Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, approximately 111 miles (177 km) east of Los Angeles and 136 miles (225 km) northeast of San Diego.
As of the 2000 census, the city population was 42,807. Golf, swimming, tennis, horseback riding and hiking in the nearby desert and mountain areas are other major forms of recreation in Palm Springs.
It is one of nine adjacent cities that make up the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). The area code for Palm Springs is 760. The ZIP codes for Palm Springs are 92262 through 92264.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Palm Springs has a total area of 95.1 square miles (246.3 km²), of which, 94.2 square miles (244.1 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (0.88%) is water.
Palm Springs is sheltered by the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the north, the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south, and the San Jacinto Mountains to the west. This geography gives Palm Springs its hot, dry climate, with 354 days of sunshine and less than 6 inches (150 mm) of rain annually. Winter temperatures average in the 70s with nights in the low-to-mid 40s, but the dry desert heat of summer pushes daytime temperatures well above 100, with overnight temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s.
Average seasonal temperatures:
- January: Daytime highs of 70 °F (21 °C), with overnight lows of 40 °F (4 °C)
- April: Daytime highs of 87 °F (31 °C), with overnight lows of 52 °F (11 °C)
- July: Daytime highs of 108 °F (42 °C), with overnight lows of 73 °F (23 °C)
- October: Daytime highs of 91 °F (33 °C), with overnight lows of 57 °F (14 °C)
The highest temperature on record in Palm Springs is 123 °F (51 °C), recorded on July 10, 1979, and August 1, 1993. The lowest temperature on record is 19 °F (−7 °C), recorded on January 18, 1971. There are an average of 179.4 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 5.9 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower.
Average annual precipitation is 5.47 inches (136.75 mm). There is an average of only 17 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year on record was 1983 with 13.72 inches (343 mm) and the dryest year on record was 1996 with a mere .76 inch (19 mm).
The wettest month was January 1943 with 8.43 inches (210.75 mm), including a record 4.57 inches (118.75 mm) in 24 hours. Although snow is common in the winter on the mountains above Palm Springs, it has rarely fallen in the city, because of the low elevation [474ft]. But in January 1930 2.0 inches (50 mm) fell.
Palm Springs is noted for its mid-century modern architecture, a tradition that grew out of the aesthetics of the world-renowned German Bauhaus and is reflected in the work of Albert Frey (who designed the Palm Springs city hall, tram station, Movie Colony Hotel and airport), Donald Wexler, Richard Neutra, E. Stewart Williams, and other world-famous architects.
A home developer, Alexander Homes, popularized this post-and-beam architectural style in the Coachella Valley. Alexander houses and similar homes feature low-pitched roofs, wide eaves, open-beamed ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Restoration projects are now being undertaken all over the city to return these homes and businesses to their original condition. Students of mid-century architecture and design come to the city to study its heritage in this unusual style of the decorative arts.
Though celebrities still retreat to Palm Springs, many today establish residences in other areas of the Coachella Valley.
The city's economy now relies on tourism, which occurs primarily during the winter months, and casino gambling. It is a city of numerous festivals, conventions, and international events. The world's largest rotating tramcars can be found at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
These cars ascend two-and-a-half miles up a steep incline to reveal views of the entire Coachella Valley. The ascent from the desert floor to an altitude in excess of 8,500 feet (2,600 m) is accompanied by a drop in temperature of 30 degrees or more, giving riders a cool respite from the heat on a hot summer day.
A wilderness area can be explored at the top of the tram and there is a restaurant with spectacular views. The Palm Springs International Film Festival presents movie star-filled, red-carpet affairs. The Palm Springs Follies stage-show features performers that are over the age of 55.
Every Thursday evening downtown Palm Springs is transformed into Village Fest, featuring a diverse display of arts and crafts, a certified farmer's market, food, and live entertainment on historic Palm Canyon Drive.
The Palm Springs Convention Center underwent a multi-million-dollar expansion and remodeling in 2005 The Palm Springs Art Museum presents traveling art exhibitions plus a variety of entertainment in its Annenberg Theater.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is located downtown with the Spa Resort Hotel and Casino. There are other casinos in the Coachella Valley as well, notably in the cities of Rancho Mirage, Indio, Coachella and Cabazon.
Numerous five star hotels, restaurants and attractions cater to tourists, while shoppers can find high-end boutiques in downtown and uptown Palm Springs. There is a water park and several skateboard parks. Last, but not least, there are hundreds of diverse restaurants throughout the city.
HOTELS:Palm Springs Hotels classified by price and by geographical location
