City Town Info

Palm Desert, CA


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Palm Desert, California

Introduction to Palm Desert, California

Palm Desert, California, in Riverside county, is 34 miles E of Hemet, California (center to center) and 60 miles E of Riverside, California. It's situated in the Coachella Valley. The population swells during the winter due to vast number of tourists who arrive to enjoy the warm weather, the scenic views and opportunities to play tennis, bicycle riding, golf, water sports, and hiking. The city features a hot desert summer climate. Numerous celebrities have homes in Palm Desert. The city includes a large number of retired people and residents from all over the world.

Palm Desert History

The region was originally called Old MacDonald Ranch. The area became known as Palm Village in the 1920's due to the vast number of date palm trees that were planted. The first residential area began in 1943 near an Army maintenance facility. In 1951 the city was renamed Palm Desert. It was utilized as a training center for troops and tank battalions for General George Patton. After World War II ended, Clifford Henderson developed several notable resorts. Substantial growth occurred in the 1980's and 1990's and the city became a primary shopping and commerce center for the Coachella Valley.

Palm Desert Attractions

  • Art of Food & Wine Palm Desert features renowned chefs.
  • El Paseo Drive is a popular, upscale shopping destination.
  • Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is focused on the world's deserts and includes a large collection of desert plants and animals. It includes re-creations of various desert landscapes. The zoo features mountain lions, badgers, cheetahs, Rhim Gazelles, giraffes and other animals.
  • Augua Caliente Cultural Museum focuses on the Augua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians.
  • The Gardens on El Paseo is a well known shopping location and features a variety of restaurants.
  • Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert includes a variety of exhibits.
  • The "Palm Desert Scene" is comprised of musicians and their music is well known as Desert Rock.
  • McCallum Theatre is a beautiful venue and features a variety of entertainment.
  • Westfield Shopping Town is a notable enclosed shopping mall.

    • Palm Desert Activities

    The Hopalong Cassidy Trail is popular for bicycle riding, hiking and horseback riding. Tennis is a popular activity. Tourists enjoy the nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Civic Center Park is utilized for a variety of sports activities. The Coachella Valley features more than 100 golf courses including the popular Desert Willow Golf Resort located in Palm Desert. Visitors enjoy the scenic balloon flights.

    Palm Desert Higher Education

    The city is home to the College of the Desert and campuses of the California State University at San Bernardino and the University of California Riverside.

    Palm Desert Transportation

    The city is served by Palm Springs International Airport.

High Points

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

CategoryTrophy
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)		Top 11%Palm Desert Short Commute Times
Well-Paid Single Men
(vs. Peers)		Top 19%Palm Desert Well-Paid Single Men

Comparative Profile of Palm Desert, CA

Comparing Palm Desert to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Senior Citizens1010
Age of the Population1010
Well-Paid Single Men98
Well-Paid Single Women88
Female Share of the Population78
Racial Diversity53
Male Share of the Population43
Children Under 5 Years Old11

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Portion of People Married53
Average Household Size11

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
College Educated Adults77
Median Family Income77
People in Middle Class or Better67
People Above Poverty66

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Working at Home109
Short Commute Times89
Walking and Biking to Work75
Public Transportation Use45

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Seasonal and Vacation Housing1010
Housing Recently Built910
People Living Alone99
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals54
Affordability of Property Taxes54
Affordability of Rents46

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime55
Low Property Crime11

Detailed pages on related topics: Palm Desert colleges • Palm Desert travel • Palm Desert mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All States > California > Palm Desert

Additional Details

Palm Desert CollegesPalm Desert Colleges
Palm Desert colleges and trade schools.
Palm Desert Hotels & TravelPalm Desert Hotels & Travel
Palm Desert hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Palm Desert MortgagePalm Desert Mortgage
Palm Desert property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Palm Desert

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Palm Desert

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Palm Desert Government Officials

Are you an official in the Palm Desert government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Palm Desert. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.