Indio
”The City of Festivals” is Coachella Valley’s oldest, largest and fastest growing community. And with the hammers of progress in motion, you could also refer to Indio as “The City of Change.” The face of the area is transforming at a rapid pace with the construction of businesses, numerous housing developments, and major building renovations. Most recently, Indio has acquired about 30 acres of land for the development of parks, recreational centers and a proposed sports complex. Each year a steady influx of people arrives to “catch the vision” and experience the good life in this big city with small-town appeal.
Indio began as a mere stop along the Southern Pacific Railroad route, primarily due to its midway location between Yuma, Arizona and Los Angeles. In 1886, the railroad company’s president brought date shoots to the area for cultivation. Over a century later, Indio, along with its neighboring cities of Coachella, Thermal and Mecca, produce 95 percent of the nation’s date crop.
The city serves as the government hub of the Coachella Valley, housing county courts, building departments, a cooperative extension office, district attorney’s office and sheriff’s department.
In its role as the “City of Festivals,” Indio hosts the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, Southwest Arts Festival, the world-famous International Tamale Festival, the Salsa Festival, a number of Indian powwows, and the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Indio is also home to world-class polo, with both the Empire Polo Club and El Dorado Polo Club as the scene of many equestrian events. Held annually is the West’s largest hunter/jumper horse show, as well as the U. S. Open Polo Championships.
In 1996, the city’s chamber of commerce formed a committee to develop a historic mural project to help revitalize the charm of its Old Town district. Commissioned were a series of spectacular murals that decorate buildings depicting the past, present and future of this culture-rich community.
The bustling city of Indio decidedly affirms the old adage that “change is good.”
Mayor: Lupe Ramos Watson
City Hall: 100 Civic Center Mall
Indio, CA 92202
342-6500
www.indio.org
Chamber of Commerce:
82-921 Indio Blvd.
347-0676 or 1-800-44-INDIO
www.indiochamber.org
Population: 66,118
Median Age: 29.9
Median Household Income: $41,911
Median Home Price: $192,133
Family Households: 76%
UTILITIES:
Phone Company: Verizon 1-800-483-4000 www.verizon.net
Electricity: Imperial Irrigation District
1-800-303-7756 www.iid.com
Gas: Service Requests
1-800-427-2200 www.socalgas.com
Water: Indio Water Authority
342-6550 www.indio.org/water/water/htm
Sanitation: Waste Management of the Desert
340-2113 www.wmdesert.com
Cable System: Time Warner Cable
1-800-964-2783 www.timewarnercable.com/desertcities
SERVICES:
Fire: 347-0756
Police: 863-8990
Post Office: 45-805 Fargo St.
1-800-275-8777
Library: 200 Civic Center Mall
347-2383
HOSPITALS:
John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital
47-111 Monroe St.
Indio
347-6191 www.jfkmemorialhosp.com
Eisenhower Medical Center
39-000 Bob Hope Drive
Rancho Mirage
340-3911 www.emc.org
SCHOOLS:
Desert Sands Unified School District
777-4200 www.dsusd.us
EVENTS & POINTS OF INTEREST
Coachella Music & Arts Festival
(Spring) 323-930-7100 www.coachella.com
Empire Polo Club
81-800 Avenue 51
342-2762
Eldorado Polo Club
50-950 Madison St.
342-2223 www.eldoradopolo.com
Fantasy Springs Casino
84-245 Indio Springs Drive
342-5000 www.fantasyspringsresort.com
International Salsa Festival
(April) 837-7228 www.salsafest.org
International Tamale Festival
100 Civic Center Mall
342-6532 www.tamalefestival.net
Riverside County National Date Festival
Riverside County Fairgrounds
(February) 46-350 Arabia St.
1-800-811-FAIR www.datefest.org