Cathedral City | |
|---|---|
| City of Cathedral City | |
 Cathedral City Hall | |
 Flag | |
| Nickname: Cat City | |
 Location of Cathedral City in Riverside County, California. | |
  Cathedral City Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°46′47″N116°27′55″W / 33.77972°N 116.46528°W /33.77972; -116.46528[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Riverside |
| Native American Reservation (partial) | Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians |
| Incorporated | November 16, 1981[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–Manager[3] |
| • Mayor | Nancy Ross |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Raymond Gregory |
| • City Council | Rita Lamb Ernesto M. Gutierrez Mark Carnevale |
| • City Manager | Charlie McClendon |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.75 sq mi (58.93 km2) |
| • Land | 22.49 sq mi (58.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2) 1.18% |
| Elevation | 330 ft (100 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 51,493 |
| • Density | 2,289.2/sq mi (883.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 92234–92235 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-12048 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1656454,2409412 |
| Website | www |
Cathedral City is a desert resort city inRiverside County, California, United States, within theColorado Desert'sCoachella Valley. Situated betweenPalm Springs andRancho Mirage, the city has the second largest population, afterIndio, of the nine cities in the Coachella Valley.[5] Its population was 51,493 at the2020 census, a slight increase from 51,200 at the2010 census.
Prior to the arrival of European colonists, the land was part of the territory inhabited by theCahuilla Indians. Today every other square mile of the city is part of theAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land. Development of a town began when ahousing subdivision was built in 1925. It became anincorporated municipality in 1981.
The city's name is derived fromCathedral Canyon located to the south of the city in the foothills of theSanta Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The canyon is said to have received its name because certain rock formations in the canyon were reminiscent of acathedral. A flood in August 1946 significantly altered the cathedral-like features of the canyon.[6][7]
In the United Kingdom a population center needs to havecity status, and a cathedral, in order to be called a cathedral city. This promptedRobert Ripley to include the town of Cathedral City in his December 9, 1939,Believe It Or Not column stating, "Believe it or not … there is no church in Cathedral City, Calif. It is named after a canyon".[8]
Cathedral City sits at the northwestern end of the Coachella Valley between theSan Bernardino Mountains to the north, and theSan Jacinto Mountains to the south, with theSan Gorgonio Pass to the West. The earliest established inhabitants of this region were theCahuilla Indians. They arrived in the area around 3,000 BCE.[9]The Cahuilla were organized into bands of about 600 to 800 people, and it was theAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who inhabited the lands that included what would become Cathedral City.[10]
The land was claimed bySpain in 1768 when Spain establishedLas Californias, a province of theViceroyalty ofNew Spain, and then byMexico in 1821 when Mexico and Spain signed theTreaty of Cordoba. At that time the province had already been renamed and expanded into the largerAlta California province. After theMexican–American War, and with the signing of theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, possession of the land was formally transferred to theUnited States, and it officially became part of theState of California when the state was formed in 1850.
In 1852US Army Colonel Henry Washington, a nephew of PresidentGeorge Washington, was contracted by the government to survey Southern California.[11]On November 7 of that year he established theinitial point, in the San Bernardino Mountains, from which all subsequent surveys in Southern California would be based.[12]In 1855 he was contracted to continue his work and survey the Coachella Valley. It was then that he found and named Cathedral Canyon for which Cathedral City would eventually be named.[11]
Besides Colonel Henry Washington, there were occasional explorers, colonizers and soldiers that made their way through the area during the Spanish, Mexican, and early American eras, but none established any permanent structures or residences. The Cahuilla remained the only people known to be living in the area.
Prior to the 1860s the only regularly traveled routes through the Coachella Valley were trading paths used by the Cahuilla and other Native American tribes. One of these paths, on the southwestern side of the valley, followed the base of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains somewhere near theWhitewater River, and would have passed through the area that would become Cathedral City. Early non-native explorers, surveyors, and military, such as Colonel Washington, made use of these routes, but regular transportation services were not established until 1862.
TheColorado River Gold Rush, which started in the spring of 1862, promptedWilliam D. Bradshaw, a frontiersman, to seek a quicker route from Los Angeles to theColorado River. Later that year he hired a guide, and with the help of the Cahuilla andMaricopa Indians, mapped a route fromSan Bernardino, California, through the San Gorgonio Pass and Coachella Valley, past the northern shore of theSalton Sink, through the passes between theChuckwalla andChocolate Mountains, and up to the Colorado River across from La Paz in theNew Mexico Territory, (now the state ofArizona). Much of the route is thought to have followed the original southwestern trading path used by the Cahuilla.
Shortly after Bradshaw defined the trail from San Bernardino to La Paz, various stagecoach and freight companies began using the route. The stage and freight lines brought miners, supplies, and mail between San Bernardino and La Paz, and the route became known as theBradshaw Trail or "Gold Road". The Bradshaw trail, like the original Cahuillian trail, passed through the future Cathedral City, but the nearest scheduled stops were Agua Caliente (now Palms Springs), and Indian Wells (now Indio). The stage and freight lines were eventually supplanted by the railroads, but the trail would later become the basis for Palm Canyon Drive andHighway 111 that run through the city today.
In 1931, Al and Lou Wertheimer of the reputed Detroit "Purple Gang" opened the Dunes Club just outside Palm Springs' city limits. This was followed in 1939 by Earl T. Sausser's 139 Club and the Cove Club in 1941, built by Jake Katelman and Frank Portnoy.[13][14]
Since incorporating as a city in 1981,[15] Cathedral City has experienced substantial growth.
In 2002, a grassroots group suggested that Cathedral City merge with Palm Springs[16] but the concept did not move forward.
The city launched a downtown revitalization program in the late 1990s, which was substantially completed by 2005. A new city hall was built, as well as theIMAX/Mary Pickford movie theater complex, along with a total of 130 acres (0.53 km2) of new or remodeled stores and restaurant space.
In recent years, the city also built an outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the city hall area, and has hosted several annual festivals and events in that space.[17] A new shopping center, Cathedral City Cove, broke ground in 2023.[18]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Cathedral City has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59 km2), of which 21.5 square miles (56 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (1.13%) is water.[4]
| Climate data for Cathedral City, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 98 (37) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 110 (43) | 118 (48) | 121 (49) | 122 (50) | 121 (49) | 121 (49) | 110 (43) | 98 (37) | 93 (34) | 122 (50) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 70.4 (21.3) | 73.7 (23.2) | 79.9 (26.6) | 86.5 (30.3) | 94.8 (34.9) | 102.8 (39.3) | 107.6 (42.0) | 106.7 (41.5) | 101.3 (38.5) | 90.6 (32.6) | 78.2 (25.7) | 68.8 (20.4) | 88.4 (31.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 45.4 (7.4) | 48.0 (8.9) | 53.0 (11.7) | 58.1 (14.5) | 65.3 (18.5) | 71.8 (22.1) | 78.1 (25.6) | 78.2 (25.7) | 72.6 (22.6) | 62.6 (17.0) | 51.8 (11.0) | 44.2 (6.8) | 60.8 (16.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 18 (−8) | 24 (−4) | 29 (−2) | 35 (2) | 38 (3) | 48 (9) | 54 (12) | 52 (11) | 46 (8) | 30 (−1) | 26 (−3) | 23 (−5) | 18 (−8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.15 (29) | 1.02 (26) | 0.58 (15) | 0.08 (2.0) | 0.06 (1.5) | 0.05 (1.3) | 0.17 (4.3) | 0.38 (9.7) | 0.39 (9.9) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.28 (7.1) | 0.57 (14) | 4.85 (123) |
| Source 1:[19] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:[20] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,855 | — | |
| 1970 | 3,640 | 96.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,130 | 13.5% | |
| 1990 | 30,085 | 628.5% | |
| 2000 | 42,647 | 41.8% | |
| 2010 | 51,200 | 20.1% | |
| 2020 | 51,493 | 0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[21] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Cathedral City had a population of 51,493. The population density was 2,289.2 inhabitants per square mile (883.9/km2). The racial makeup of Cathedral City was 36.9%White, 2.4%African American, 1.9%Native American, 6.0%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 35.0% fromother races, and 17.6% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 60.0% of the population.[22]
The census reported that 99.2% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[22]
There were 18,174 households, out of which 31.9% included children under the age of 18, 44.0% were married-couple households, 8.2% werecohabiting couple households, 25.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 26.5% of households were one person, and 15.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.81.[22] There were 11,928families (65.6% of all households).[23]
The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% aged 18 to 24, 23.3% aged 25 to 44, 27.2% aged 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males.[22]
There were 22,663 housing units at an average density of 1,007.5 units per square mile (389.0 units/km2), of which 18,174 (80.2%) were occupied. Of these, 62.8% were owner-occupied, and 37.2% were occupied by renters.[22]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $67,031, and theper capita income was $34,922. About 9.9% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[24]
The2010 United States census[25] reported that Cathedral City had a population of 51,200. The population density was 2,353.3 inhabitants per square mile (908.6/km2). The racial makeup of Cathedral City was 32,537 (63.5%)White (32.3% Non-Hispanic White),[26] 1,344 (2.6%)African American, 540 (1.1%)Native American, 2,562 (5.0%)Asian, 55 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 12,008 (23.5%) fromother races, and 2,154 (4.2%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 30,085 persons (58.8%).
The Census reported that 50,905 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 263 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 32 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 17,047 households, out of which 6,574 (38.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,589 (44.5%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 2,291 (13.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,176 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,054 (6.2%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 779 (4.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,292 households (25.2%) were made up of individuals, and 2,259 (13.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 11,056families (64.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.67.
The population was spread out, with 13,856 people (27.1%) under the age of 18, 4,906 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 12,948 people (25.3%) aged 25 to 44, 12,127 people (23.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,363 people (14.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.2 males.
There were 20,995 housing units at an average density of 965.0 units per square mile (372.6 units/km2), of which 10,769 (63.2%) were owner-occupied, and 6,278 (36.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%. 30,236 people (59.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20,669 people (40.4%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Cathedral City had a median household income of $44,406, with 20.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[26]
Cathedral City has an automotive mega-dealership known as the Palm SpringsAuto Mall based on the city limits with Palm Springs.
Cathedral City hosts an annualMexican Independence Day festival on the third weekend of September. To commemorate the event, an "el Grito de Dolores" is held at the city hall/movie theater complex.
Date Palm Country Club and golf course, designed in 1967 and opened in 1971, has an 18-hole "executive style" facility designed by Ted Robinson, ASCCA. It features 3,100 yards (2,800 m) of golf from the longest tees for a par of 58. The course rating is 54.9/57.2 and it has a slope rating of 90/93. It is landscaped in Bermuda Greens and includes lakes and sand traps. It includes the 175 yard 8th hole, which has an accurate tee shot over a lake. The Phil Harris Golf Classic was held there for many years from the 1940s to until the death ofPhil Harris in 1994. The country club is built on land leased from theAgua Caliente Indian Reservation, and includes a retirement community of manufactured homes that line the greens.
The Big League Dreams Sports Park softball complex is on the corner of Date Palm and Dinah Shore drives, made up of four softball fields designed as replicas of four major league ballparks. ThePepsi All-Star Softball Game has been held there since 1998. The Cathedral City Soccer Park, next to James Workman Middle School, is where theSo Cal Coyotes minor leaguefootball team play their games (and also in theRancho Mirage High School stadium).[27] In 2018–19, the So Cal Coyotes changed leagues and now play inIndio, California in the Shadow Hills High School football stadium.
The nine parks in Cathedral City are:[28]
An additional park is proposed at Corta Road and Landau Boulevard.
Several local golf resorts are in Cathedral City.[29] These includeLawrence Welk's Desert Oasis Hotel/resort located in the Cathedral Canyon Country Club, the Date Palm Country Club, Outdoor Resort – Palm Springs, Cimarron Golf Resort, and the Desert Princess Palm Springs Resort and Golf Club.
Cathedral City is in Supervisorial District 4 ofRiverside County, represented byDemocratV. Manuel Perez.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Cathedral City is inthe 19th senatorial district, represented byRepublican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and inthe 47th Assembly district, represented byRepublican Greg Wallis.[30]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Cathedral City is inCalifornia's 25th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Raul Ruiz.[31]
Thetribal council of theAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians governs over parts of the city where reservation jurisdictions overlap.
Cathedral City High School, opened in 1991, is a major educational and recreational center to the city. The varsity football, basketball and soccer teams had earned CIF-southern California championship runs in the late 1990s and 2000s.Cathedral City is also home to Mayfield College,[32] a private college that offers career training in health care, HVAC, technology, and business.
The city was a winter residence for actorsRobert Duvall andMartin Landau in the 1960s,[citation needed] and TV show hostMonty Hall in the 1990s.[citation needed]Frank Sinatra's grave is located inDesert Memorial Park cemetery, as are those of several other prominent figures, including actorWilliam Powell, singer-songwriterSonny Bono, former mayor of Palm Springs, and actressJane Wyman.
Other notable residents include:
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