Coachella Valley – Origins and History – What to do in Palm Springs

Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles (72 km) in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountainsto the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) wide along most of its length, bounded on the west by the San Jacinto Mountains and the Santa Rosa Mountains and on the north and east by the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The San Andreas Fault crosses the valley from the Chocolate Mountains in the southeast corner and along the centerline of the Little San Bernardinos. The fault is easily visible along its northern length as a strip of greenery against an otherwise bare mountain.

In the early 20th century, less than 1,000 full-time residents from across the U.S. lived in the “village” (Palm Springs), surrounding farms and ranches, and on the Indian reservation. The 1930 U.S. census found less than half the Coachella Valley’s population was “white”, the rest were Mexicans especially in the eastern ends when traqueros arrived to maintain the area’s railroads, and Native Americans of local tribes in what was then impoverished reservations.

Starting in the 1890s, there has been a large Irish and Scottish presence in the region, after Palm Springs was an established agricultural colony called “Palm Valley” cofounded by Welwood Murray, a Scottish immigrant and John Guthrie McCallum, an American from the U.S. East coast. The two men widely advertised the colony to settlers in an interest of a warm climate and the ideal winter residence. It might explain the high percentage of East Coast Americans (New Englanders), Canadians, and British citizens in Palm Springs during the early 1900s.

The area’s population growth included members of several immigrant communities including Italians and Poles after World War II, mostly settling in a section known as “Little Tuscany” in Palm Springs. Soon, Germans, French and Scandinavians made up a segment of residents. Today, affluent tourists from Canada, Europe and Australia frequently visit and some decidedly relocated in the area. Britons are increasingly coming to Palm Springs and desert cities, for vacations or often to retire.
More information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coachella_Valley

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, 2010 from Marc Altshuler – Human Music onVimeo.