Thermal, California
Encyclopedia
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 community's elevation is 138 feet (42.1 m) below mean sea level. It is inside area code 760
and is in ZIP Code
92274. It lies along the Yuma Subdivision of the Union Pacific Railroad
. Area crops include citrus orchards
, winter vegetables and date palm
s. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census.
Agricultural development from canal irrigation made the area thrive in greenery by the 1950s, followed by the former Camp Young U.S. Naval Air station converted into Thermal Airport by 1965. In the early 1990s, a six-lane highway (the new State Route 86) was constructed as an earlier transportation route. There's a proposal for a major commercial aviation Airport known as the Jackie Cochran
-Desert Cities Regional Airport in the same site.
A proposal to build an auto Racetrack & Club, a members' only racetrack below Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, is in the works.
Due to the cold air drainage effect in the Coachella Valley, Thermal and other communities on the Southern end of the valley are typically hotter during the day and colder at night when compared to Palm springs at the North end of the valley.
and Coachella
has spread out onto the formerly agricultural open spaces of Thermal, Mecca
and the exurb
of Vista Santa Rosa
. Thermal and Vista Santa Rosa presently share the same zip code.
An estimated 5,000 residents live in the Thermal region, but it's said to double during the migrant labor harvest in May to July, and triples by "snowbirds" in the winter months from November to March. Nearby Mecca has over 10,000 residents, doubled in the last 5 years.
Thermal and Mecca are two towns with both seasonal and permanent residential growth. Almost all the population of the region are Latino
, most of them are employed in agricultural and manual labor jobs. 4,000 people live in Duroville
, a trailer park on the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation.
There are five Indian reservations: the Cabazon Indian
, Twentynine Palms
, Torres-Martinez
and Augustine Bands
of Mission Indians
, with legal jurisdiction in portions of the region.
Arabia, California once existed along the route of present-day SR111
between Avenue 60 and Avenue 61. The town had a post office in the early 1900s. The area may become an industrial center to replace the abandoned buildings.
, the CDP covers an area of 9.5 square miles (25.5 km²), all of it land.
was 303.1 people per square mile (117.0/km²). The racial makeup of Thermal was 1,034 (36.1%) White, 28 (1.0%) African American, 30 (1.0%) Native American, 32 (1.1%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1,685 (58.8%) from other races
, and 55 (1.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,730 persons (95.3%).
The Census reported that 2,863 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 684 households, out of which 452 (66.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 410 (59.9%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 113 (16.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 87 (12.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 61 (8.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 6 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 55 households (8.0%) were made up of individuals and 19 (2.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.19. There were 610 families
(89.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.36.
The population was spread out with 1,070 people (37.3%) under the age of 18, 316 people (11.0%) aged 18 to 24, 781 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 502 people (17.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 196 people (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.9 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.5 males.
There were 761 housing units at an average density of 80.5 per square mile (31.1/km²), of which 269 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 415 (60.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 1,162 people (40.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,701 people (59.4%) lived in rental housing units.
in and near the community. These include schools in Salton City, 20 miles south of Coachella, in Imperial County, California
. In Thermal, they are: Westside Elementary (K-6), Oasis Elementary (K-8), Mountain Vista Elementary (K-6), Saul Martinez Elementary (K-6), Mecca Elementary (K-6), Edward Park Elementary (K-5), Toro Canyon Middle (6-8), Bobby Duke Middle (6-8), John Kelley Elementary (K-6), Coachella Valley High (9-12)
, Cesar Chavez Elementary (K-6), Cahuilla Desert Academy (Junior High: 7th and 8th grade), Desert Mirage High School
(9-12), West Shores High School
(9-12) and La Familia Continuation High (9-12).
College of the Desert
, a community college based in Palm Desert
is planning open a new satellite campus, the East Valley Educational Center, on the corner of 62nd Avenue and Buchanan Street.
is located about 1.6 miles southwest of the community. There is also a Thermal VORTAC
which may be a co-located with the airport.
The region is served by a two-lane Expressway. State Route 86/111 is a modern transportation corridor that serves as a fruit shipping and international trucking route to connect with Interstate 10 in Indio
.
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
maintains a small (48 interments) cemetery on Martinez Road.
Flora and Fauna
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
located approximately 25 miles southeast 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...
and about 9.5 miles north of 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...
. Although one can find sunny skies most days, residents occasionally endure strong winds and sizzling summer temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The community's elevation is 138 feet (42.1 m) below mean sea level. It is inside area code 760
Area code 760
Image:Area_code_442.svg|right|Map of California area codes in blue with 442/760 in redrect 65 82 92 100 Area code 916rect 220 242 245 256 Area code 909rect 243 274 265 287 Area code 951rect 136 323 160 338 Area code 858...
and is in ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
92274. It lies along the Yuma Subdivision of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. Area crops include citrus orchards
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...
, winter vegetables 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. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census.
History of the region
Thermal began as a railroad camp in 1910 for employees of the Union Pacific Railroad, followed by Mecca (originally called Walters) in 1915 and Arabia in between, each had about 1,000 residents. Then came the establishment of permanent dwellings on Avenue 56 (renamed Airport Boulevard), former U.S. Route 99 (State Route 86) and State Route 111 by the 1930s.Agricultural development from canal irrigation made the area thrive in greenery by the 1950s, followed by the former Camp Young U.S. Naval Air station converted into Thermal Airport by 1965. In the early 1990s, a six-lane highway (the new State Route 86) was constructed as an earlier transportation route. There's a proposal for a major commercial aviation Airport known as the Jackie Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...
-Desert Cities Regional Airport in the same site.
A proposal to build an auto Racetrack & Club, a members' only racetrack below Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, is in the works.
Geography and climate
Thermal is one of the hottest locations in North America, hence the name. At 118 feet below sea level, Thermal is also one of the lowest places in North America. It is an arid desert climate. In January, the normal high temperature is 68 degrees with a low of 40. In July, the normal high temperature is 110 degrees with a low of 82. The average high for the year is 89 degrees and the annual precipitation hovers at around 3 inches.Due to the cold air drainage effect in the Coachella Valley, Thermal and other communities on the Southern end of the valley are typically hotter during the day and colder at night when compared to Palm springs at the North end of the valley.
Today
Once mainly rural, recent development and housing tracts from IndioIndio, 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...
and Coachella
Coachella, California
Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley...
has spread out onto the formerly agricultural open spaces of Thermal, Mecca
Mecca, California
Mecca is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 8,577 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census....
and the exurb
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
of Vista Santa Rosa
Vista Santa Rosa, California
Vista Santa Rosa is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California. Vista Santa Rosa sits at an elevation of below sea level. The 2010 United States census reported Vista Santa Rosa's population was 2,926.-Geography:...
. Thermal and Vista Santa Rosa presently share the same zip code.
An estimated 5,000 residents live in the Thermal region, but it's said to double during the migrant labor harvest in May to July, and triples by "snowbirds" in the winter months from November to March. Nearby Mecca has over 10,000 residents, doubled in the last 5 years.
Thermal and Mecca are two towns with both seasonal and permanent residential growth. Almost all the population of the region are Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, most of them are employed in agricultural and manual labor jobs. 4,000 people live in Duroville
Duroville
Duroville is the nickname for the Desert Mobile Home Park near Thermal, California USA.The park, which sits on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation, is nicknamed for owner Harvey Duro, Sr., a member of the tribal council....
, a trailer park on the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation.
There are five Indian reservations: the Cabazon Indian
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
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mission Indians, located in the City of Twentynine Palms, San Bernardino, California...
, Torres-Martinez
Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla and Chemehuevi Indians, located in Imperial and Riverside counties in California...
and Augustine Bands
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...
of Mission Indians
Mission Indians
Mission Indians is a term for many Native California tribes, primarily living in coastal plains, adjacent inland valleys and mountains, and on the Channel Islands in central and southern California, United States. The tribes had established comparatively peaceful cultures varying from 250 to 8,000...
, with legal jurisdiction in portions of the region.
Arabia, California once existed along the route of present-day SR111
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...
between Avenue 60 and Avenue 61. The town had a post office in the early 1900s. The area may become an industrial center to replace the abandoned buildings.
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 CDP covers an area of 9.5 square miles (25.5 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Thermal had a population of 2,865. 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 303.1 people per square mile (117.0/km²). The racial makeup of Thermal was 1,034 (36.1%) White, 28 (1.0%) African American, 30 (1.0%) Native American, 32 (1.1%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1,685 (58.8%) 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 55 (1.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,730 persons (95.3%).
The Census reported that 2,863 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 684 households, out of which 452 (66.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 410 (59.9%) 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, 113 (16.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 87 (12.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 61 (8.9%) 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 6 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 55 households (8.0%) were made up of individuals and 19 (2.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.19. There were 610 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...
(89.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.36.
The population was spread out with 1,070 people (37.3%) under the age of 18, 316 people (11.0%) aged 18 to 24, 781 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 502 people (17.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 196 people (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.9 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.5 males.
There were 761 housing units at an average density of 80.5 per square mile (31.1/km²), of which 269 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 415 (60.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 1,162 people (40.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,701 people (59.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Education
There are several schools in 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...
in and near the community. These include schools in Salton City, 20 miles south of Coachella, in Imperial County, California
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the...
. In Thermal, they are: Westside Elementary (K-6), Oasis Elementary (K-8), Mountain Vista Elementary (K-6), Saul Martinez Elementary (K-6), Mecca Elementary (K-6), Edward Park Elementary (K-5), Toro Canyon Middle (6-8), Bobby Duke Middle (6-8), John Kelley Elementary (K-6), Coachella Valley High (9-12)
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...
, Cesar Chavez Elementary (K-6), Cahuilla Desert Academy (Junior High: 7th and 8th grade), 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:*...
(9-12), West Shores High School
West Shores High School
West Shores High School is a public high school for grades 7-12. It is located in Salton City, California. The school is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District...
(9-12) and La Familia Continuation High (9-12).
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...
, a community college based in Palm Desert
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...
is planning open a new satellite campus, the East Valley Educational Center, on the corner of 62nd Avenue and Buchanan Street.
Transportation
Thermal AirportJacqueline Cochran Regional Airport
Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport is a public airport located in Thermal, California, 20 miles southeast of Palm Springs.Built during World War II and used by both the US Army and US Navy, Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport has had several name changes. As a civilian facility, it was called...
is located about 1.6 miles southwest of the community. There is also a Thermal VORTAC
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
which may be a co-located with the airport.
The region is served by a two-lane Expressway. State Route 86/111 is a modern transportation corridor that serves as a fruit shipping and international trucking route to connect with Interstate 10 in 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...
.
Cemeteries
The Toro Cemetery is located on Monroe Street.The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla and Chemehuevi Indians, located in Imperial and Riverside counties in California...
maintains a small (48 interments) cemetery on Martinez Road.
Environment
Extremely hot in the summer, temperatures can reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit; moderately cool in the winter with low temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit.Flora and Fauna
- Desert environment
- Home to a lot of wildlife such as Red-tailed HawkRed-tailed HawkThe Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
s and frogFrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s - A lot of date palms