Coachella and the East Valley
Coachella and the East Valley
The "City of Eternal Sunshine — Gateway to the Salton Sea" is largely a young, rural and family oriented area of the desert. Much of its population is comprised of younger Hispanic families that enjoy a sense of community and a lifestyle enriched with the elements of a proud heritage.
In 1901, citizens voted to name their two-and-a-half-square-mile community “Coachella.” In 1946, it officially became the “City of Coachella,” and began its evolution towards the economic heights experienced today.
The communities of Coachella — including Thermal and Mecca — are surrounded by more than 70,000 acres of land irrigated by the Colorado River via a complex canal system. California’s largest crops of lemons and oranges come from this area.
Since Congress passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Highway 86, the road that runs through downtown Coachella, has been nicknamed NAFTA Highway. Hundreds of tractor-trailer trucks pass through on their way to the Mexican border and southern markets. Coachella city officials hope their municipality’s location will make it appealing to businesses seeking to relocate nearer to a main NAFTA thoroughfare.
Plans are underway for the restoration of the Salton Sea area, located about 30 miles from Coachella. The development of commercial-use property, additional housing communities, and a possible tourist destination including a hotel and casino are currently in the offing. The future of Coachella could be linked one day to tourism as well as agriculture.
People come from all over the valley to enjoy two major fiestas celebrated each year in town: Cinco de Mayo (May 5), and 16 September Fiestas Patrias (Mexico’s Independence from Spain).
Mayor: Jesse Villarreal
City Hall: 1515 Sixth St.
Coachella, CA 92236
398-3502 www.coachella.ort
Chamber of Commerce: 1258 Sixth St.
398-8089 www.coachella.org
Population: 30,764
Median Age: 25.1
Median Household Income: $31,146
Median Home Price: $146,915
Family Households: 92%
UTILITIES:
Phone Company: Verizon 1-800-483-4000
Electricity: Imperial Irrigation District
1-800-303-7756 www.iid.com
Gas: Service Requests
1-800-427-2200 www.socalgas.com
Water: Coachella Valley Water District
398-2651 www.cvwd.org
Sanitation: Waste Management of the Desert
340-2113 www.wmdesert.com
Cable System: Time Warner Cable
1-800-964-2783
www.timewarnercable.com/desertcities.com
SERVICES:
Post Office:
1412 Sixth St.
1-800-275-8777
Fire:
398-8895
Police:
836-3215
Library:
1538 Seventh St.
398-5148
HOSPITALS:
Eisenhower Medical Center
39-000 Bob Hope Drive
Rancho Mirage
340-3911 www.emc.org
John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital
47-111 Monroe St.
Indio
347-6191 www.jfkmemorialhosp.com
SCHOOLS
Desert Sands Unified School
District: 777-4200
www.dsusd.us