Coachella, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City Of Coachella | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Riverside |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Eduardo Garcia |
| Area | |
| - Total | 20.8 sq mi (83 km²) |
| - Land | 20.8 sq mi (53.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | -66 ft (20.74 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 22,724 |
| - Density | 1,091.4/sq mi (421.4/km²) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 92236 |
| Area code(s) | 760 |
| FIPS code | 06-14260 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1652686 |
| Website: http://www.coachella.org/ | |
Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley (or the Palm Springs area). It is located 28 miles east of Palm Springs, 72 miles east of Riverside, and 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
Known as the "City of Eternal Sunshine - Gateway to the Salton Sea", Coachella is largely a rural, agricultural, family-oriented community in the desert and one of the state's fastest growing cities in the late 20th century. When it first incorporated back in 1946, it had 1,000 residents but has grown 50 times to nearly 50,000 residents by the year 2006.
Coachella's official population was 22,724 at the 2000 census. However, as of 2006, local officials say the population may have nearly doubled (to 40,000, others suggest 50,000) — one of the highest population growth rates in the state. With a population density of 15,500 per square mile, this predominantly agricultural city has one of the highest in California outside of an urban area.[citation needed]
The eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level, and the area's average elevation is 68 feet (35 meters) below sea level. The Salton Sea, a saltwater lake located about 10 miles (6 km) South of Coachella, lies 227 feet below sea level.
The city also lends its name to the Coachella grapefruit; the town's stretch of State Route 111 is named Grapefruit Boulevard in its honor. Harrison Street or State Route 86 is declared historic U.S. Route 99, the major throughfare that connects with Interstate 10 a few miles north of town.
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[edit] Geography
Coachella is located at (33.679522, -116.174488)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.8 square miles (53.9 km²), all of it land.
The elevation is 68 feet/35 meters below sea level, as the Eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level. The saltwater lake, Salton Sea is 10 miles/6 km. South of Coachella, lies 228 feet below sea level.
[edit] History
The city was originally founded as Woodspur in 1876, when the Southern Pacific Railroad built a rail siding on the site. In the 1880s the indigenous Cahuilla tribe sold their land plots to the railroads for new lands east of the current town site, and in the 1890s, a few hundred traqueros took up settlement along the tracks.
The origin of the name Coachella is unclear, but in 1901 the citizens of Woodspur voted on a new name for their community; at their town hall meeting, the homeowners settled on "Coachella". Some locals believe it was a misspelling of Conchilla, a Spanish word for the small white snail shells found in the valley's sandy soil, vestiges of a lake which dried up over 3,000 years ago.
Coachella began as a 2.5 square mile territory gridded out on the mesquite-covered desert floor. Not until the 1950s did Coachella begin to expand into its present range, about 32 square miles, an area which contained large year-round agricultural corporate farms and fruit groves, particularly of citrus (lemons, oranges, grapefruit) and date palms.
Coachella became a city in 1946. During the incorporation voting process, the first city council was tentatively elected: Lester C. Cox, T. E. Reyes, John W. Westerfield, Lester True, and Paul S. Atkinson. Also elected on November 26, 1946, were City Clerk Marie L. Johnson and City Treasurer John C. Skene. John Westerfield was appointed mayor at the first meeting.
By the 1980 census, Coachella's population had reached at least 10,000 due to relative slow population growth. Due to a high percentage of Hispanics in the city, Coachella was a scene of Chicano political activism including protests and visits by United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez in the 1960s and 1970s.
[edit] Education
Coachella is served by the Coachella Valley Unified School District, based in Thermal, California. Its main high school is Coachella Valley High School (with 2900 students); its two middle schools are Cahuilla Desert Academy and Bobby Duke (slated to re-