Palm Desert is a city in the

Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) 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 due to the historic promine ...

region of

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...

. The city is located in the

Colorado Desert The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert located in California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella, Imperial and Mexicali valleys. It is home to ...

arm of the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

, about east of

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, northeast of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and east of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The population was 51,163 at the 2020 census, and the city has been one of the state's fastest-growing since 1980, when its population was 11,801.

History

Palm Desert is in the ancestral homeland of the

Cahuilla The Cahuilla, also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. ...

people, who are nowadays organized as a division of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Their bird songs and funeral songs share the oral tradition of how they lived on this land for over 10,000 years. The area was first known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, before the name changed to Palm Village in the 1920s when

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet #Fruits, fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across North Africa, northern A ...

groves were planted. That original tract is today referred to as the ''Palma Village'' neighborhood in the central part of the city. Most of the pre–World War II residents of Palm Desert were Cahuilla farmers of the now extinct San Cayetano tribe; the Montoya family of Cahuilla and Spanish descent were prominent civic leaders in the early years of Palm Desert. The first large-scale residential development began in 1943 in connection with the United States Army's Desert Training Center, constructed in the area under the leadership of General George S. Patton during the Second World War in preparation for fighting in North Africa. After the war, the part of the site south of Highway 111 was developed into " El Paseo", an upscale shopping district modeled after

Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive () is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles, known as one of the most expensive streets in the world. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is a ...

. In 1948, the Palm Desert Corporation began to develop real estate, and in 1951 the area was given its present name. The Henderson brothers began developing the Shadow Mountain Club in south Palm Desert in 1946. Completed in 1948, the club was the first of many large-scale resorts in Palm Desert, featuring a 360,000-gallon pool, golf course, tennis courts, hotel, restaurant, and entertainment amenities for visiting families.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 0.76%, is water. The elevation (at City Hall) is above sea level. Elevations vary from the lower northern half once covered in sand dunes to the upper slope southern cove () all the way to the ridgeline at . Palm Desert is in the Coachella Valley, the northwestern extension of the

Climate

The Coachella Valley's climate is influenced by high mountain ranges on three sides and a south-sloping valley floor contribute to its year-round warmth. Its winters are among the warmest in the western U.S. Palm Desert has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

: its average annual high temperature is and average annual low is , but summer highs above are common and sometimes exceed , while summer night lows often stay above . Winters are warm, with daytime highs between . Under of annual precipitation is average, with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The mean annual temperature, at , makes Palm Desert one of the warmest places in the country. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Palm Desert was , on July 6, 1905. The surrounding mountains create a thermal belt in the southern foothills of Palm Desert, namely Cahuilla Hills and Bighorn, leading to a micro-climate with significantly warmer night-time temperatures during the winter months. The

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

maintains weather stations located in this thermal belt as part of their ecological project in the Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center.

Demographics

2020

According to the 2020 United States Census, Palm Desert had a population of 51,163, reflecting a 5.6% increase from the 2010 count of 48,445. The population density was approximately 1,908.2 inhabitants per square mile (736.7/km²). The racial composition of Palm Desert was 68.3% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.1% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 17.1% from two or more races, and 26.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 24,145 households in Palm Desert, with an average household size of 2.11 persons. Approximately 64.4% of these were owner-occupied. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $491,600. Median gross rent was $1,717. The age distribution was as follows: 2.8% under 5 years, 13.3% under 18 years, and 37.3% aged 65 years and over. The median age was 56.1 years. Economically, the median household income was $79,508, with a per capita income of $57,793. Approximately 11.3% of the population lived below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Palm Desert had a population of 48,445. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The racial makeup of Palm Desert was 39,957 (82.5%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

(70.4% Non-Hispanic White), 875 (1.8%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 249 (0.5%) Native American, 1,647 (3.4%) Asian, 55 (0.1%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4,427 (9.1%) from other races, and 1,235 (2.5%) from two or more races. There were 11,038 residents of

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino origin (22.8%). The Census reported that 48,137 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 98 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 210 (0.4%) were institutionalized. There were 23,117 households, out of which 4,253 (18.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,253 (44.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,177 (9.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 811 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,227 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 373 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 7,948 households (34.4%) were made up of individuals, and 4,370 (18.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08. There were 13,241

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(57.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.65. The population was spread out, with 7,534 people (15.6%) under the age of 18, 3,333 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 8,731 people (18.0%) aged 25 to 44, 12,924 people (26.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 15,923 people (32.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males. There were 37,073 housing units at an average density of , of which 15,171 (65.6%) were owner-occupied, and 7,946 (34.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.8%. 30,667 people (63.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,470 people (36.1%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States census, Palm Desert had a median household income of $53,456, with 9.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

According to the 2000 United States census of 2000, there were 41,155 people, 19,184 households, and 11,414 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 28,021 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.8%

, 1.2%

, 0.5% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1%

, 6.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population. There are 19,184 households in Palm Desert, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% 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 2.7. The demographics of Palm Desert shows a rising population of children and young adults. The age distribution of the population was 17.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. The median

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...

for a household in the city was $48,000 and the median income for a family was $58,183. Males had a median income of $42,257 versus $32,202 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $33,463. About 5.9% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Recreation

Palm Desert is the home of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a combination

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

featuring over 500 animals from 150 species over . The location also hosts an extensive collection of desert plants with a state-of-the-art animal hospital. Founded in 1970, The Living Desert hosts over 500,000 visitors a year.

Resorts, tennis, and golf clubs

There are around thirty

golf courses A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

throughout the city which has a long history with the sport. Palm Desert is home to hundreds of tennis courts, both public and private.

Pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...

has also gained popularity throughout the region in the 2010s and 2020s. The city's first golf course and tennis club was Shadow Mountain in 1948, followed by Marrakesh in 1954, the Palm Desert Greens mobile home park golf course in 1961, and the Palm Desert Country Club in 1962. The latter, located east of the original city, was formally annexed in 1992. The total number of golf clubs (more than 30 located within from the city) have made Palm Desert known as the "World's Golf Capital." Desert Willow Golf Resort is the City Of Palm Desert's municipal golf course, and has two championship courses: Mountain View and Firecliff. It is associated with the Westin Desert Willow Resort at the golf course location. The Firecliff course is listed at No. 13 in Golf Magazine's 'Best Courses you can Play' 2010 list for California. In the late-1970s and 1980s, a spate of private golf clubs, destination resorts and hotels appeared in the northern half of Palm Desert, such as the four-star JW Marriott Desert Springs Golf Resort and Spa in 1987 and the four-star Desert Willow Golf Resort in 2002. The city has over 30 hotels and 5,000 rooms, and lodging and hospitality is a major portion of the local tourist-based economy. Sun City Palm Desert is an adjacent master-planned retirement community located on the north side of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

, on unincorporated land just northeast of the city limits of Palm Desert itself, and about from downtown Palm Desert. All residences in the community use Palm Desert, CA 92211 as part of their address. The community association address is 38180 Del Webb Blvd., Palm Desert, CA 92211. Sun City Palm Desert comprises the majority of the Desert Palms census-designated place. Sun City Palm Desert was developed by Del E. Webb Corp. (acquired by Pulte Homes in 2001). Construction began in 1992 and was completed in 2003. The original name was Sun City Palm Springs from 1991 to 1996. Sun City Palm Desert is an active 55+ gated retirement community.

Government

Palm Desert was incorporated as a city in 1973 and designated a

charter city Home rule in the United States relates to the authority of a constituent part of a U.S. state to exercise powers of governance (i.e., whether such powers must be specifically delegated to it by the state—typically by legislative action—or a ...

in 1997. It operates on a council-manager form of government. Residents of Palm Desert elect five

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

council members who serve four-year staggered terms, with elections occurring every two years. Currently the Palm Desert city council is elected through City Council Districts The position of mayor is non-elected and rotates annually among the members of the city council. The council serves to pass ordinances, approve budgets, and hire the city manager and city attorney. The city manager oversees administrative operations and the appointment of department heads. In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Palm Desert is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Palm Desert is in .

Public safety

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement services to the city through the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station located on Gerald Ford Drive. The Palm Desert Station also administers contract police services to the municipalities of

Rancho Mirage Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is a low-density desert community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled along the foothills ...

, Indian Wells, as well as the surrounding unincorporated areas. The city of Palm Desert contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with

CAL FIRE The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, colloquially known as CAL FIRE, is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various are ...

. Palm Desert currently has three fire stations, which are Station 33 (Town Center), Station 67 (Mesa View), and Station 71 (North Palm Desert). Each fire station provides an engine company and a paramedic ambulance. Fire station 33 also has a truck company.

Education

Palm Desert is the site for the main campus of College of the Desert, a community college, which originally opened in 1962. The

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

also has an extension learning center in the city.

California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is part of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in th ...

first opened its Palm Desert campus in 1986, followed by its own stand-alone campus located on Cook Street in 2002. The Palm Desert Campus offers over 40 undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, and credential programs on site and online as the only full-service public school of higher education in the Coachella Valley. The primary high school is Palm Desert High School (with 2,200 students) which is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District. The main middle school (with 1,100 students) is Palm Desert Middle School, a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

. The four elementary schools in the city are George Washington Charter, Abraham Lincoln, James Carter and Ronald Reagan. The northernmost part of Palm Desert is served by the Palm Springs Unified School District, so the students can attend Rancho Mirage High School in Rancho Mirage, or Nellie Coffman Middle School and Cathedral City High School in Cathedral City, California. Some students in the eastside are zoned to La Quinta High School and Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School. The Riverside County Department of Education operates San Cayetano Community School, a grade 1 to 12 educational facility. There are eight private schools in the immediate area: Desert Adventist Academy, Palm Desert Presbyterian School, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, The Palm Valley School, the Learning Tree Academy,

Xavier College Preparatory High School Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, bor ...

(Catholic-Jesuit), the Hope Academy, and the Desert Torah Academy, a Jewish community school and its social recreational Jewish Community Center. It also has meetings by the Jewish Federation of the Desert based in

, serving an estimated 35,000 Jewish people in the Coachella Valley.

Infrastructure

Utilities

Electricity in Palm Desert is served by

Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (SCE), the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electric utility company for much of Southern California. It provides 15 million people with electricity across a service territory of approximate ...

. Water is provided by the Coachella Valley Water District.

Transportation

Modern transportation services include: * Palm Springs International Airport is the closest commercial airport and 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 Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

in the Coachella Valley. Highways include: : –

runs to the north of the city with access through the Monterey Avenue, Cook Street, and Washington Street exits. : – The Pines to Palms Scenic Byway (California State Route 74) runs from the coast, over the San Jacinto Mountains and has its eastern terminus at Highway 111 in Palm Desert before continuing northbound as Monterey Avenue. : – California State Route 111, which passes through the city.

Parks

Palm Desert has 14 city parks: * Cahuilla Hills Park * Cap Homme/ Ralph Adams Park * Civic Center Park * Community Gardens * Freedom Park * Hovley Soccer Park * Ironwood Park * Joe Mann Park * Magnesia Falls City Park * Palm Desert Dog Park * Palma Village Park * University Dog Park * University Park East * Washington Charter School Park To the south of Palm Desert is the

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a U.S. National Monument, national monument in Southern California. It includes portions of the Santa Rosa Mountains (California), Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, San Jacinto mo ...

, and to the north of Palm Desert is the Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Cemeteries

The

Desert Memorial Park Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs, California, Palm Springs. Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,The Palm Springs Cemetery District itself was covers 504 square ...

in Cathedral City is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District. Also in Cathedral City is the Forest Lawn Cemetery, maintained by Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries.

Culture

* Desert ARC Italian Festival * Greek Festival * Armenian Festival * CanadaFest * Scottish Festival

Attractions

* Palm Desert ** College of the Desert ** Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center, a unit of the University of California Natural Reserve System ** Living Desert Zoo and Gardens ** McCallum Theatre ** Circle of Land and Sky temporary art installation by Phillip K. Smith III, part of the inaugural Desert X * Surrounding communities ** Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert in

. ** Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells.

Notable people

Many celebrities keep homes in Palm Desert, including

Rita Rudner Rita Rudner (born September 17, 1953) is an American comedian. Beginning her career as a Broadway dancer, Rudner noticed the lack of female comedians in New York City and turned to stand-up comedy, where she has performed for over three decades. ...

and more recently, the current home of professional golfer

Michelle Wie Michelle Sung Wie West (; born October 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie also became the youngest winner of the ...

and one of the homes of

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

. Legendary actress Anne Francis resided in a condominium until July 2000. Film producer

Jerry Weintraub Jerome Charles Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. He began his career as a talent agent, having managed known singer John Denver in ...

called it his second home before he died. Artist Phillip K. Smith III calls Palm Desert home and his studio is in Palm Desert. The city is home to the

Palm Desert Scene The Palm Desert Scene is a group of related bands and musicians from Palm Desert, California. Their hard rock sound – sometimes described as desert rock – contains elements of heavy metal, psychedelia, blues, punk, alternative, grunge, an ...

, a musical genre that has been heavily influential internationally since the early 1990s. Many of the Palm Desert bands are credited for starting the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

subgenre known as

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sl ...

. Bands including

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...

, Kyuss,

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...

and Eagles of Death Metal have become well known rock bands.

Sister cities

Palm Desert had been in the sister cities program, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...

. Six to nine cities that are or were associated with Palm Desert: *

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Osoyoos Osoyoos (, ) is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is north of the United States border in the Washington State and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. It is home to t ...

La Paz, Baja California Sur La Paz (, ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Baja California Sur, with a 2020 census population of 250,141 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the state. La Paz City is located in La ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Gisborne, New Zealand Gisborne is a List of cities in New Zealand, city in northeastern New Zealand and the largest settlement in the Gisborne District (or Gisborne Region). It has a population of Gisborne District Council has its headquarters in the central city. ...

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Zihuatanejo Zihuatanejo (), and/or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th-century English mariners as Chequetan and/or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipalities of Mexico, m ...

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, Mexico Palm Desert has a community exchange program with * Ketchikan,

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Also a community exchange relationship with the major city of Concepcion, Chile.

References

External links

*
Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce
*
Sun City Palm Desert

{{Authority control 1973 establishments in California Cities in Riverside County, California Coachella Valley Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1943 Populated places established in 1973 Populated places in the Colorado Desert