Palm Desert, California
Encyclopedia
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County
, California
, United States
, in the Coachella Valley
, approximately 11 miles (17.7 km) east of Palm Springs
. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census. The city was one of the state's fastest growing in the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with 11,801 residents in 1980, doubling to 23,650 in 1990, 35,000 in 1995, and nearly double its 1990 population by 2000.
A major center of growth in the Palm Springs area, Palm Desert is a popular retreat for "snowbirds
" from colder climates (the Eastern and Northern US, and Canada), who swell its population by an estimated 31,000 each winter. In the past couple of years Palm Desert has seen more residents become "full-timers", mainly from the coasts and urban centers of California, who have come for affordable but high-valued home prices.
s were planted. Local historians said the main residents of pre-1950 Palm Desert were Cahuilla
Indian farmers of the now extinct San Cayetano tribe, but a few members of the Montoya family of Cahuilla/Spanish descent were prominent leaders in civic life.
The first residential development occurred in 1943 in connection with an Army
maintenance camp in the area. That site was later developed into "El Paseo", an upscale shopping district not unlike Rodeo Drive
. In 1948, the Palm Desert Corporation began to develop real estate, and in 1951 the area was given its present name.
Many celebrities keep homes in Palm Desert, including Rita Rudner
and more recently, the current home of teenage pro golfer Michelle Wie
and one of the homes of Bill Gates
. Film producers Jerry Weintraub and Robert Velo call Palm Desert their second home. With only 1,500 permanent residents, the community was incorporated on November 26, 1973. At the time, Palm Desert was a master planned community situated in the desert that used to stretch from Palm Springs to Indio.
"Desert Willow Golf Resort" is the City Of Palm Desert's municipal golf course and has 2 championship courses - 'Mountain View' and 'Firecliff'. It is associated with the "Westin Desert Willow Resort" development at the golf course location. The Firecliff course is listed at #13 in Golf Magazine's 'Best Courses you can Play' 2010 list for California.
In the late-1970s and 1980s, a spate of private golf clubs, destination resorts and hotels appeared in the northern half of Palm Desert, such as the four-star JW Marriott Desert Springs Golf Resort and Spa in 1987 and the four-star Desert Willow Golf Resort in 2002. The city has over 30 motels and 5,000 motel rooms, since lodging and hospitality is a major portion of the local tourist-based economy.
in Desert Crossing in 1995.
El Paseo Drive is downtown Palm Desert's main shopping street. The area around the street has evolved into an upscale shopping district featuring 150 boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. El Paseo is often compared to Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive
due its concentration of posh retail outlets and lush landscaping. The street runs parallel to State Route 111, which serves as the main thoroughfare in the Palm Springs metropolitan area.
Although Indio
is the most populous city in the region with 75,000 residents and is the home of the majority of Palm Desert's daily and seasonal employees, local residents have shown concern in protecting the desert environment by promoting natural landscaping and artistic sculptures. Fred Waring Drive has been expanded into a four-lane major traffic fare, encouraging new retail centers and commercial zones. The desert sprawl nearly engulfs the Coachella Valley
from State Route 111 to Interstate 10.
and botanical garden
featuring an extensive collection of desert plants and animals and a state-of-the-art animal hospital. It is also the site of the campus of College of the Desert
, the local community college, has expanded greatly in size since the campus opened in 1961 and one of the buildings was built by donations from the local Cahuilla
Indian tribal nations. The state higher education system opened an extension campus duplex (the Indian Wells
Education center for both California State University, San Bernardino
and the University of California Riverside.
Palm Desert is served by the Desert Sands Unified School District
based in La Quinta
and Indio
. Its main High School is Palm Desert High School
(with 1800 students) but was rebuild to a new campus facility and its main Middle School (with 900 students) is Palm Desert Middle School
a charter school
. Elementary level schools: George Washington Charter, Abraham Lincoln, Gerald Ford, James Monroe, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and the Rancho Mirage school in the Palm Springs Unified School District
in nearby Rancho Mirage, California
. A northernmost part of Palm Desert and easternmost part of Rancho Mirage is served by the PSUSD, so the students can attend Nellie Coffman Middle School and Cathedral City High School
in Cathedral City, California
.
The Riverside County Department of Education operates San Cayetano Community School, a grade 1 to 12 educational facility. Palm Desert has seven prominent private schools: Desert Adventist Academy, St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Palm Desert Presbyterian School, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, Marywood Academy, the Learning Tree Academy, the Xavier Preparatory High school a Roman Catholic grade 9-12 school, and the Palm Desert Jewish Community School and its' social recreational Jewish Community Center. It also has meetings by the United Jewish Congress of the Desert based in Palm Springs
.
, the city has a total area of 27 square miles (69.9 km²), of which, 26.8 square miles (69.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.76%) is water.
The elevation (City hall) is 224 feet (68.3 m) above sea level. Elevations vary from the lower northern half once covered in sand dunes to the upper slope southern cove (300–900 ft (91.4–274.3 m)) all the way to the ridgeline at 1,000 feet (over 300 meters). Palm Deset is located in the Coachella Valley, the north-western extension of the Sonoran Desert.
Sun City Palm Desert, California
lies on the northern side of Interstate 10 from Palm Desert itself, but is unincorporated and not part of the City of Palm Desert (the original name was Sun City Palm Springs from 1991 to 1996).
was 1,793.3 people per square mile (692.4/km²). The racial makeup of Palm Desert was 39,957 (82.5%) White, 875 (1.8%) African American, 249 (0.5%) Native American, 1,647 (3.4%) Asian, 55 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,427 (9.1%) from other races
, and 1,235 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,038 persons (22.8%).
The Census reported that 48,137 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 98 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 210 (0.4%) were institutionalized.
There were 23,117 households, out of which 4,253 (18.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,253 (44.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 2,177 (9.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 811 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,227 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 373 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 7,948 households (34.4%) were made up of individuals and 4,370 (18.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08. There were 13,241 families
(57.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.65.
The population was spread out with 7,534 people (15.6%) under the age of 18, 3,333 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 8,731 people (18.0%) aged 25 to 44, 12,924 people (26.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 15,923 people (32.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.0 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
There were 37,073 housing units at an average density of 1,372.4 per square mile (529.9/km²), of which 15,171 (65.6%) were owner-occupied, and 7,946 (34.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.8%. 30,667 people (63.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,470 people (36.1%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 41,155 people, 19,184 households, and 11,414 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,689.1 people per square mile (652.0/km2). There were 28,021 housing units at an average density of 1,150.0 per square mile (443.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White, 1.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.5% from other races
, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population.
There are 19,184 households in Palm Desert, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.7. The demographics of Palm Desert shows a rising population of children and young adults.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. Palm Desert with the rest of the Coachella Valley has a large senior citizen
(over age of 55) community, most of them have annual personal incomes exceeding well over $100,000.
The median income
for a household in the city was $48,000 and the median income for a family was $58,183. Males had a median income of $42,257 versus $32,202 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $33,463. About 5.9% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. Palm Desert is considered an upper-class community, having an above average median income compared both to California and the nation. The median income that is stated in the census data is lower than the actual median income because there are a large number of seasonal residents and senior citizens.
", a unique musical genre heavily influenced by Stoner rock
/Stoner metal.
Aging baby boomers make up over half of the Palm Desert's growing population. The city had a doubling of persons over age 55 in the 2000s, to reverse a previous trend of a "younger" population of all ages and once again, Palm Desert has a "gray" majority.
Sociopolitically, Palm Desert is viewed as a mostly conservative community with strong leanings toward the Republican party. But many residents are also registered Democrat.
Homeowners are a mixture of year-round residents and winter/second homes, mostly from the Pacific Northwest and urban centers across California. The second home market attracts an international population, particularly Canadians
since the 1970s. Increasing numbers of Europe
ans, Australians and east Asians are buying up real estate. The global appeal of Palm Desert as the "place to be" for tourists has made it home to thousands of retired people from around the world.
Palm Desert isn't entirely homogeneous as widely assumed: Affluent African-Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans have moved to a formerly "all-white" city. There are many persons of Armenian, German, Irish
, Italian
, Polish and Swedish ancestry. The city has one of California's largest Jewish American communities.
Other ethnic groups represent a sizable portion of local residents are the Arabs, Cubans, Filipinos
, Iranians, Japanese, Koreans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans
, South America
ns and former Yugoslavians.
Palm Desert is located in the 37th Senate
District, represented by Republican
Bill Emmerson
, and in the 64th Assembly
District, represented by Republican Brian Nestande
. Federally, Palm Desert is located in California's 45th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +3 and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.
.
The City of Palm Desert contracts for fire protection and emergency medical services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
).
. Six to nine cities that are or were associated with Palm Desert: Wollongong, New South Wales
, Australia
Osoyoos, British Columbia
, Canada
Haifa, Israel La Paz, Baja California Sur
, Mexico
Gisborne, New Zealand
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Port Elizabeth, South Africa Zihuatanejo
, Guerrero
, Mexico
Palm Desert has a community exchange program with Ketchikan, Alaska
, U.S.
Also a community exchange relationship with the major city of Concepcion, Chile
, so far the most populous one.
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,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in 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...
, approximately 11 miles (17.7 km) east of 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...
. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census. The city was one of the state's fastest growing in the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with 11,801 residents in 1980, doubling to 23,650 in 1990, 35,000 in 1995, and nearly double its 1990 population by 2000.
A major center of growth in the Palm Springs area, Palm Desert is a popular retreat for "snowbirds
Snowbird (people)
The term snowbird is used to describe people from the U.S. Northeast, U.S. Midwest, or Canada who spend a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, or elsewhere along the Sun Belt region of the southern and southwest United States,...
" from colder climates (the Eastern and Northern US, and Canada), who swell its population by an estimated 31,000 each winter. In the past couple of years Palm Desert has seen more residents become "full-timers", mainly from the coasts and urban centers of California, who have come for affordable but high-valued home prices.
History
The area was first known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, but the name changed to Palm Village in the 1920s when date palmDate 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 were planted. Local historians said the main residents of pre-1950 Palm Desert were 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...
Indian farmers of the now extinct San Cayetano tribe, but a few members of the Montoya family of Cahuilla/Spanish descent were prominent leaders in civic life.
The first residential development occurred in 1943 in connection with an Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
maintenance camp in the area. That site was later developed into "El Paseo", an upscale shopping district not unlike Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south....
. In 1948, the Palm Desert Corporation began to develop real estate, and in 1951 the area was given its present name.
Many celebrities keep homes in Palm Desert, including Rita Rudner
Rita Rudner
Rita Rudner is an American comedienne, writer and actress.-Early life:Rudner was born in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Frances, a homemaker, and Abe Rudner, a lawyer. Her mother died when she was 13. After graduating from high school at 15, Rudner left Miami and headed to New York City to embark...
and more recently, the current home of teenage pro golfer Michelle Wie
Michelle Wie
Michelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
and one of the homes of Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
. Film producers Jerry Weintraub and Robert Velo call Palm Desert their second home. With only 1,500 permanent residents, the community was incorporated on November 26, 1973. At the time, Palm Desert was a master planned community situated in the desert that used to stretch from Palm Springs to Indio.
Resorts and golf clubs
The city's first golf course and tennis club was Shadow Mountain in 1952, followed by Marrakesh in 1954, the Palm Desert Greens mobile home park golf course in 1961, and the Palm Desert Country Club in 1962. The latter, located five miles (8 km) east of the original city, was formally annexed in 1992. The total number of golf clubs (more than 30 located within 10 miles from the city) have made Palm Desert known as the "World's Golf Capital"."Desert Willow Golf Resort" is the City Of Palm Desert's municipal golf course and has 2 championship courses - 'Mountain View' and 'Firecliff'. It is associated with the "Westin Desert Willow Resort" development at the golf course location. The Firecliff course is listed at #13 in Golf Magazine's 'Best Courses you can Play' 2010 list for California.
In the late-1970s and 1980s, a spate of private golf clubs, destination resorts and hotels appeared in the northern half of Palm Desert, such as the four-star JW Marriott Desert Springs Golf Resort and Spa in 1987 and the four-star Desert Willow Golf Resort in 2002. The city has over 30 motels and 5,000 motel rooms, since lodging and hospitality is a major portion of the local tourist-based economy.
Shopping and commerce
Rapid growth and several annexations in the 1980s and 1990s have made Palm Desert a major shopping destination and the main center of business activity in the Coachella Valley. The city developed a major shopping area when the Palm Desert Town Center (now the Westfield Shoppingtown-Palm Desert) opened in 1983, followed by the arrival of TargetTarget Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
in Desert Crossing in 1995.
El Paseo Drive is downtown Palm Desert's main shopping street. The area around the street has evolved into an upscale shopping district featuring 150 boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. El Paseo is often compared to Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south....
due its concentration of posh retail outlets and lush landscaping. The street runs parallel to State Route 111, which serves as the main thoroughfare in the Palm Springs metropolitan area.
Although Indio
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
is the most populous city in the region with 75,000 residents and is the home of the majority of Palm Desert's daily and seasonal employees, local residents have shown concern in protecting the desert environment by promoting natural landscaping and artistic sculptures. Fred Waring Drive has been expanded into a four-lane major traffic fare, encouraging new retail centers and commercial zones. The desert sprawl nearly engulfs 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...
from State Route 111 to Interstate 10.
Top Employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JW Marriott JW Marriott Hotels JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, namesake of John Willard Marriott, Founder, Chairman & CEO of is a luxury hotel chain. Found in major cities as well as vacation destinations world-wide, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts are becoming known in the hospitality industry for their practical approach to luxury... Desert Springs Golf Resort |
2,000 |
| 2 | Universal Protection Services | 1,500 |
| 3 | Guthy-Renker Guthy-Renker Guthy-Renker LLC is a direct-response marketer known primarily for selling products in the United States via infomercials. The company also sells products direct to consumer through a variety of media channels via offices in numerous countries... |
825 |
| 4 | Securitas Securitas AB Securitas AB is a security services , monitoring, consulting and investigation group, based in Stockholm, Sweden. The group has approximately 300,000 employees in 50 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Securitas AB is listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm,... |
700 |
| 5 | Desert Arc | 400 |
| 6 | Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000... |
350 |
| 7 | Marriott Marriott Hotels & Resorts Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's flagship brand of full service hotels and resorts. The company, based in Washington D.C., is repeatedly included on the Forbes Best Companies to Work for list, and was voted the 4th best company to work for in the UK by The Times in 2009.As of... Desert Springs Villas |
304 |
| 8 | Macy's Macy's Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States... |
301 |
| 9 | Toscana Country Club | 300 |
| 10 | Bighorn Golf Club | 250 |
Education
Palm Desert is the home of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a combination zooZoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
featuring an extensive collection of desert plants and animals and a state-of-the-art animal hospital. It is also the site of the campus of 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...
, the local community college, has expanded greatly in size since the campus opened in 1961 and one of the buildings was built by donations from the local 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...
Indian tribal nations. The state higher education system opened an extension campus duplex (the Indian Wells
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
Education center for both California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Bernardino
California State University, San Bernardino, also known as Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB is a public research university and one of the twenty three general campuses of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in the suburban University District of , United States, with...
and the University of California Riverside.
Palm Desert is served by the Desert Sands Unified School District
Desert Sands Unified School District
The Desert Sands Unified School District is a public school district located in La Quinta, California. The district was founded in 1964 after the state of California department of education consolidated all of Indio public schools at the time...
based in La Quinta
La Quinta, California
La Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, USA, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 37,467 at the 2010 census, up from 23,694 at the 2000 census. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination...
and Indio
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
. Its main High School is Palm Desert High School
Palm Desert High School
Palm Desert High School is a secondary school located in Palm Desert, California. The school is a part of the Desert Sands Unified School District.Palm Desert High School was founded in 1986. For the 2004-2005 year the enrollment was 1902...
(with 1800 students) but was rebuild to a new campus facility and its main Middle School (with 900 students) is Palm Desert Middle School
Palm Desert Middle School
Palm Desert Charter Middle School is a charter middle school in Palm Desert, California in the Coachella Valley. It is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District and a Charter school with parental involvement in the school's administration. The school had about 1000 students in the years...
a charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
. Elementary level schools: George Washington Charter, Abraham Lincoln, Gerald Ford, James Monroe, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and the Rancho Mirage school in the Palm Springs Unified School District
Palm Springs Unified School District
The Palm Springs Unified School District, or PSUSD, is one of three public education governing bodies in the Coachella Valley desert region of Southern California. PSUSD governs the western half of the valley; the Coachella Valley Unified School District and Desert Sands Unified School District...
in nearby Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
. A northernmost part of Palm Desert and easternmost part of Rancho Mirage is served by the PSUSD, so the students can attend Nellie Coffman Middle School and Cathedral City High School
Cathedral City High School
Cathedral City High School is a public high school for grades 9-12. It is located in Cathedral City, California and is part of the Palm Springs Unified School District.-History:...
in Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 51,200 at the 2010 census. Sandwiched between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, it is one of the cities in the Coachella Valley of southern California...
.
The Riverside County Department of Education operates San Cayetano Community School, a grade 1 to 12 educational facility. Palm Desert has seven prominent private schools: Desert Adventist Academy, St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Palm Desert Presbyterian School, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, Marywood Academy, the Learning Tree Academy, the Xavier Preparatory High school a Roman Catholic grade 9-12 school, and the Palm Desert Jewish Community School and its' social recreational Jewish Community Center. It also has meetings by the United Jewish Congress of the Desert based in 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...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 27 square miles (69.9 km²), of which, 26.8 square miles (69.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.76%) is water.
The elevation (City hall) is 224 feet (68.3 m) above sea level. Elevations vary from the lower northern half once covered in sand dunes to the upper slope southern cove (300–900 ft (91.4–274.3 m)) all the way to the ridgeline at 1,000 feet (over 300 meters). Palm Deset is located in the Coachella Valley, the north-western extension of the Sonoran Desert.
Sun City Palm Desert, California
Sun City Palm Desert, California
Sun City Palm Desert is a gated community located in Riverside County, California, in the Palm Springs area, approximately east of Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley. The ZIP Code is 92211, and the community is inside area code 760....
lies on the northern side of Interstate 10 from Palm Desert itself, but is unincorporated and not part of the City of Palm Desert (the original name was Sun City Palm Springs from 1991 to 1996).
Climate
The climate of the Coachella Valley is influenced by the surrounding geography. High mountain ranges on three sides and a south-sloping valley floor all contribute to its unique and year-round warm climate, with the warmest winters in the western United States. Palm Desert has a subtropical arid climate: Its average annual high temperature is 95 °F (35 °C) and average annual low is 60 °F (15.6 °C) but summer highs above 108 °F (42.2 °C) are common and sometimes exceed 120 °F (48.9 °C), while summer night lows often stay above 82 °F (27.8 °C). Winters are warm with daytime highs between 73–84 °F (22.8–28.9 C). Under 5 inches (127 mm) of annual precipitation are average, with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The hottest temperature ever recorded there was 126 °F (52.2 °C) on August 20, 1995.Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Palm Desert had a population of 48,445. 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 1,793.3 people per square mile (692.4/km²). The racial makeup of Palm Desert was 39,957 (82.5%) White, 875 (1.8%) African American, 249 (0.5%) Native American, 1,647 (3.4%) Asian, 55 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 4,427 (9.1%) 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 1,235 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,038 persons (22.8%).
The Census reported that 48,137 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 98 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 210 (0.4%) were institutionalized.
There were 23,117 households, out of which 4,253 (18.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,253 (44.4%) 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, 2,177 (9.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 811 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,227 (5.3%) 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 373 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 7,948 households (34.4%) were made up of individuals and 4,370 (18.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08. There were 13,241 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...
(57.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.65.
The population was spread out with 7,534 people (15.6%) under the age of 18, 3,333 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 8,731 people (18.0%) aged 25 to 44, 12,924 people (26.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 15,923 people (32.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.0 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
There were 37,073 housing units at an average density of 1,372.4 per square mile (529.9/km²), of which 15,171 (65.6%) were owner-occupied, and 7,946 (34.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.8%. 30,667 people (63.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,470 people (36.1%) 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 41,155 people, 19,184 households, and 11,414 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 1,689.1 people per square mile (652.0/km2). There were 28,021 housing units at an average density of 1,150.0 per square mile (443.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White, 1.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.5% 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 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population.
There are 19,184 households in Palm Desert, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.7. The demographics of Palm Desert shows a rising population of children and young adults.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. Palm Desert with the rest of the Coachella Valley has a large senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
(over age of 55) community, most of them have annual personal incomes exceeding well over $100,000.
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 $48,000 and the median income for a family was $58,183. Males had a median income of $42,257 versus $32,202 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 $33,463. About 5.9% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. Palm Desert is considered an upper-class community, having an above average median income compared both to California and the nation. The median income that is stated in the census data is lower than the actual median income because there are a large number of seasonal residents and senior citizens.
Culture
The city was home to the "Palm Desert ScenePalm Desert Scene
The Palm Desert Scene is a group of closely related bands and musicians from Palm Desert in Southern California. Their hard rock sound – which is often described as desert rock – contains elements of psychedelia, blues, Heavy metal and other genres, such as hardcore, as well as...
", a unique musical genre heavily influenced by Stoner rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
/Stoner metal.
Aging baby boomers make up over half of the Palm Desert's growing population. The city had a doubling of persons over age 55 in the 2000s, to reverse a previous trend of a "younger" population of all ages and once again, Palm Desert has a "gray" majority.
Sociopolitically, Palm Desert is viewed as a mostly conservative community with strong leanings toward the Republican party. But many residents are also registered Democrat.
Homeowners are a mixture of year-round residents and winter/second homes, mostly from the Pacific Northwest and urban centers across California. The second home market attracts an international population, particularly Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
since the 1970s. Increasing numbers of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans, Australians and east Asians are buying up real estate. The global appeal of Palm Desert as the "place to be" for tourists has made it home to thousands of retired people from around the world.
Palm Desert isn't entirely homogeneous as widely assumed: Affluent African-Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans have moved to a formerly "all-white" city. There are many persons of Armenian, German, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
, Polish and Swedish ancestry. The city has one of California's largest Jewish American communities.
Other ethnic groups represent a sizable portion of local residents are the Arabs, Cubans, 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...
, Iranians, Japanese, Koreans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans in the United States
Stateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
ns and former Yugoslavians.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia 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...
Palm Desert is located in the 37th 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 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...
Bill Emmerson
Bill Emmerson
William "Bill" Emmerson is a Republican California State Senator, representing the 37th district in Riverside County, having been elected in a June 8, 2010 special election and sworn into office the next day...
, and in the 64th 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 Republican Brian Nestande
Brian Nestande
Brian Nestande is the Republican California State Assemblyman for the 64th District and was elected to the post in 2008. He is the son of former Assemblyman Bruce Nestande, who was the Republican nominee for Secretary of State in 1986....
. Federally, Palm Desert 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.
Public safety
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has one of its stations located in Palm Desert. That station provides police services to the municipalities of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and Indian WellsIndian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
.
The City of Palm Desert contracts for fire protection and emergency medical services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE (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...
).
Sister cities
Palm Desert had been in the sister cities program, as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
. Six to nine cities that are or were associated with Palm Desert: Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Osoyoos, British Columbia
Osoyoos, British Columbia
Osoyoos is a town in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia near the border with Washington state. The town is also adjacent to the Indian Reserve of the Osoyoos Indian Band. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word suius meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Haifa, Israel La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Gisborne, New Zealand
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Port Elizabeth, South Africa Zihuatanejo
Zihuatanejo
Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Politically the city belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta in the western part of Guerrero, but both are commonly referred to as Zihuatanejo...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, Mexico
Palm Desert has a community exchange program with Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state....
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Also a community exchange relationship with the major city of Concepcion, Chile
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
, so far the most populous one.
Points of interest
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
- College of the DesertCollege of the DesertCollege of the Desert is a public two-year community college located in Palm Desert in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California...
- McCallum TheatreMcCallum TheatreThe McCallum Theatre is a 1,127-seat state-of-the-art theatre and concert venue located on the southern edge of the campus of College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, USA....
- Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage.
- Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells.
Sports
- College of the Desert Roadrunners in football, baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.
- Golf - Palm Desert is home to about 30 golf courses.
- Tennis - tennis courts in the Marrakesh and Shadow Mountain golf clubs.