Palm Desert is situated in the middle of the Coachella Valley, between Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells along both the Highway 111 and Interstate 10 corridors. It provides flourishing art scene arts scene, great outdoor recreation facilities, and the best shopping available in the Coachella Valley. All of these have made it a center for business and residential growth for the Coachella Valley.
It was first known as Old MacDonald Ranch before it was renamed Palm Desert. It began as a well-planned community in the middle of the desert landscape stretching from Palm Springs to Indio. An Army maintenance camp was actually the first residential development in the area. This has now emerged into the now famous El Paseo Shopping District housing signature Coachella Valley events such as the El Paseo Fashion Week and the Desert Cancer Foundationās annual Paint El Paseo Pink.
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At Palm Desert, there are cultural and recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors. These include the Art in Public Places Program to the collection of 30+ art galleries presenting an outstanding opportunity to enjoy the visual arts. There also free guided tours of the public art display precisely from September to May.
Palm Desert also houses the Palm Springs Art Museum making the local visual arts scene quite interesting. The museum is situated at the western end of the El Paseo Shopping District off Highway 111, spanning across an 8,400-square foot space. Exhibitions are in fact ongoing presenting outstanding sculpture, painting, art glass, architecture, and design. It also has an additional 250,000 square foot of outdoor space with curvy pathways among native plantings, water features, and major sculptures in both abstract and representational forms.
In addition, the desert is quite attractive to fans of performing arts due to the presence of the McCallum Theater featuring different touring Broadway shows, sold-out concerts and dance and music festival throughout the year.
Palm Desert also meets the needs of those interested in outdoor as it has 14 public parks including a magnificent Aquatic Center managed by the Family YMCA of the Desert. It also has various venues for hiking and bicycling. These venues can be adapted to meet both beginners as well as experienced athlete.
Furthermore, it has a visitor center in the heart of the El Paseo Shopping District. This in fact makes it easy to find maps of the local trails and information regarding other attractions in the Palm Desert.
One of the most unique sites attracting a lot of attention is the Living Desert Zoo & Botanical Garden. The desert also has a 1,200 acre preserve which is home to 400 extraordinary desert animals. There are in fact Native American crafts and exhibits, hiking trails, and so much more.
Palm Desert is also a location for special events all through the year. The desert is never as there is always one activity or the other ranging from the annual Golf Cart Parade to the City`s Summer Concert Series and so much more.
Most colleges and universities in the Coachella Valley are located in Palm Desert. Some of such include: College of the Desert, the local community college, and extension campuses for California State University, San Bernardino and the University of California, Riverside.
