Coachella Valley

For the music festival, see Coachella. For the city, see Coachella, California. For the high school, see Coachella Valley High School.

Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Width15 miles (24 km)
Naming
Native nameSpanish: Valle de Coachella[disputed – discuss]
Geography
LocationRiverside County, California, United States
Population centersIndio, Palm Springs, Palm Desert
Borders onSalton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacinto Mountains (west), Little San Bernardino Mountains (east), San Gorgonio Mountain (north)
Coordinates33°42′N 116°12′W / 33.7°N 116.2°W / 33.7; -116.2 
Traversed byInterstate 10

The Coachella Valley (/koʊˈtʃɛlə, ˌkoʊ.ə-/ koh-CHEL-ə, KOH-ə-)[1] is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area[2] due to the historic prominence of the city of Palm Springs. The valley extends approximately 45 mi (72 km) southeast from the San Gorgonio Pass to the northern shore of the Salton Sea and the neighboring Imperial Valley, and is approximately 15 mi (24 km) wide along most of its length. It is bounded on the northeast by the San Bernardino and Little San Bernardino Mountains, and on the southwest by the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.

The Coachella Valley is notable as the location of several wintertime resort cities that have become popular destinations for full time retirees and seasonal residents known as snowbirds. The valley is also known for a number of annual events, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, and the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, all held in Indio. Other events include the Palm Springs Modernism Week, Palm Springs International Film Festival, the ANA Inspiration and Desert Classic golf tournaments, and the Indian Wells Open tennis tournament.

The Coachella Valley is home to the cities of Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage.

Summers in the valley are extremely hot and valley winters are mild. As such, the valley's population tends to fluctuate; from nearly 500,000 in April, to around 300,000 in July and August, to around 600,000 by January. [citation needed] It was stated in 2013 by the Riverside County HR Department that "Palm Springs and the Desert Communities" were being visited by 3.5 million conventioneers and tourists annually.[3]

The Coachella Valley connects with the Greater Los Angeles area to the west via the San Gorgonio Pass, a major transportation corridor, traversed by Interstate 10 and by the Union Pacific Railroad. The valley is considered part of the Low Desert and is included within the Desert Empire[4] to differentiate it from the broader Inland Empire of Southern California.

  1. ^ California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Gudde and Bright. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2017 – via LanguageHat.com.
  2. ^ Nobody, I. B. (April 24, 2018) [2017]. From the Inside Out. Meadville, Pennsylvania: Fulton Books, Inc. (published 2018). ISBN 9781633383173. Retrieved August 19, 2022. [...] in the Coachella Valley (Greater Palm Springs) (Palm Springs Area) [...].
  3. ^ "Desert Jobs". Riverside County HR Dept. March 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2013. If you have visited Palm Springs and the Desert Communities as one of the 3.5 million annual conventioneers and tourists, you may have some idea of what the area holds for the permanent resident [...].
  4. ^ Buchanan, Joe (September 2008). Linz Interlude. San Diego: Bookwarren Publishing (published 2008). p. 381. ISBN 9780945949381. Retrieved August 19, 2022. Buckmann was not inclined to be impressed by the wonders of Southern California's vast desert empire and it's [sic] glossy capital – Palm Springs.