*** Welcome to piglix ***

Palm Desert, California

City of Palm Desert
City
Modern art display on El Paseo's median.
Modern art display on El Paseo's median.
Nickname(s): P.D. , Palm Deezy
Motto: "Feel The Warmth"
Location of Palm Desert, California
Location of Palm Desert, California
City of Palm Desert is located in the US
City of Palm Desert
City of Palm Desert
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°43′20″N 116°22′28″W / 33.72222°N 116.37444°W / 33.72222; -116.37444Coordinates: 33°43′20″N 116°22′28″W / 33.72222°N 116.37444°W / 33.72222; -116.37444
Country United States
State California
County Riverside
Incorporated November 26, 1973
Government
 • Mayor Susan Marie Weber
Area
 • Total 27.014 sq mi (69.966 km2)
 • Land 26.810 sq mi (69.437 km2)
 • Water 0.204 sq mi (0.529 km2)  0.76%
Elevation 220 ft (67 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
 • Total 48,445
 • Estimate (2013) 50,508
 • Density 1,800/sq mi (690/km2)
Time zone Pacific (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 92210, 92211, 92255, 92260, 92261
Area codes 442/760
FIPS code 06-55184
GNIS feature IDs 1652767, 2411356
Website www.cityofpalmdesert.org

Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately 14 miles (23 km) east of Palm Springs and 122 miles (196 km) east of Los Angeles. 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 Coachella Valley, Palm Desert is a popular retreat for "snowbirds" from colder climates (the Eastern and Northern United States, 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 both affordable and high-valued home prices.

The area was first known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, but the name changed to Palm Village in the 1920s when date palms 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.


...
Wikipedia

...