About Desert Hot Springs
The City of Desert Hot Springs is famous for its spas, fed by natural hot springs. Located north of Palm Springs and Interstate 10 in the shadows of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, Desert Hot Springs is fast becoming an opportunity for businesses to flourish while affordable housing is available for young families and working professionals. Expanses of affordable land are attracting major home developers to build equally affordable homes for the Coachella Valley's growing work force.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.3 square miles, of which, 23.2 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it (0.13%) is water.
History
The first homesteader in the area was Cabot Yerxa in 1913. He discovered the hot water on Miracle Hill. Due to the San Andreas Fault bisecting the hill, on one side it is cold water, the other side is hot. His large adobe, hand built by Cabot over 20 years, is now one of the oldest adobe structures in Riverside County, and houses Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo Museum, designated a state historical site after his death in 1965. Cabot's Trading Post & Gallery opened in February 2008 and is open 7 days a week from 8 till 3.
The town was founded by L. W. Coffee on July 12, 1941. The original town site was centered on the intersection of Palm Drive and Pierson Blvd and was only a square mile in area. Coffee chose the name Desert Hot Springs because of the area's natural hot springs caused by seismic activity.
Desert Hot Springs became a tourist destination in the 1950s because of its small spa hotels or boutique hotels. The city's seclusion appealed to urban "escapees."
Realtors arrived to speculate real estate appraisal of thousands of vacant lots on streets are laid out over a six square mile area. Over time, some homes are bought by sun-seeking retirees and the area incorporated into a city in 1963, with only 1,000 residents.
Desert Hot Springs experienced periods of dizzying growth in the 1980s and 1990s when most of the vacant lots were filled with new houses and duplex apartments. The city's population doubled in the 1980s and increased by 5,000 in the 2000 census. The Desert Hot Springs High School opened in 1999, two new public parks and several country club were proposed.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,582 people, 5,859 households, and 3,755 families residing in the city. The population density was 713.2 people per square mile (275.4/km²). There were 7,034 housing units at an average density of 302.5/sq mi (116.8/km²).
There were 5,859 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.45.
In Desert Hot Springs the age of the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. Desert Hot Springs has a reputation as an active adult community, where many retirees choose to live.
Several racial or ethnic groups live in Desert Hot Springs, the largest group are of Mexican and Central American ancestry. Ethnic areas such as the Korean American section of 8th Street and Cholla Drive, thousands of American Jews made the city their home. The city has a high proportion of Native Americans, most of whom are members of the Cahuilla tribe in proximity to the Agua Caliente Mission Band of Cahuilla Indians tribal board in Palm Springs.
Politics
In the state legislature Desert Hot Springs is located in the 37th Senate District, represented by Republican Jim Battin, and in the 80th Assembly District, represented by Republican Bonnie Garcia. Federally, Desert Hot Springs is located in California's 41st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +9[2] and is represented by Republican Jerry Lewis.
Desert Hot Springs is the only city in the entire Coachella Valley in the 5th Riverside County Supervisor District served by Marian Ashley. It is the only city in the entire Valley not served by Congresswoman Mary Bono.
City politics include many recalls of City Council and Mayors over the years.
Today, the City Manager is Rick Daniels, former head of the Salton Sea Authority and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. The redevelopment agency is headed by Rudy Acosta.
DHS is served by Mayor Yvonne Parks, former Planning Commissioner and leader of the Republican Woman's Federated. Scott Matus, Mayor Pro Tem, owns the UPS store in town. Councilman Karl Baker is an educator and businessman. Councilman Al Schmidt is a real estate developer. Councilman Russ Betts is a local businessman with management experience in international manufacturing.
Boutique Hotels and Spas
Desert Hot Springs is home to a number of hot mineral water spas. During the 1950s and 1960s the town had over 80 various spa hotels, often called "spa-tels." From the late 1990s to the present a number of these boutique hotels have been completely renovated and revived. With their mid-century modern architecture they appeal to travelers who want a unique hotel / spa experience.
One of the oldest spas in Desert Hot Springs is Two Bunch Palms. In the '90s it was a location in the movie The Player.
Other spas in Desert Hot Springs include The Miracle Springs Resort and Spa and The Spring Resort and Spa.
In 2008, two Desert Hot Springs spas were listed on Tripadvisor's list of top ten "Best Hidden Gem" spas: El Morocco Inn and Spa and the Living Waters Spa.
Modernist Architecture
Desert Hot Springs is the home of a building by the celebrated architect John Lautner, known as the Desert Hot Springs Hotel. The hotel was purchased and restored in 2000 by Steven Lowe. Lowe died in January 2007 and the hotel is currently for sale.
In 2006, the architecture firm of Marmol Radziner Associates designed a sustainable, modernist prefab home featured in the November 2006 issue of Dwell (magazine). The home served as a protype for the firm's efforts to develop a series of prefab homes for the general market.
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