Relocating to Palm Springs

Climate

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.

Palm Springs is a full-service City with its own Police and Fire Departments. We have a wonderful library, excellent cultural amenities and great parks (even a dog park for our four-legged friends). Everything is nearby in Palm Springs, whether you want to go hiking, shopping, see a movie or enjoy a great meal. And because tourism is so important to our economy, we really know how to entertain. We hope you check out our calendar and enjoy some of our many special events during the year, like the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Festival of Lights Parade and, of course, VillageFest every Thursday night.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census^[3], there were 42,807 people, 20,516 households, and 9,457 families residing in the city. The population density was 454.2 people per square mile (175.4/km²). There were 30,823 housing units at an average density of 327.0/sq mi (126.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.33% White, 3.93% African American, 0.94% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 9.78% from other races, and 3.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.72% of the population.

16.3% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.9% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,973 and the median income for a family was $45,318. Males had a median income of $33,999 versus $27,461 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,957. The relatively low income reflects the presence of a large retired population and a large population of owners of second homes whose income is not reported. About 11.2% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Palm Springs is the business and employment center of the Western Coachella Valley with the highest number of jobs of any city in the Valley except Palm Desert.  Palm Springs has over 1,700 firms with employees and over 7,000 business licenses.  Palm Springs is growing in a number of business sectors, including hospitality, healthcare, and service/retail.

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.

Income-Housing-Taxes

Education

Public education in Palm Springs is under the jurisdiction of the Palm Springs Unified School District, an independent district with five board members. The District has fourteen elementary schools, four middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, one independent study program, eight headstart/state preschools, three full-day headstart programs, four childcare programs, and an extensive adult education program. The PSUSD serves the Desert Communities of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Thousand Palms.

Private schools in Palm Springs and nearby communities include Desert Adventist Academy (K-8), Desert Chapel (K-12), St. Teresa's (K-8), King's School (K-8), Desert Christian (K-12), and Marywood-Palm Valley School (K-12), an independent, non-denominational, college-prep school. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino has recently built a Catholic high school called Xavier College Preparatory High School.

The Desert Community College District, headquartered in Palm Desert with its main campus, College of the Desert located there. California State University, San Bernardino and University of California, Riverside used to have satellite campuses available within the College of the Desert campus, but now have their own buildings a few miles away.

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