Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second largest population, after Indio, of the nine cities in the Coachella Valley. Its population was 51,493 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from 51,200 at the 2010 census.
Prior to the arrival of European colonists, the land was part of the territory inhabited by the Cahuilla Indians. Today every other square mile of the city is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land. Development of a town began when a housing subdivision was built in 1925. It became an incorporated municipality in 1981.
The city's name is derived from Cathedral Canyon located to the south of the city in the foothills of the Santa 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 a cathedral. A flood in August 1946 significantly altered the cathedral-like features of the canyon.
In the United Kingdom a population center needs to have city status, and a cathedral, in order to be called a cathedral city. This prompted Robert 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".
History
Early history: before 1860
Cathedral City sits at the northwestern end of the Coachella Valley between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north, and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south, with the San Gorgonio Pass to the West. The earliest established inhabitants of this region were the Cahuilla Indians. They arrived in the area around 3,000 BCE.The Cahuilla were organized into bands of about 600 to 800 people, and it was the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who inhabited the lands that included what would become Cathedral City.
The land was claimed by Spain in 1768 when Spain established Las Californias, a province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and then by Mexico in 1821 when Mexico and Spain signed the Treaty of Cordoba. At that time the province had already been renamed and expanded into the larger Alta California province. After the Mexican–American War, and with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, possession of the land was formally transferred to the United States, and it officially became part of the State of California when the state was formed in 1850.
In 1852 US Army Colonel Henry Washington, a nephew of President George Washington, was contracted by the government to survey Southern California.
On November 7 of that year he established the initial point, in the San Bernardino Mountains, from which all subsequent surveys in Southern California would be based.
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.
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.
Stage and freight lines 1860 – early 20th century
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 the Whitewater 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.The Colorado River Gold Rush, which started in the spring of 1862, prompted William D. Bradshaw, a frontiersman, to seek a quicker route from Los Angeles to the Colorado River. Later that year he hired a guide, and with the help of the Cahuilla and Maricopa Indians, mapped a route from San Bernardino, California, through the San Gorgonio Pass and Coachella Valley, past the northern shore of the Salton Sink, through the passes between the Chuckwalla and Chocolate Mountains, and up to the Colorado River across from La Paz in the New Mexico Territory,. 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 the Bradshaw 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, and Indian Wells. The stage and freight lines were eventually supplanted by the railroads, but the trail would later become the basis for Palm Canyon Drive and Highway 111 that run through the city today.
Depression era nightclubs
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.Recent history
Since incorporating as a city in 1981, Cathedral City has experienced substantial growth.In 2002, a grassroots group suggested that Cathedral City merge with Palm Springs 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 the IMAX/Mary Pickford movie theater complex, along with a total of 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. A new shopping center, Cathedral City Cove, broke ground in 2023.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Cathedral City has a total area of, of which of it is land and of it is water.Demographics
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 1980 | Pop 1990 | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone | 2,941 | 17,134 | 17,908 | 16,531 | 14,778 | 71.21% | 56.95% | 41.99% | 32.29% | 28.70% |
| Black or African American alone | 25 | 618 | 1,049 | 1,108 | 1,108 | 0.61% | 2.05% | 2.46% | 2.16% | 2.15% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 14 | 155 | 231 | 228 | 268 | 0.34% | 0.52% | 0.54% | 0.45% | 0.52% |
| Asian alone | 24 | 924 | 1,502 | 2,449 | 2,929 | 0.58% | 3.07% | 3.52% | 4.78% | 5.69% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone | 24 | 924 | 20 | 47 | 53 | 0.58% | 3.07% | 0.05% | 0.09% | 0.10% |
| Other race alone | 10 | 57 | 39 | 69 | 250 | 0.24% | 0.19% | 0.09% | 0.13% | 0.49% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | x | x | 586 | 683 | 1,214 | x | x | 1.37% | 1.33% | 2.36% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,116 | 11,197 | 21,312 | 30,085 | 30,893 | 27.02% | 37.22% | 49.97% | 58.76% | 60.00% |
| Total | 4,130 | 30,085 | 42,647 | 51,200 | 51,493 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Cathedral City had a population of 51,493. The population density was. 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% from other races, and 17.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 60.0% of the population.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.
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% were cohabiting 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. There were 11,928 families.
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 65years of age or older. The median age was 41.6years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males.
There were 22,663 housing units at an average density of, of which 18,174 were occupied. Of these, 62.8% were owner-occupied, and 37.2% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $67,031, and the per capita income was $34,922. About 9.9% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
The 2010 United States census reported that Cathedral City had a population of 51,200. The population density was. The racial makeup of Cathedral City was 32,537 White, 1,344 African American, 540 Native American, 2,562 Asian, 55 Pacific Islander, 12,008 from other races, and 2,154 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30,085 persons.The Census reported that 50,905 people lived in households, 263 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 32 were institutionalized.
There were 17,047 households, out of which 6,574 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,589 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,291 had a female householder with no husband present, 1,176 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,054 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 779 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,292 households were made up of individuals, and 2,259 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 11,056 families ; the average family size was 3.67.
The population was spread out, with 13,856 people under the age of 18, 4,906 people aged 18 to 24, 12,948 people aged 25 to 44, 12,127 people aged 45 to 64, and 7,363 people 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, of which 10,769 were owner-occupied, and 6,278 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%. 30,236 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20,669 people 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.
Economy
Cathedral City has an automotive mega-dealership known as the Palm Springs Auto Mall based on the city limits with Palm Springs.Cathedral City hosts an annual Mexican 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.
Parks and recreation
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 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 of Phil Harris in 1994. The country club is built on land leased from the Agua 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. The Pepsi All-Star Softball Game has been held there since 1998. The Cathedral City Soccer Park, next to James Workman Middle School, is where the So Cal Coyotes minor league football team play their games. In 2018–19, the So Cal Coyotes changed leagues and now play in Indio, California in the Shadow Hills High School football stadium.
The nine parks in Cathedral City are:
- Century Park
- Dog Park
- Dennis Keat Soccer Park
- Memorial Park
- Ocotillo Park
- Panorama Park
- Patriot Park
- Second Street Park
- Town Square
Golf
Several local golf resorts are in Cathedral City. These include Lawrence 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.Government
County
Cathedral City is in Supervisorial District 4 of Riverside County, represented by Democrat V. Manuel Perez.State
In the California State Legislature, Cathedral City is in, and in.Federal
In the United States House of Representatives, Cathedral City is in.Tribal Council
The tribal council of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians governs over parts of the city where reservation jurisdictions overlap.Education
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, a private college that offers career training in health care, HVAC, technology, and business.
Notable people
The city was a winter residence for actors Robert Duvall and Martin Landau in the 1960s, and TV show host Monty Hall in the 1990s. Frank Sinatra's grave is located in Desert Memorial Park cemetery, as are those of several other prominent figures, including actor William Powell, singer-songwriter Sonny Bono, former mayor of Palm Springs, and actress Jane Wyman.Other notable residents include:
- Timothy Bradley, a former WBO welterweight champion, is from Cathedral City and graduated from Cathedral City High School.
- Lalo Guerrero, a Chicano folk musician, lived in Cathedral City in his final years.
- John Michael Meehan, a nurse anesthetist and conman whose life story was adapted into the Dirty John podcast, lived in a trailer, on his sister Donna Meehan Stewart's RV lot in Cathedral City, before marrying Debra Newell.
- Simon Oakland, an American actor, died in the town on August 29, 1983, a day after the actor's 68th birthday.
- Agnes Lawrence Pelton, was a German-born modernist painter, who was particularly known for portraits of Native American Pueblo peoples, desert landscapes and still life paintings, spent the last 29 year of her life in Cathedral City. F Street was renamed Agnes Pelton Way in her honor.
- Willard Price, a Canadian-American writer, lived in Cathedral City from 1940 until 1973, during which he wrote most of his Adventure series of children's novels.