
Julio Díaz is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division. A former IBF lightweight champion, he is also the brother of boxing trainer Joel Díaz and former World Champion Antonio Díaz.-Professional career:Diaz captured the IBF lightweight interim title with a win over Ricky...
(brothers), are originally from Coachella. The agricultural area surrounding Coachella was where the United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
union staged strikes and protests, including visits by UFW leader César Chávez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
. Migrant labor activist Sam Maestas has a home in the rural outskirts of Coachella.
Downtown Coachella is under renovation as the area experiences an economic boom which has brought increasing numbers of people in the city — Pueblo Viejo (the old neighborhood) as locals of Hispanic origin sometimes call it. Despite its image for Mexican immigration, a large percentage are US citizens, born and raised in Coachella. A multi-generational Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
subculture has taken root in the town.
Much of its population consists of younger Latino families (an estimated 90 percent of Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
origin) and, in the outlying areas, migrant farm workers. The city is officially bilingual in the English and Spanish languages, although city council meetings are nominally spoken and performed in English. Historically, Coachella was predominantly Mexican/Latino (including Central America) and/or Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, but had other ethnic groups like Arabs, Armenians, Filipinos
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
, Italians, Japanese
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
and recent immigrants from Southeast Asia and the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
Three popular fiestas are celebrated each year in town: Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...
(May 5), the 16 de Septiembre Fiestas Patrias (Mexico's Independence from Spain) and the 12 de Diciembre (the patron saint of Mexico, Santa Maria de Guadalupe
Santa María de Guadalupe
The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic monastic establishment in Guadalupe, Cáceres, a province of the Extremadura autonomous community of Spain It was one of the most important monasteries in the country for more than four centuries...
) to celebrate the Virgin Mary.
Near the city limits of Coachella are three casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s on Indian reservations: Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino, Spotlight 29 Casino
Spotlight 29 Casino
The Spotlight 29 Casino is an Native American gambling enterprise, of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, located in Coachella, California, USA. The casino has 2,000 slot machines, 30 table games, and an 11 table poker room. The casino also has a 2,200 seat showroom.-History:On January...
, and Augustine Casino, which are owned and operated by Native American tribes — the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California.-Reservation:The Cabazon Indian Reservation was founded in 1876. It occupies located seven miles from Indio, California and from Palm Springs...
, Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians, and Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians
The Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized Cahuilla band of Native Americans based in Coachella, California. They have the distinction of being the smallest tribal nation in the United States, consisting of only eight members, only one of whom is an adult.-Background:The tribe...
, respectively. These small but highly profitable tribes have representative councils to ensure self-reliance as a community. Coachella is also home to a significant Southwest Indian (Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
, Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
, Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
and Zuni) population, though not indigenous to the California desert region.
In the 1953 Warner Brothers cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
Bully For Bugs
Bully For Bugs
Bully for Bugs is a 1952 Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in August 1953. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.- Synopsis :...
, Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
misses his "left toin at Albuquerque" and pops up in a Mexican bull ring, where he asks for directions to "...the shortest route to the Coachella Valley and the big carrot festival therein?"
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Coachella had a population of 40,704. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,406.0 people per square mile (542.9/km²). The racial makeup of Coachella was 19,576 (48.1%) White, 320 (0.8%) African American, 290 (0.7%) Native American, 266 (0.7%) Asian, 34 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 19,154 (47.1%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1,064 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39,254 persons (96.4%).
The Census reported that 40,646 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 58 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 8,998 households, out of which 6,625 (73.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,583 (62.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 1,927 (21.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 820 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 795 (8.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 76 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 464 households (5.2%) were made up of individuals and 151 (1.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.52. There were 8,330 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(92.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.57.
The population was spread out with 15,786 people (38.8%) under the age of 18, 4,889 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 11,896 people (29.2%) aged 25 to 44, 6,306 people (15.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,827 people (4.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.5 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
There were 9,903 housing units at an average density of 342.1 per square mile (132.1/km²), of which 5,586 (62.1%) were owner-occupied, and 3,412 (37.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 25,519 people (62.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,127 people (37.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 22,724 people, 4,807 households, and 4,480 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,091.4 people per square mile (421.4/km²). There were 5,024 housing units at an average density of 241.3 per square mile (93.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.8% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.5% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.8% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.3% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, < 0.1% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 56.6% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.0% from two or more races. 97.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,807 households,and many more of which 65.9% had children under the age of 18, 66.5% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.8% were non-families. 5.3% of all households were individuals living alone, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.72 and the average family size was 4.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 40.8% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% 65 years or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $28,590, and the median income for a family was $28,320. Males had a median income of $23,044, compared to $15,550 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $7,416. About 29.1% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those 65 or over.
Politics
Coachella has played a minor yet important role in state and national political causes. The majority of registered voters are in the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, a stronghold of Democrats in a largely Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
voting bloc (the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
) and compared to neighboring cities.
In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Coachella is located in the 40th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny
Denise Moreno Ducheny
Denise Moreno Ducheny is a California State Senator who represents Senate District 40, which includes southern San Diego County, part of Riverside County, and all of Imperial County. Ducheny is a Democrat. She lives with her husband, Al, in San Diego, California.-Background:Ducheny was born in...
, and in the 80th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat Manuel Perez
Manuel Perez (politician)
V. Manuel Pérez is a Democratic Assemblymember from California's 80th State Assembly district from Coachella, California, United States.-Biography:...
. Federally, Coachella is located in California's 45th congressional district
California's 45th congressional district
California's 45th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Riverside County. The district includes the communities of Palm Springs, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Hemet, Cathedral City, Temecula, Blythe, Rancho Mirage, Murrieta, Indio, Indian Wells,...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +3 and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.
Local issues
According to a 2006 state-funded economic survey, Coachella ranks third lowest in average personal income of any California city, and one of ten poorest cities in the state. The city's remote location from urban areas can be responsible for the high poverty rate.Coachella has dealt with socioeconomic issues which produced a history of above-average crime rates. Coachella received negative local media attention as a city riddled by youth gangs, drug trade activity, massive movement of undocumented immigration and racial separatism. Much of the non-Hispanic population moved away in reaction. However, the 2006 FBI crime statistical release placed Coachella at the lowest crime rates in all of the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
and Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
.
In 1995, state and federal officials designated Coachella as part of the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone
Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone
The Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone Authority established in 1992 is one of 42 zone authorities competitively designated for 15 years by the State of California...
to boost economic activity and entice businesses to relocate to this rural city which was once home to several fruit shipping plants.
Near Coachella, a new four-lane expressway State Route 86
California State Route 86
State Route 86 is a north–south state highway in the southeastern desert region of Southern California, United States. It runs from State Route 111, near the Mexican border crossing at Calexico, north through the Imperial Valley via El Centro and Brawley, and around the west side of the...
was built for international trucking from Mexicali, Mexico to Los Angeles or Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Referred to as the "NAFTA highway" (in reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
took effect in 1994), it replaces an older and less safe two-lane road known as the "killer highway" where over 400 auto accident fatalities took place since 1980.
In 2006 mayoral elections, 29-year-old Eduardo Garcia became the city's youngest mayor ever. Garcia was a lifelong Coachella resident and a 1995 graduate of Coachella Valley High School
Coachella Valley High School
-Athletics:Coachella Valley High School is in the Desert Valley League which includes Cathedral City, Coachella Valley, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs. Out of conference opponents sometimes include Desert Hot Springs and Desert Mirage High School near Mecca, California...
. He attended the College of the Desert
College of the Desert
College of the Desert is a public two-year community college located in Palm Desert in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California...
in Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
.
Also in 2006, the city council passed a resolution (No. 2006-34) opposing the Clear Air Act and Sensenbrenner Bill , then pending in the U.S. Senate.
Today, retail and commercial properties appear on Coachella's two main streets: Harrison Street (formerly U.S. Route 99) and Grapefruit Boulevard (State Route 111
California State Route 111
State Route 111 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is the main north/south state highway and retail corridor through the Coachella Valley, a part of the Colorado Desert in the southeastern corner of the state and famous as a resort destination...
), along with a new retail development on Avenue 48 and Jackson street. Since 2000, thousands of single-family homes and multi-unit apartment complexes are being built at a fast pace, as the city's population soars, having more than doubled in the last decade.
In 2010, a Coca-Cola bottling facility was added to the city's new light industry facilities, a boon in the rapid-growth community which has a currently troubled economy.
The future of Coachella could be linked one day to tourism as well as agriculture. Coachella expanded recreational and social activities for which residents once had to drive ten or twenty miles (32 km) west. The city has a recreation center, a Boys and Girls Club center, and a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
club in Bagdouma Park. There are two dance clubs and the Corona Yacht Club located near Spotlight 29 casino; two new golf courses (Desert Lakes and the Vineyards) attract many retirees, RV owners, and local business people.
Events and points of interest
- Coachella Valley Music and Arts FestivalCoachella Valley Music and Arts FestivalThe Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
- Coachella Valley Radio Control ClubCoachella Valley Radio Control ClubThe Coachella Valley Radio Control Club is based near Coachella in Riverside County, California, U.S.. It is one of the oldest model aircraft clubs in the United States, one of the oldest non-profit service organizations in continuous existence in the Coachella Valley and one of the few Academy of...
Public safety
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department now serves the city from the nearby IndioIndio
Indio may refer to:* Indio, California* Indio, person of indigenous peoples of the Americas* The Spanish Colonial racial term for the native Austronesian peoples of the Philippines between the 16th and 19th centuriesSpecific people:...
Regional Station. (The original Coachella Police Department was disbanded in 1998.) The City also contracts out for fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is the State of California's agency responsible for fire protection in State Responsibility Areas of California as well as the administration of the state's private and public forests. It is often referred to as The California Department of...
(Cal Fire). The County Fire Department currently staffs 2 paramedic engine companies out of Station 79 with plans for another station in the future.
External links
- City of Coachella Official site
- Coachella Chamber Of Commerce Official site
- Coachella Valley Unified School District Official site