Riverside County

Takes pride in its nine Coachella Valley cities that comprise the Greater Palm Springs Oasis:Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. We invite you to explore the distinctive characteristics of each of these cities, conveniently located for all visitors to Southern California.

Palm Springs

A combination of perfect weather, Hollywood glamour and an intimate village atmosphere keep Palm Springs on the A-List of great destinations. Enjoy fine dining, shopping, and world-famous boutique hotels located in a unique setting distinguished by celebrated mid-century modern architecture.

• “Camille” starring Greta Garbo premiered at Palm Springs’ Plaza Theatre, now home to the world famous Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. • The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes visitors up over 2400 meters and offers 85 kilometers of hiking trails in Mount San Jacinto Wilderness State Park. The 10-minute ride up the mountain is one of the steepest ascents in the world. • Famed director Frank Capra shot the Shangri-La waterfall scene in the 1932 classic ‘Lost Horizon’ in Palm Springs’ Tahquitz Canyon, still open to hikers today. • Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and countless other stars honed their acts before smaller crowds at The Riviera Palm Springs Resort before taking them to mass audiences in Las Vegas. • Albert Einstein, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and Gloria Swanson were among the Hollywood regulars at small Palm Springs inns tucked behind Palm Canyon Drive.

Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs is located in the foothills overlooking the Coachella Valley. It is the only valley city on the North American Tectonic Plate. This unique geology is the source of the city's world famous mineral springs. The city's stunning mountain views are framed by a sparkling newly refurbished downtown.

• Cabot Yerxa discovered the curative mineral waters of Desert Hot Springs when he dug his first well in 1914. A month later, he dug a second well producing cool, fresh drinking water. The phenomenon prompted Cabot to name his homestead Miracle Hill. • Today, the community still boasts unspoiled desert terrain and stunning mountain views as over 20 boutique mineral water spa resorts and spa hideaways have sprung to life on the miracle hills. From the famed Two Bunch Palms to modern, Moroccan and clothing optional, Desert Hot Springs is "California's Spa City." • The city's drinking water continues to win national and international attention. Originating from Mt. San Gorgonio as snow melt, it travels for 7 years into the city's protected aquifer. Desert Hot Springs is one of the most decorated cities in the United States for its exceptional drinking water.

Cathedral City

Cathedral City is conveniently located at the heart of all Coachella Valley activities! The City is a center of family oriented fun, unique dining, hiking, one of a kind shopping – from vintage collectibles to the new and trendy. The Desert IMAX Theater is the only large format screen in the Valley.

• People from around the world come to visit the award winning Fountain of Life in Cathedral City’s Town Square. • The City’s name originated with the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1850’s because the ravines in the hills above the city resembled the interior of a grand cathedral – you can still hike there today. • Cathedral City is the 2nd most populated city in the Coachella Valley. • Cathedral City has the lowest crime rate in the Coachella Valley.

Rancho Mirage

Unique for its designation as the “Playground of Presidents,” Rancho Mirage’s stellar golf courses, lushly landscaped estates, first class shopping and fine dining remind visitors why the likes of Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Walter Annenberg chose to call this city home.

• Frank Morgan, the actor who played The Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz” was the earliest celebrity to have lived in Rancho Mirage. • Lucille Ball was the first Honorary Mayor of Rancho Mirage. • The Ford model Thunderbird was named for Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage. • In the late 1960s, Bob Hope donated more than 80 acres of his personal land to the City of Rancho Mirage, to build what is today Eisenhower Medical Center. • Nearly 80 percent of the people in Rancho Mirage live in gated communities.

Palm Desert

From its beginnings as a secluded getaway for Hollywood’s in-crowd, Palm Desert has evolved into the region’s cultural, educational, and retail center featuring the “rodeo drive of the desert” – El Paseo. The city also claims the renowned McCallum Theatre, The Living Desert, some of the area’s best hiking trails, a variety of golf resorts, and shopping for every taste and budget.

• Palm Desert is home to the desert’s largest, full service hotel, the renowned 884-room JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. • The nation’s only citywide Golf Cart Parade is held in Palm Desert each year, drawing about 25,000 spectators who watch more than 100 golf cart floats parade down El Paseo. • College of the Desert Street Fair, a collection of clothing, crafts, food, music and other vendors, is held in Palm Desert every Saturday and Sunday morning of the year. • In just minutes, visitors can escape to the pristine wilderness of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument via a short ride up Palm Desert’s Highway 74.

Indian Wells

Residents and visitors alike enjoy an unparalleled array of amenities in this premier luxury resort destination. Attractions include the top-ranked Indian Wells Golf Resort and stunning IW Club, world renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden, four outstanding hotels, sensational spas, shopping, dining, and year-round recreational activities.

• The state-of-the-art, 55-acre Indian Wells Tennis Garden is home to the prestigious BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, NBA Outdoors, and Indian Wells Arts Festival. • The Indian Wells Golf Resort is the only facility in California with two courses ranked in the Top 20 "Best Courses You Can Play" in California by Golfweek Magazine. • One of the most extraordinary zoos in the United States, The Living Desert, is located in Indian Wells and Palm Desert. • The annual Desert Town Hall Indian Wells speaker series brings the most prominent names in public affairs, business, and the arts to the community. Speakers have included President George H.W. Bush, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, acclaimed journalists Fareed Zakaria and Thomas Friedman, and retired General Colin Powell.

La Quinta

Charming La Quinta is delighting visitors from around the globe! Golfers enjoy phenomenal golf at PGA WEST, SilverRock Resort, and many other top golf courses. Outdoor aficionados explore the scenic trails of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Art lovers indulge in the abundance of art and culture. Everyone enjoys fabulous dining, shopping, and hospitality!

• Walter Morgan, a wealthy San Francisco aristocrat, created a retreat in 1926—the La Quinta Hotel. The city of La Quinta embraced the hotel name at incorporation. • La Quinta lured Hollywood elites including Frank Capra, Clark Gable, and Greta Garbo. And famous names like Arnold Palmer and Clint Eastwood have made their marks here. • Now the city boasts a variety of stores and restaurants along the bustling Highway 111 Corridor and the La Quinta Village (a charming historic destination). • Premier hotels include: La Quinta Resort & Club, Embassy Suites La Quinta, Homewood Suites, and Lake La Quinta Inn. • La Quinta features a museum, library, farmers market, concerts, art shows, car shows, movies in the park, and more!

Indio

Indio is a family oriented community that celebrates its culture and retains its heritage, making it an ideal place to live, work and do business. It has been aptly nicknamed “The City of Festivals,” with agriculture as much at home in the city as world-recognized entertainment, blue-blooded polo tournaments and gaming.

• Indio is historically significant as the Coachella Valley’s oldest and fastest growing city with a population of more than 85,000 residents. • The city also served as the site for the region’s first railroad depot. • Indio’s “City of Festivals” moniker is attributed to the special events that draw more than 1 million people annually. • It is the second county-seat for Riverside County, making Indio the Coachella Valley’s center for business, government, and entertainment activity. • Indio has the largest number of people under the age of eighteen and is home to award winning teen and senior centers that provide exciting programs, amenities, and activities for Indio’s youth and senior populations.

Coachella

Known as “the city of eternal sunshine” that has “small town atmosphere” but “big city advantages,” Coachella was initially founded in 1876 as Woodspur. Renamed in 1901, it was incorporated in 1946 and is the Valley’s farthest city to the east.

• A booming 95% of the country’s dates are produced in Coachella and its neighboring cities of Indio, Thermal, and Mecca. • Coachella—which saw its population double between 2000 and 2010 and is one of the fastest growing municipalities in California—has also seen its profile grow exponentially over the last decade. • Ernie Ball—a venerable maker of guitar picks, strings, and other accessories—creates all of its products in Coachella only to ship them worldwide. • Beloved Hollywood film director Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night) is buried in the Coachella Valley Cemetery. • The Coachella Grapefruit is named after the city.