Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In today's Palm Springs, retirees and snowbirds mix comfortably with hipsters, hikers and
a significant gay and lesbian contingent, on weekend getaways from LA or from clear
across the globe.
Palm Springs is the principal city of the Coachella Valley, a string of desert towns ran-
ging from ho-hum Cathedral City to glamtastic Palm Desert and America's date capital of
Indio, all linked by Hwy 111. North of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs is garnering its
share of visitors thanks to a slew of chic boutique hotels built on top of those soothing
springs.
History
Cahuilla (ka- wee -ya) tribespeople have lived in the canyons on the southwest edge of the
Coachella Valley for over 1000 years. Early Spanish explorers called the hot springs be-
neath Palm Springs agua caliente (hot water), which later became the name of the local
Cahuilla band.
In 1876 the federal government carved the valley into a checkerboard of various in-
terests. The Southern Pacific Railroad received odd-numbered sections, while the Agua
Caliente were given even-numbered sections as their reservation. Casinos have made the
tribes actually quite wealthy today.
In the town of Indio, about 20 miles southeast of Palm Springs, date palms were impor-
ted from French-held Algeria in 1890 and have become the valley's major crop, along with
citrus and table grapes.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search