Riverside County
Location and origin
Palm Springs is less than 113mi/180km from Los Angeles, via the U.S. 10 and CA 111 roads. Together with its sister towns of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Idyllwild and Indian Wells it has grown together into what is really one
single holiday haunt and winter resort for the richest Americans. Although it lies in the Colorado Desert there are, as the name suggests, springs and numerous palm trees. Palm Springs was discovered as long ago as 1774 by Spaniards, who named it Agua Caliente (hot water), after the hot springs frequently found in this tectonic region. Cahuilla Indians lived there, and today they own a reservation covering almost 31,000 acres/12,500 hectares, nearly one-fifth of which lies within the town of Palm Springs, so that the 150 members of the Agua Caliente Group of the Cahuilla are the biggest land-owners in Palm Springs.
Town of VIPs.
One hundred years later, Palm Springs was still just a sleepy railway town with a few shops and several hut-like houses. Not until the thirties of this century was it "discovered" for a second time, this time by important figures from Hollywood, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and, somewhat later, Elvis Presley and Liberace. They were followed by politicians: Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Reagan.
Palm Springs also became a popular place of retirement for prosperous people from America's northeast states seeking to escape the cold winters; it draws others like them from the cities and towns of California itself for holidays and at weekends.
Palms
In order to beautify the barren wasteland, some 50,000 palm trees were planted and irrigation channels laid, thus making it possible to establish gardens and build swimming pools, which none of the houses lack.
Hotels
Since the Second World War giant palace-like hotels have been built, the biggest of which, Marriott's Desert Springs Resort and Spa, has almost 900 rooms, 16 tennis courts, a golf course and a big open-air swimming pool on a 350 acre/140 hectare site (opened in 1987). In the season from the middle of December to the end of May the prices reach dizzy heights, such as 1,400 dollars for a suite for one night.
Tariffs at the once expensive hotels, built originally for congresses, conferences and company holidays, have fallen sharply as Palm Springs attempts to attract an increasing number of tourists to fill rooms which in recent years have tended to remain vacant.
Out of season, when it gets very hot in Palm Springs and the surrounding country (up to 45°C in the summer months) but remains quite dry, most of the prices are halved when the temperatures double.
However, the months of June, September and October are quite bearable in Palm Springs (particularly in view of the lower prices!), while in November it often rains.
The town for golf
Golf and tennis are the order of the day; there are no fewer than 70 golf courses in the vicinity, and in many of the hotels you can relax after physical exertions in fresh, bubbling spring water.
Shopping streets
It goes without saying that there are very many high-class shops in every part of Palm Springs, such as in the new Desert Fashion Plaza, Palm Springs Mall, Palm Desert Town Center and on El Paseo Drive.
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