Cathedral City, CA

Cathedral City, California

Introduction to Cathedral City, California

Cathedral City is located in the heart of the Coachella Valley in eastern Riverside County, California. The city is bordered by Palm Springs to the west and Rancho Mirage to the east. Los Angeles and San Diego are each about 110 miles away.

The original inhabitants of the Coachella Valley were the Cahuilla Indians, who lived throughout the area for over 2,000 years. In 1876, descendants of the Cahuillas established a 52,000-acre reservation, which comprises 28 percent of the Cathedral City area.

In 1850, Colonel Henry Washington of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers named the region Cathedral Canyon after discovering that the area's canyons resembled the interior of a grand cathedral. In 1925, four developers established the area's first housing subdivision, aptly naming it Cathedral City.

The city was incorporated in 1981 and since that time has grown four to five times in size. Today it has a population of about 52,000.

Housing & Commerce

In keeping with the expanding economy and rising property values of the Coachella Valley, the assessed valuation of Cathedral City has accelerated, especially in the last 10 years. As of June 2006, the median home sales price in Cathedral City was $347,732, an increase of 7% from June 2005. New developments continue to be built at a rapid rate, giving those seeking housing a wide range of choices in location and style.

The business sector continues to grow, as well. For example, the Cathedral City Highway 111 Auto Center represents 20 different auto manufacturers, more franchises than any other auto center in Riverside County.

Sports & Recreation

Cathedral City's climate - marked by clean air, scenic beauty, and up to 350 sunny days per year - lends itself to outdoor recreation enjoyed by people of all ages. The area boasts numerous public and private golf courses, as well as hiking in the nearby mountains. At Big League Sports Theme Park, residents can play baseball or softball in replicas of Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Tiger Stadium, and Forbes and Wrigley Fields. There are also fields for soccer, rugby, volleyball, flag football, softball leagues and tournaments.

Arts & Entertainment

The Cathedral City Town Square hosts ongoing concerts and events. At the center of the Square is a unique, award-winning stone sculpture called the Fountain of Life - which busloads of tourists regularly stop to admire - as well as bronze statues of film star George Montgomery and Charles "Buddy" Rogers, an actor, jazz musician, and long-time supporter of Cathedral City.

The area offers many wonderful restaurants, nightlife, dinner theatres, and more. The 14-screen Mary Pickford Theatre, named in honor of the Academy Award-winning silent movie star, is one of the top theaters in Southern California and features memorabilia of the actress. Legendary jazz pianist, Buddy Greco and his wife, singer Lezlie Anders, entertain at their 90-seat club dinner and jazz club.

Two other popular tourist destinations in Cathedral City are Forest Lawn Cemetery and Desert Memorial Park, where numerous celebrities are buried, including Frank Sinatra, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, Sonny Bono, "Papa" John Phillips, Jane Wyman, Dinah Shore, George Montgomery, Cameron Mitchell, Harold Robbins, Busby Berkeley, William Powell, Betty Hutton, Guy Madison, and Buddy Rogers.

High Points

Cathedral City strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in California):

Category	Trophy
Short Commute Times (vs. State)	Top 19%

Comparative Profile of Cathedral City, CA

Comparing Cathedral City to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):

Ratings range from (lowest) to (highest).

The People

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Male Share of the Population
Children Under 5 Years Old
Racial Diversity
Senior Citizens
Well-Paid Single Men
Age of the Population
Female Share of the Population

Families

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Average Household Size
Portion of People Married

Wealth

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
People Above Poverty
Median Family Income
College Educated Adults
People in Middle Class or Better

Commute & Sprawl

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Working at Home
Short Commute Times
Public Transportation Use
Walking and Biking to Work

Housing

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Seasonal and Vacation Housing
Housing Recently Built
Affordability of Property Taxes
Affordability of Rents
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals
People Living Alone

Crime

Characteristic	Compared to Peers	Compared to State
Low Property Crime
Low Violent Crime

Cathedral City Almanac

Cathedral City Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

• Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
• Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

Cathedral City Population (2000)

(From 2000 Census, as reported by individuals)

Political Contributions (2004)

Money donated by Cathedral City residents to parties and candidates for the 2004 elections.

by Political Party

by Presidential Candidate

Neighborhood and Nearby Area Names

According to the US Postal Service, Cathedral City, its neighborhoods, and/or surrounding areas are also referred to as:

Note that not all alternate names are acceptable for use in US Post Office addresses.

Nearby Cities and Towns

Starbucks in Cathedral City

Wal-Mart in Cathedral City

Cathedral City High Schools (2004)

CATHEDRAL CITY HIGH
69250 DINAH SHARE DR.
760-770-0100
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 2,623 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 25.8

MOUNT SAN JACINTO HIGH (CONT.)
30800 LANDAU BLVD.
760-770-8563
A Non-traditional School
Title I eligible, not participating.
Serves 357 students.
Student/teacher ratio: 16.2

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