Palm Desert, California

Palm Desert is a city located in Riverside County, California, in the Palm Springs area, approximately 11 miles east of Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,155.

Related Topics:
Riverside County, California - Palm Springs area - Palm Springs - Coachella Valley - 2000

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A major center of growth in the area, it is a popular retreat for "snowbirds" from colder climates, who swell its population by an estimated 31,000 each winter.

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The area was first known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, then Palm Village in the 1920s when date palms were planted. The first residential development occurred in 1943 in connection with an Army maintenance camp in the area. That site was later developed into "El Paseo," an upscale shopping district not unlike Rodeo Drive. In 1948, the Palm Desert Corporation began to develop real estate, and in 1951 the area was given its present name. Many celebrities keep homes in Palm Desert, including Rita Rudner. The community was incorporated November 26, 1973.

Related Topics:
1920s - Date palms - 1943 - Army - Rodeo Drive - 1948 - 1951 - Rita Rudner - November 26 - 1973

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Palm Desert is the home of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a combination zoo and botanical garden featuring an extensive collection of desert plants and animals. It is also the site of the campus of College of the Desert, the local community college, as well as an extension campus of California State University, San Bernardino.

Related Topics:
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens - Zoo - Botanical garden - College of the Desert - California State University, San Bernardino

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As the home of the pioneering band Kyuss and its successor group Queens of the Stone Age, Palm Desert is considered one of the cradles of the stoner rock movement.

Related Topics:
Kyuss - Queens of the Stone Age - Stoner rock

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