Spectacular and upscale La Quinta has been dubbed “The Gem of the Desert” and with good reason. Situated at the base of the picturesque Santa Rosa Mountains, the views are so breathtaking that Disney used world-famous PGA West in La Quinta as the backdrop in one of the film segments for the Soarin’ Over California exhibit at the California Adventure Park in Anaheim. Arguably the most popular and fastest growing city in the Palm Springs area, peaceful and serene La Quinta has a physical beauty and perfect climate that has made it one of the leading golf destination in the United States.
Incorporated in 1982, the La Quinta golfing legend dates back to 1926 when director Frank Capra wrote the screenplay for Lost Horizon at the La Quinta Resort and Club. The Quarry at La Quinta is ranked in the top 100 golf courses in the United States along with the Arnold Palmer Classic Course at the city’s sprawling and luxurious SilverRock Golf Resort. Many famous names in golf have played on the fabulous courses of La Quinta.
A city both stunning and diverse, La Quinta is also equally well-known as an art colony. The La Quinta Arts Foundation presents several major fine arts festivals throughout the year featuring local and visiting artists of world-renowned reputations. La Quinta’s expanding population is a result of the abundant amenities and extraordinary California lifestyle that are afforded to its residents. Now, with a population of more than 40,000, La Quinta is a young city with the median age of 36 years. A per capita income that is well-above the national average provides La Quinta residents with the gracious lifestyle that is envied around the world.
La Quinta is all about the holistic living experience. Surrounded by ancient Native American traditions and the mystique of the Cahuilla Indian Tribe, La Quinta residents enjoy access to the finest medical facilities, walking and hiking trails, health spas and resorts, organic produce and handcrafted gourmet products, relaxation and meditation resources and exercise facilities in the nation. La Quinta is no ordinary small city as anyone who makes their home there will tell you.
Upscale and gracious, Indian Wells is one of the Palm Springs area’s most charming and unique cities. Over the years it has gained a stellar reputation for its serene and ultra-luxurious resorts. Wide streets lined with graceful palms and palatial desert estates, everything about Indian Wells speaks of elegance and prosperity. In 2009 Oracle CEO Larry Ellison acquired the prestigious Indian Wells Tennis Garden and with it, the signature tennis event, the BNP Paribas Open.
The Indian Wells Tennis Garden Stadium is the jewel in a star-studded crown for Indian Wells. Expansion of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Stadium was completed in 2014 and it now features two championship stadiums with a total capacity seating of 24,100. A first-class line up of assorted eateries and restaurants, boutique shopping, and the beautiful Tennis Garden Village along with expanded parking make Indian Wells Tennis Garden Stadium one of the most highly-regarded tennis venues in the world.
Surrounded by breathtaking date palm ranches, the first golf courses in the area were opened during the 1950s at the Eldorado Country Club and the Indian Wells Country Club. In 1957, TV star Desi Arnaz opened his Indian Wells Resort Hotel and in 1960 Arnold Palmer won the first Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament there. Among the many distinguished visitors and winter residents was President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
With an active art and culture scene, close proximity to unique museums and sophisticated art galleries, it is the playground of the affluent who enjoy the unique California casual lifestyle of the Palm Springs area.
A desert oasis for the rich and famous it has been celebrated by such residents as Frankie Avalon, Ray Bolger, Bob and Dolores Hope, bandleader Harry James, Zeppo Marx, Kirk and Anne Douglas, James Garner, and Robert Kardashian, to name only a few. Indian Wells is home to four of the most outstanding resorts in the world: the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa, the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, the Miramonte Resort and Spa and the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa.
One of the Desert’s most centrally-situated and popular cities, Palm Desert has every luxury and convenience possible right at your fingertips. A beloved retreat for snowbirds who gather each year to escape winters, the local population can increase by as much as 31,000 residents during high season. Although upscale Palm Desert boasts an abundance of luxury homes and spacious estates, it is also an affordable choice for growing families as well.
A superb public-school system and the presence of the California State University’s Palm Desert Campus and the University of California Riverside’s Desert Campus, as well as the College of the Desert Community College make Palm Desert an educational and academic hub.
With mountain ranges on three sides and a south sloping valley floor, Palm Desert has a year-round climate that boasts as many as 354 days a year of sunshine and the warmest winters in the Western United States. Palm Desert is filled with pristine natural landscaping and unique artistic sculptures, thanks to an environmentally savvy population that values the desert and is creatively inclined.
Home to the prestigious El Paseo Drive in downtown Palm Desert, world-class designers are well represented in the 150+ boutique stores, trendy restaurants and luxury art galleries. Comparisons are often made with ultra-chic Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and with good reason. From Louis Vuitton to Sephora, only the finest are in residence on El Paseo Drive. World-class entertainment is available year-round at the renowned McCallum Theatre and Performing Arts Center.
One of the premier attractions of this magnificent desert city is the Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens in South Palm Desert. An ecological wonder, the zoo uses interpretive exhibits, programs and publications to foster an awareness and appreciation for the wide variety of plants and animals in worldwide ecosystems. Palm Desert is a contemporary and modern city that is constantly improving and advancing on every level, making it one of the desert’s most popular places to call home.