Palm Springs, California

"Palm Springs" redirects here. For other uses, see Palm Springs (disambiguation).

City of Palm Springs
—  City  —
Aerial view of south west Palm Springs (facing south), with the Canyon Country Club in the center
Location in Riverside County
Coordinates: 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Riverside
Government
• Mayor	Steve Pougnet
Area
• Total	94.975 sq mi (245.984 km2)
• Land	94.116 sq mi (243.761 km2)
• Water	0.859 sq mi (2.224 km2)  0.90%
Elevation	440 ft (146 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	44,552
• Density	470/sq mi (180/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92262-92264, 92292
Area code(s)	760 (with a 442 overlay)
FIPS code	06-55254
GNIS feature ID	1652768
Website	http://www.palmsprings-ca.gov/

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 (177 km) east of Los Angeles and 136 miles (225 km) northeast of San Diego. The population was 44,552 at the 2010 census.

Golf, swimming, tennis, horseback riding and hiking in the nearby desert and mountain areas are major forms of recreation in Palm Springs. The area code for Palm Springs is 760. The ZIP codes for Palm Springs are 92262 through 92264.

History

Founding

Native American settlement

Archaeological research has shown that the Cahuilla people have lived in the area for the past 350–500 years. The Cahuilla name for the area was "Se-Khi" (boiling water). When the Agua Caliente Reservation was established by the United States Government in 1896, the reservation land was composed of alternating squares of land laid out across the desert in a checkerboard pattern. The alternating, non-reservation squares, were given to the Southern Pacific Railroad as an incentive to bring rail lines through the open desert.

Presently the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is composed of several smaller bands who live in the modern day Coachella Valley and San Gorgonio Pass areas. The Agua Caliente Reservation occupies 32,000 acres (13,000 ha), of which 6,700 acres (2,700 ha) lie within the city limits, making the Agua Caliente band the city's largest landowner. (Tribal enrollment is currently estimated at between 296 and 365 people.)

Spanish explorers

In the early 19th century, Spanish explorers named the area "Agua Caliente" (hot water). One possible origin of palm in the place name is revealed in the November 1992 issue of Art of California. At least one Spanish explorer referred to the area as la Palma de la Mano de dios or "The Palm of God's hand".

Later 19th century

The first white settler in the area was Jack Summers who ran the stagecoach station in 1862. Fourteen years later (1876) the railroad was laid 6 miles to the north isolating the settlement. The current name for the area is "Palm Springs" which likely came into common usage in the mid-1860s when U.S. Government surveyors noted that a local mineral spring was located at the base of "two bunches of palms". By 1884, when San Francisco attorney John Guthrie McCallum settled in Palm Springs, the name was already in wide acceptance.

20th century

The city became a fashionable resort in the 1900s when health tourists arrived with conditions that needed dry heat. The village of Palm Springs was more comfortable in its microclimate as the area was covered in a shadow late afternoon during the summer by the San Jacinto mountains to the west. In the winter the mountains block cold winds from the San Gorgonio pass.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1920s Hollywood movie stars were attracted by the hot dry, sunny weather and seclusion. Architectural modernists flourished with commissions from the stars, using the city to explore architectural innovations, new artistic venues, and an exotic back-to-the-land experiences. Inventive architects designed unique vacation houses, such as steel houses with prefabricated panels and folding roofs, a glass-and-steel house in a boulder-strewn landscape, and a carousel house that turned to avoid the sun's glare.

Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, by Richard Neutra

In 1946 Richard Neutra designed the Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann House. A modernist classic, this mostly glass residence incorporated the latest technological advances in building materials, using natural lighting and floating planes and flowing space for proportion and detail. In recent years an energetic preservation program has protected and enhanced many classic buildings.

Culver (2010) argues that Palm Springs architecture became the model for mass-produced suburban housing, especially in the Southwest. This "Desert Modern" style was a high-end architectural style featuring open-design plans, wall-to-wall carpeting, air-conditioning, swimming pools, and very large windows. As Culver concludes, "While environmentalists might condemn desert modern, the masses would not. Here, it seemed, were houses that fully merged inside and outside, providing spaces for that essential component of Californian—and indeed middle-class American—life: leisure. While not everyone could have a Neutra masterpiece, many families could adopt aspects of Palm Springs modern."

Hollywood values permeated the resort as it combined celebrity, health, new wealth, and sex. As Culver (2010) explains: "The bohemian sexual and marital mores already apparent in Hollywood intersected with the resort atmosphere of Palm Springs, and this new, more open sexuality would gradually appear elsewhere in national tourist culture." To purify the environment city government, stimulated by real estate developers systematically removed and excluded poor people and Indians.

Palm Springs was pictured by the French photographer Robert Doisneau in November 1960 as part of an assignment for Fortune on the construction of golf courses in this particularly dry and hot area of the Colorado desert. Doisneau submitted around 300 slides following his ten-day stay depicting the lifestyle of wealthy retirees and Hollywood stars in the 1960s. At the time, Palm Spring counted just nineteen courses, whereas the city now has "one hundred and twenty-five golf courses, 2,250 holes, or rather continuously thirsty pits, which soak up 1.2 million gallons of water just to survive."

Year-round living

A view of Palm Springs from the air in 1973

Between 1947 and 1965, the Alexander Construction Company built some 2,200 houses in Palm Springs effectively doubling its housing capacity.

As the 1970s drew to a close, increasing numbers of retirees moved to the Coachella Valley. As a result, Palm Springs began to evolve from a virtual ghost town in the summer to a year-round community. Businesses and hotels that used to close for the months of July and August instead remained open all summer. As commerce grew, so too did the number of families with children.

Geography and environment

Palm Springs is located at 33°49′26″N 116°31′49″W (33.823990, −116.530339). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 95.0 square miles (246 km²), of which 94.1 square miles (244 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (1%) is water.

Climate

Located in the Coachella Valley desert region, Palm Springs is sheltered by the San Bernardino Mountains to the north, the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south, by the San Jacinto Mountains to the west and by the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the east. This geography gives Palm Springs its hot, dry climate, with 354 days of sunshine and only 4.83 inches (122.7 mm) of rain annually. The winter months are warm, with daytime highs often between 73 °F and 86 °F (23–30 °C) and corresponding nighttime lows of 50 °F to 60 °F (10–16 °C) while the coolest days tend to average from 62 °F to 71 °F (17–22 °C), and corresponding nights falling to the mid 40s °F (7–9 °C). The lowest temperature recorded is 19 °F (−7.2 °C), on January 22, 1937. Summer often sees daytime temperatures between 106 °F (41.1 °C) and 112 °F (44.4 °C), with overnight lows ranging from 77 °F (25.0 °C) to 90 °F (32.2 °C). The mean annual temperature is 74.7 °F (23.7 °C). There are 180 days with a high reaching 90 °F (32.2 °C), and 100 °F (37.8 °C) can be seen on 116. The highest temperature on record in Palm Springs is 123 °F (50.6 °C), recorded on several occasions. A low of 105.1 °F (40.6 °C), was recorded on July 13, 1985, one of the highest nighttime lows recorded on earth.

Climate data for Palm Springs, California
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	95 (35)	99 (37)	104 (40)	112 (44)	118 (48)	121 (49)	123 (51)	123 (51)	121 (49)	116 (47)	102 (39)	93 (34)	123 (51)
Average high °F (°C)	71 (22)	74 (23)	80 (27)	88 (31)	96 (36)	104 (40)	108 (42)	107 (42)	102 (39)	91 (33)	79 (26)	69 (21)	89 (32)
Average low °F (°C)	45 (7)	48 (9)	52 (11)	57 (14)	64 (18)	71 (22)	78 (26)	78 (26)	72 (22)	62 (17)	52 (11)	44 (7)	60 (16)
Record low °F (°C)	19 (−7)	24 (−4)	29 (−2)	34 (1)	36 (2)	44 (7)	54 (12)	52 (11)	46 (8)	30 (−1)	23 (−5)	23 (−5)	19 (−7)
Rainfall inches (mm)	1.16 (29.5)	1.16 (29.5)	0.49 (12.4)	0.05 (1.3)	0.02 (0.5)	0.02 (0.5)	0.14 (3.6)	0.29 (7.4)	0.22 (5.6)	0.20 (5.1)	0.38 (9.7)	0.70 (17.8)	4.83 (122.7)
Avg. rainy days	3.8	3.5	2.4	0.7	0.4	0.2	0.7	1.1	1.0	0.8	1.0	2.6	18.2
Source: NOAA

Neighborhoods

View through the San Jacinto Mountains to Palm Springs

The City of Palm Springs has developed a program to identify distinctive neighborhoods in the community. Of the 29 neighborhoods, 7 have historical and cultural significance.

Movie Colony neighborhoods

The Movie Colony is just east of Palm Canyon Drive. The Movie Colony East neighborhood extends further east from the Ruth Hardy Park. These areas started growing in the 1930s as Hollywood movie stars built their smaller getaways from their Los Angeles area estates. Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby built homes in these neighborhoods.

El Rancho Vista Estates

In the 1960s, Robert Fey built 70 homes designed by Donald Wexler and Ric Harrison in the El Rancho Vista Estates. Noted residents included Jack LaLanne and comic Andy Dick.

Warm Sands

Historic homes in the Warm Sands area date from the 1920s and many were built from adobe. It also includes small resorts and the Ramon Mobile Home Park. Noted residents have included screenwriter Walter Koch, artist Paul Grimm, activist Cleve Jones and actor Wesley Eure.

The Mesa

The Mesa started off as a gated community developed in the 1920s near the Indian Canyons. Noted residents have included Zane Grey, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Suzanne Somers, Herman Woulk, Barry Manilow and Trina Turk. Distinctive homes include Wexler's "butterfly houses" and the "Streamline Moderne Ship of the Desert".

Tahquitz River Estates

Some of the homes in this neighborhood date from the 1930s. The area was owned by Pearl McCallum McManus and she started building homes in the neighborhood after World War II ended. Dr. William Scholl (Dr. Scholl's foot products) owned a 10 acre estate here. Today the neighborhood is the largest neighborhood organization with 600 homes and businesses within its boundaries.

Sunmor Estates

During World War II, the original Sunmor Estates area was the western portion the Palm Springs Army Airfield. Homes here were developed by Robert Higgins and the Alexander Construction Company. Actor and former mayor Frank Bogert bought his home for $16,000 and lived there for more than 50 years.

Historic Tennis Club

Impoverished artist Carl Eytel first set up his cabin on what would become the Tennis Club. Another artist in the neighborhood, who built his "Dar Marrac" estate in 1924, was Gordon Coutts. Other estates include Marion Davies' Mediterranean style villa (now the Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn), the Casa Cody Inn, built by Harriet and Harold William Cody (cousin of Buffalo Bill Cody) and the Ingleside Inn, built in the 1920s by the Humphrey Birge family. The neighborhood now has about 400 homes, condos, apartments, inns and restaurants.

Las Palmas neighborhoods

To the west of Palm Canyon Drive are the Vista Las Palmas and Old Las Palmas neighborhoods. These areas also feature distinctive homes and celebrity estates.

Ecology

The locale features a variety of native desert flora and fauna. A notable tree occurring in the wild and under cultivation is the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera.

Demographics

2010

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	50		—
1900	150		200.0%
1910	100		−33.3%
1920	75		−25.0%
1930	500		566.7%
1940	3,434		586.8%
1950	7,660		123.1%
1960	13,468		75.8%
1970	20,936		55.4%
1980	32,359		54.6%
1990	40,181		24.2%
2000	42,807		6.5%
2010	44,552		4.1%

The 2010 United States Census reported that Palm Springs had a population of 44,552. The population density was 469.1 people per square mile (181.1/km²). The racial makeup of Palm Springs was 33,720 (75.7%) White, 1,982 (4.4%) African American, 467 (1.0%) Native American, 1,971 (4.4%) Asian, 71 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 4,949 (11.1%) from other races, and 1,392 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,286 persons (25.3%).

The Census reported that 44,013 people (98.8% of the population) lived in households, 343 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 196 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 22,746 households, out of which 3,337 (14.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,812 (25.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,985 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 868 (3.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,031 (4.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2,307 (10.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,006 households (44.0%) were made up of individuals and 4,295 (18.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93. There were 8,665 families (38.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.82.

The population was spread out with 6,125 people (13.7%) under the age of 18, 2,572 people (5.8%) aged 18 to 24, 8,625 people (19.4%) aged 25 to 44, 15,419 people (34.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,811 people (26.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.6 years. For every 100 females there were 129.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.8 males.

There were 34,794 housing units at an average density of 366.3 per square mile (141.4/km²), of which 13,349 (58.7%) were owner-occupied, and 9,397 (41.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 15.5%. 24,948 people (56.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 19,065 people (42.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 42,807 people, 20,516 households, and 9,457 families residing in the city. The population density was 454.2 people per square mile (175.4/km²). There were 30,823 housing units at an average density of 327.0 per square mile (126.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.3% White, 3.9% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.8% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.7% of the population.

16.3% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.9% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.9.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,973 and the median income for a family was $45,318. Males had a median income of $33,999 versus $27,461 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,957. The relatively low income reflects the presence of a large retired population and a large population of owners of second homes whose income is not reported. About 11.2% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Palm Springs is also home to a relatively large gay community. In the city, 7.2% of households belong to a same-sex couple compared to the national average of 1%. This makes Palm Springs the city with the fifth largest percentage of same-sex households in the nation. Former mayor Ron Oden estimated that about a third of Palm Springs is gay.

Economy

Palm Springs Official Visitors Center is located in the historic Tramway Gas Station building designed by Albert Frey.

Though celebrities still retreat to Palm Springs, many today establish residences in other areas of the Coachella Valley. The city's economy now relies on tourism, and local government is largely supported by related retail sales taxes and the TOT (transient occupancy tax). It is a city of numerous festivals, conventions, and international events including the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The world's largest rotating aerial tramcars (cable cars) can be found at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. These cars ascend two-and-a-half miles up a steep incline to reveal views of the entire Valley. The ascent from the desert floor to an altitude in excess of 8,500 feet (2,600 m) is accompanied by a drop in temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit or more, giving riders a cool respite from the heat. A wilderness area can be explored at the top of the tram and there is a restaurant with notable views.

The Palm Springs Convention Center underwent a multi-million-dollar expansion and remodeling in 2005

The Palm Springs Art Museum presents traveling art exhibitions plus a variety of entertainment in its Annenberg Theater. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is located downtown with the Spa Resort Hotel and Casino.

Numerous five star hotels, restaurants and attractions cater to tourists, while shoppers can find a variety of high-end boutiques in downtown and uptown Palm Springs. There is a water park (Knott's Soak City) and Skate park. The city is home to 20 clothing-optional resorts catering to Gay men.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

• The Palm Springs International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films ("ShortFest") present movie star-filled, red-carpet affairs in January and August respectively.
• The Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, known as "The Dinah", is a LGBT event billed as the "Largest Girl Party in the World" held each March.
• The city has sponsored a Veterans Day parade, concert and fireworks display since 1996.
• In December the Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade is held on Palm Canyon Drive.

On-going cultural events

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is a stage-show at the historic Plaza Theatre which features performers that are over the age of 55. Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is a 1997 Mel Damski short documentary film about the Follies. Riff Markowitz is the managing director, MC, and co-founder of the Follies.

Every Thursday evening downtown Palm Springs hosts "Villagefest", a diverse display of arts and crafts, a certified farmer's market, food, and live entertainment on Palm Canyon Drive.

Museums and other points of interest

• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
  • Tahquitz Canyon
  • Indian Canyons (Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon)
  • Agua Caliente Cultural Museum (presently located in downtown)
• Palm Springs Historical Society Museums (and nearby downtown museums)
  • Miss Cornelia White's “Little House” (railroad ties from the defunct Palmdale Railroad were used to build the house)
  • The McCallum Adobe – the oldest remaining building, built in 1884
  • Ruddy's General Store Museum – a 1930's general store
• Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium
• Palm Springs Art Museum – originally developed as the Desert Museum
• Palm Springs Walk of Stars
• San Jacinto Mountains
  • Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
  • Mount San Jacinto State Park
  • Cactus to Clouds Trail – leads from the Art Museum to San Jacinto Peak
  • Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens – in Palm Desert

Sports

Palm Springs is home to the Palm Springs Power, a semi-pro collegiate league baseball team composed of college all-stars of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball Association. It has a winter league baseball team, the Palm Springs Chill of the California Winter League (2010) consists of five other teams: the Power winter team, the Canada A's or "Cats", Coachella Valley Snowbirds, Palm Desert Coyotes and the Oriental Express (baseball). Formerly they were of the Arizona Winter League which includes the Blythe Heat and the Bluesox of Blythe, California. The League plays its games in Palm Springs Stadium and also in Boone Field of the College of the Desert in Palm Desert. Palm Springs studium was once the spring training site of the Major League Baseball California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) of the American League from 1961 to 1993. The stadium also hosted spring training of the Oakland A's and Chicago White Sox, and the 1950's minor league Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League also trained there.

Tennis

The Palm Springs area features a number of sporting events including the BNP Paribas Open, one of the most significant tennis events in the world, after the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Palm Springs has also hosted the Easter Bowl, the national junior tennis championships, where America's top juniors in the nation go and compete for a grand prize, and several NCAA golf tournaments.

Golf

It is also home to the PGA TOUR's Humana Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation (formerly the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Canadian Tour's Desert Dunes Classic. It also hosts dozens of boxing events held throughout the valley.

As of January 2009, the number of golf courses in the Palm Springs area is 125, and the Coachella Valley are among the top ten golf resort destinations in the world.

Other

The Palm Springs AYSO American Youth Soccer Organization region 80 starts mid-September and ends mid-February.

Parks and recreation

• City parks include:
  • Baristo Park
  • DeMuth Park
  • Desert Healthcare (Wellness) Park
  • Desert Highland Park
  • Dog Park (behind city hall)
  • Frances Stevens Park
  • Ruth Hardy Park
  • Sunrise Park
  • Victoria Park

• The new Palm Springs Desert Ice Palace ice skating rink opened in nearby Cathedral City in October 2011.

• Boomers! is a family entertainment center in Cathedral City.

Government

Local

City

See also: List of Mayors of Palm Springs, California

The City of Palm Springs is a charter city, with a charter adopted by the voters in 1994. It consists of a Council-Manager government, with a five-person city council that hires a city manager and city attorney. The mayor is directly elected and serves a four-year term. The other four council members also serve four-year terms, with staggered elections. The City is considered a full-service city, in that it staffs and manages its own police and fire departments including a jail, parks and recreation programs, public library, sewer system and wastewater treatment plant, international airport, and planning and building services. The city council also serves as the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Housing Authority, and the Financing Authority.

It is a member of the Southern California Association of Governments.

The current mayor is Steve Pougnet, but the best-known mayor in the city's history was Sonny Bono.

County

Palm Springs is in Supervisorial District 4 of Riverside County represented by John J. Benoit.

In the 1980's a plan for a new county was proposed for eastern Riverside County. The proposed Cahuilla County, California was not adopted.^{[citation needed]}

State and federal

In the state legislature, Palm Springs is located in the 37th Senate District, represented by Republican Bill Emmerson and in the 80th Assembly District, represented by Democrat V. Manuel Perez. Federally, Palm Springs is located in California's 45th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI (Partisan Voting Index) of R +3 (Republican +3%) and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.

Education

Public schools

Public education in Palm Springs is under the jurisdiction of the Palm Springs Unified School District, an independent district with five board members. The Palm Springs High School is the oldest school in the district, built in 1938. Originally it was a K–12 school in 1920s and had the College of the Desert campus from 1958 to 1964. The Raymond Cree Middle School opened in the 1930s.

Elementary schools in Palm Springs include:

• Cahuilla Elementary School – oldest grade school in existence, opened in 1920's, renovated.
• Cielo Vista Elementary School – opened in the 1950s, renovated.
• Martin Luther King Jr./ Bobby Bonds Schools (K–grade 8), on corner of Rosa Parks Road and Indian Canyon Avenue.
• Katherine Finchy School (formerly Middle, now a Grade school since the 1990s, moved to new facility in 2004).
• Vista Del Monte Elementary School – opened in 1983, replaced older site since 1920s.
• Walt Disney/Sonny Bono Schools (K–grade 8) – proposed, on corner of Barona Road and Araby Drive.

Private schools

Private schools in Palm Springs and nearby communities include Desert Adventist Academy (K–8), Sacred Heart School (PS-8), Desert Chapel (K-12), St. Teresa's (K–8), King's School (K–8), Desert Christian (K–12), and the Marywood-Palm Valley School. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino has recently built a Catholic high school called Xavier College Preparatory High School in Thousand Palms east of Palm Springs.

Post-secondary education

The Desert Community College District, headquartered with its main campus, College of the Desert, is located in Palm Desert. California State University, San Bernardino and University of California, Riverside used to have satellite campuses available within the College of the Desert campus, but now have their own buildings in Palm Desert.

Media

Radio and television

Palm Springs is the 144th largest TV market as defined by AC Nielsen. The Palm Springs DMA is unique among TV markets as it is entirely located within only a small portion of Riverside County. Also, while most areas received their first local television stations during the 1950s, Palm Springs did not receive its first TV stations until October 1968 when stations KPLM-TV (now KESQ) and KMIR-TV debuted. Prior to that time, Palm Springs was served by TV stations from the Los Angeles market, which were carried on the local cable system that began operations in the 1950s and which predated the emergence of local broadcast stations by more than a decade.

TV stations serving the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area include:

• KESQ-TV ABC, Channel 42 (Channel 3 on cable).
• KMIR-TV NBC-TV, Channel 36 (Channel 6 on cable).
• KPSP-LP CBS, on Channel 38 (Channel 2 on cable).

The CW, Fox, My Network, PBS and other networks are covered by low power TV stations in the market.

Additionally, Palm Springs and the surrounding area are served by AM and FM radio stations including the following:

• KCLB
• KCRI
• KDES-FM
• KDGL
• KESQ
• KEZN
• KFUT
• KGAM
• KHCS
• KJJZ
• KKUU
• KLOB
• KMRJ
• KNWQ
• KNWZ
• KPLM
• KPSC
• KPSH
• KPSI and KPSI-FM
• KPTR
• KRCK
• KSUT
• KUNA-FM
• KVLA-FM
• KWXY
• KXPS

Newspapers and magazines

• The Desert Sun is the local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley region.
• Desert Magazine (now published on-line) was published from 1937 to 1985 in Palm Desert.
• The weekly Desert Valley Star is published in Desert Hot Springs.
• The Desert Daily Guide is a weekly LGBT periodical.
• Palm Springs Life is a monthly magazine; it also has publications on El Paseo Drive shopping in Palm Desert, desert area entertainment, homes, health, culture and arts, golf, plus annual issues on weddings and dining out.
• The Palm Springs Villager was published in the early 20th century until 1959.

Infrastructure

Transportation

One of the first transportation routes for Palm Springs was Division 2 of the Butterfield Overland Mail, which operated from 1857 to 1861. Soon thereafter it was a stop on the Bradshaw Trail, an historic overland stage coach route from San Bernardino to La Paz, Arizona. The Bradshaw Trail operated from 1862 to 1877.

Modern transportation services include:

• Palm Springs International Airport serves Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.
  • Historical note: during World War II it was operated as the Palm Springs Army Airfield.
• SunLine Transit Agency provides bus service in the Coachella Valley.
• Morongo Basin Transit Authority provides bus service to and from Morongo Basin communities.
• Amtrak's Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle each stop at the Palm Springs Amtrak station.
  • Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach connects Palm Springs to Bakersfield, Claremont, Indio, La Crescenta, Ontario, Pasadena, Riverside and San Bernardino. A city curbside Thruway bus stop is located at 3400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way.
  • Historical note: the Southern Pacific Railroad Argonaut served Palm Springs from 1926 to 1961.
• Greyhound Bus Lines has a stop (no ticketing) at the Palm Springs Amtrak station.

Highways include:

SR 111 – California State Route 111, which intersects the city.

I-10 – Interstate 10 runs north of the city.

SR 74 – The Pines to Palms Scenic Byway (California State Route 74) runs from the coast, over the San Jacinto Mountains to nearby Palm Desert.

SR 62 – California State Route 62 (a Blue Star Memorial Highway) intersects I-10 north-west of the city and runs north to San Bernardino County and the Colorado River.

Cemeteries

The Welwood Murray Cemetery was started by hotel operator Welwood Murray in 1894 when his son died. It is maintained by the Desert Cemetery District, which also maintains the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City.

The Jane Augustine Patencio Cemetery is maintained by the Agua Caliente Tribe.

Notable people

Palm Springs has been the home of hundreds of notable people. Over 300 of them are honored by the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Additional notable residents are listed at:

Main article: List of people from Palm Springs, California

.

Area architecture

Miller House, by Richard Neutra

Palm Springs is noted for its mid-century modern architecture, a tradition that grew out of the aesthetics of the German Bauhaus.

It is reflected in the work of Albert Frey (who designed the Palm Springs city hall, aerial-tram (cable car) station, and Movie Colony Hotel), Donald Wexler, Richard Neutra, E. Stewart Williams, John Lautner, and others.

A home developer, Alexander Homes, popularized this post-and-beam architectural style in the Coachella Valley. Alexander houses and similar homes feature low-pitched roofs, wide eaves, open-beamed ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Restoration projects are now being undertaken to return these homes and businesses to their original condition.

See also

• Leonore Annenberg and Walter Annenberg – Rancho Mirage residents involved in Palm Springs activities. Their Sunnylands estate hosted many dignitaries and celebrities.
• Ace Hotel & Swim Club – a renovated mid-20th century motel.
• American Leak Detection – company headquartered in Palm Springs.
• Colony Palms Hotel – opened in 1936 as The Colonial House by alleged Purple Gang^{[citation needed]} mobster Al Wertheimer.
• Golden Checkerboard – A 1965 biographical novel by Ed Ainsworth about the mid-20th century economic conditions of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians; its' title comes from the layout of alternating land parcels shared between the white settlers and Native Americans.
• History of the Jews in the U.S. – Palm Springs – for information about the Jewish community in Palm Springs.
• Palm Canyon Times – a defunct area newspaper.
• Raven Productions – a television production company based in Palm Springs.
  • Hello Paradise – a weekly television magazine about the Palm Springs area produced by Raven.

Further reading

• Bowhart, W. H.; Hector, Julie; McManus, Sally Mall; Coffman Kieley, Elizabeth (April 1984). "The McCallum Centennial - Palm Springs' founding family". Palm Springs Life (Palm Springs, California: Desert Publications). http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/April-1984/The-McCallum-Centennial-Palm-Springs-039-founding-family/. Retrieved February 24, 2012. 
• Culver, Lawrence. The Frontier of Leisure: Southern California and the Shaping of Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2010) ISBN 978-0-19-538263-1
• Chase, J. Smeaton (1920 (republished 1987 by the Palm Springs Public Library)). Our Araby: Palm Springs and the Garden of the Sun. Pasadena: Star–News Publishing Co.. pp. 83. ISBN 0-9618724-0-3. LCCN 24010428. OCLC 6169840.  LCC F869.P18 C48 1923 (Electronic copy) One of the first travel books of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Describes the animals, plants, and Native Americans that resided in Palm Springs before it was transformed into a posh resort town.
• Ringwald, George (1968). The Agua Caliente Indians and Their Guardians. Riverside, California: Press-Enterprise.  A reprint of Ringwald's Pulitzer Prize winning articles concerning the scandal of Section 14 of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation.
• Ringwald, George (1960). "Legend, Feuding and Tragedy: A Story of Palm Springs' Beginnings". Palm Springs Life, 1960–1961: Annual Pictorial: 19–39. 
• Terrill, Marshall; Haber, Mel (2009). Palm Springs a la Carte. Barricade Books. pp. 256. ISBN 978-1569803530. 
• Wild, Peter, ed. The Grumbling Gods: A Palm Springs Reader (2007), covers the city's history

External links

• City of Palm Springs Official website
• Movies filmed in Palm Springs
• Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Authority website
• Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism page
• Palm Springs Visitor Information
• Palm Springs Historical Society page
• Desert Film Society – Palm Springs
• Palm Springs Historic Neighborhoods by The Desert Sun feature writer Judith Salkin
  • Alternative link for the above
• Palm Springs Black History Committee
• Palm Springs at the Open Directory Project