Desert Hot Springs, California

Desert Hot Springs is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region. The population was 32,512 as of the 2020 census, up from 25,938 at the 2010 census. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1970s when there were 2,700 residents. The city is commonly referred to by its initials, DHS.

It is named for its many natural hot springs. It is one of several places in the world with naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs. More than 20 natural mineral spring lodgings can be found in town. Unlike hot springs with high sulfur content, the mineral springs in town are odorless.

Cabot Yerxa arrived in 1913 and soon discovered the hot water aquifer on Miracle Hill. Due to the Mission Creek Branch of the San Andreas Fault bisecting the area, one side is a cold water aquifer, the other has a hot water aquifer. His large Pueblo Revival Style architecture structure, hand built over 20 years, is now one of the oldest adobe-style buildings in Riverside County and houses Cabot's Pueblo Museum, designated a state historical site after his death in 1965. Cabot's Trading Post & Gallery opened there in February 2008.

The town was founded by L. W. Coffee on July 12, 1941. The original town site was centered at the intersection of Palm Drive and Pierson Boulevard and was only one square mile. Coffee chose the name Desert Hot Springs because of the area's natural hot springs.

thumb|upright|1950s postcard promoting tourism

Desert Hot Springs became a tourist destination in the 1950s because of its small spa hotels and boutique hotels. The city is popular with "snowbirds." The bankruptcy was resolved in 2004 by selling municipal bonds when it faced a legal judgment of almost $6 million.

Desert Hot Springs experienced periods of significant 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.

Desert Hot Springs was the first city in Southern California to legalize medical marijuana cultivation and has since been overwhelmed by marijuana developers and growers. It was featured in a CNBC special as California's first city to permit the commercial cultivation of marijuana in 2014.

Geography

thumb|right|250px|Landscape in western Desert Hot Springs.

Before the development of the city began in the 1930s, Desert Hot Springs was a treeless place in California's Colorado Desert.

Climate

Desert Hot Springs has a desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) similar to the rest of the Coachella Valley, with less than six inches of precipitation per year. Summers are very hot with days frequently exceeding in July and August while night-time lows tend to stay between . The winters are mild with days typically seeing temperatures between and corresponding night-time lows between . Heat waves during the summer months involving temperatures higher than are not unusual.

Summer winds and the higher elevation keep Desert Hot Springs on average 5–7 degrees cooler than other communities in Coachella Valley.

|date=July 2011

Geology

The Mission Creek Fault, a branch of the San Andreas, separates two aquifers. On one side, the Desert Hot Springs Sub-Basin contains an aquifer with hot water. This aquifer supports the area's spas and resorts. Mission Springs Sub-basin, on the other side of the fault, the Miracle Creek sub-basin has cold water. This aquifer provides fresh water to the city and has received awards for exceptional taste.

| align = right

| align-fn = center

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable"

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|5,307

|8,481

|8,040

|8,930

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|8,058

|89.33%

|72.69%

|48,49%

|34.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|24.78%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|79

|445

|947

|1,948

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|2,418

|1.33%

|3.81%

|5.71%

|7.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|7.44%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|35

|137

|120

|161

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|171

|0.59%

|1.17%

|0.72%

|0.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|0.53%

|Asian alone (NH)

| rowspan="2" |6

| rowspan="2" |212

|300

|604

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|696

| rowspan="2" |0.10%

| rowspan="2" |1.82%

|1.81%

|2.33%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|2.14%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|71

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|47

|0.05%

|0.27%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|0.15%

|Other race alone (NH)

|15

|14

|27

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|194

|0.13%

|0.08%

|0.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|0.60%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|453

|551

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|1,041

|2.73%

|2.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|3.20%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|514

|2,378

|6,699

|13,646

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|19,887

|8.65%

|20.38%

|40.40%

|52.61%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|61.17%

|Total

|5,941

|11,668

|16,582

|25,938

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|32,512

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6;'|100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Desert Hot Springs had a population of 32,512. The population density was . The median age was 33.0 years, and the age distribution was 28.2% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized. 96.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,595 housing units, of which 91.5% were occupied and 8.5% were vacant. Among occupied units, 49.4% were owner-occupied and 50.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.

The median household income was $50,349, and the per capita income was $23,980. About 15.5% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Desert Hot Springs had a population of 25,938. The population density was . The racial makeup of Desert Hot Springs was 15,053 (58.0%) White (34.4% Non-Hispanic White), 2,133 (8.2%) African American, 357 (1.4%) Native American, 675 (2.6%) Asian, 84 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 6,343 (24.5%) from other races, and 1,293 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,646 persons (52.6%).

The Census reported that 25,820 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 118 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,650 households, out of which 3,713 (42.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,468 (40.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,603 (18.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 711 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 843 (9.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 206 (2.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,071 households (23.9%) were made up of individuals, and 691 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 5,782 families (66.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.59.

The ages of the resident population range from 8,064 people (31.1%) under the age of 18, 2,712 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 6,893 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 5,781 people (22.3%) aged 45 to 64, to 2,488 people (9.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.

There were 10,902 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,166 (48.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4,484 (51.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 8.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.6%. 11,533 people (44.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 14,287 people (55.1%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Desert Hot Springs had a median household income of $32,883, with 28.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Desert Hot Springs is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Desert Hot Springs is in . The 25th District covers most of the desert communities of Indio, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, and Cathedral City.

Desert Hot Springs is in the Riverside County Supervisor 4th District.

City government

Desert Hot Springs is served by a five-member City Council: Mayor Scott Matas and Council Members Jan Pye, Russell Betts, Roger Nunez and Gary Gardner. Council members and the Mayor serve four-year terms. It operates as city manager form or government.

Desert Hot Springs's outlying areas include non-county areas of Desert Hot Springs and nearby communities of Desert Edge, Sky Valley and North Palm Springs. On the western perimeter of the city (within city limits) are the newer master-planned communities of Mountain View Country Estates and Skyborne. Adjacent to Mountain View Country Estates is the older master-planned community of Mission Lakes Country Club in unincorporated Riverside County.

Economy

thumb|right|250px|Over 20 natural mineral spring lodgings can be found in town. From the late 1990s to the present a number of these [[boutique hotels have been renovated and revived. With their mid-century modern architecture, they appeal to those wanting a unique hotel/spa experience.

Some of the better-known spa hotels in Desert Hot Springs include:

The Miracle Springs Resort & Spa, which has been the filming location for multiple movie productions, including Mulholland Falls, Senior Moment, and Hot Springs Hotel.
The Two Bunch Palms Resort, which was used as a 1992 filming location for the movie The Player.
The Desert Hot Springs Hotel and Spa, which was featured on California's Gold In 2001 by Huell Howser Productions, in association with KCET/Los Angeles.

Arts and culture

thumb|right|250px|Cabot's Pueblo Museum.

Museums: Cabot's Pueblo Museum named for Cabot Yerxa.

Modernist architecture

At one time, there were 43 small spas (6 to 10 guest rooms) in the city. Some were located atop the hot water aquifer on Miracle Hill, where Cabot Yerxa, one of the early settlers, lived. His home is now Cabot's Pueblo Museum. Across the street is Miracle Manor Retreat, built in 1949, one of the first spas in town. It was built by the Martin Family, who eventually sold it in 1981 to a local legend, Lois Blackhill. Upon her death in 1996, her family sold it in 1997 to two longtime regulars and close friends of Blackhill's, trans-media designer April Greiman and architect-educator Michael Rotondi, who restored it to its original state. The Desert Hot Springs Motel, designed by architect John Lautner is located just outside the city limits. The motel was purchased and restored in 2000 by Steven Lowe.

In 2006 the architectural 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 prototype for the firm's efforts to develop a series of prefab homes.

Education

The vast majority of Desert Hot Springs is in the Palm Springs Unified School District. The city territory extends into the Banning Unified School District.

Desert Hot Springs High School, of the Palm Springs district, opened in 1999.

Public safety

The city of Desert Hot Springs contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE.

Desert Hot Springs has their own municipal police department. In two separate municipal ballot measures, Desert Hot Springs residents approved a utility users tax and a public safety tax by majorities of over 75 percent. Both measures provide added funding to the police department and other public safety services.

Media

Two newspapers are published in the city. The Desert Star Weekly (publishing on Wednesdays and Fridays) and The Public Record (publishing on Tuesdays).

Notable people

Coco Crisp, Major League Baseball player
John L. Gaunt, photographer
Janet Gaynor, actress
Gus Henderson, football coach
Knute Hill, Democratic politician
Paul Krassner, author, journalist, comedian
Noel Langley, South African novelist
Robert McAlmon, author
Jerome Storm, film director
Joan Woodbury, actress
Rick Zumwalt, wrestler

Wildlife

Desert Hot Springs lies just south of large nature preserves such as Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.

References

Informational notes

Citations

External links

Desert Hot Springs Historical Society
Desert Star Weekly - local twice-weekly newspaper
The Public Record - local weekly newspaper