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Revision as of 08:11, 18 November 2006 by 207.200.116.10 (talk) (→Local issues)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). The population was 22,724 at the 2000 census, but to local officials it might doubled to 40,000 as of 2006 from one of the state's highest population growth rates.
The city was originally founded as Woodspur in 1876 when Southern Pacific built a railroad siding - a short stretch of railroad track used to store rolling stock or allow trains on the same line to pass. In the 1880s, a few hundred traqueros, railroad workers from Mexico took up settlement along the tracks.
The origin of the name Coachella is unclear but in 1901 the citizens of Woodspur voted on a new name for their Community - at their town hall meeting, the homeowners decided on "Coachella" as their designation. Coachella began as a 2 and 1/2 square miles of territory gridded out on the mesquite-covered desert floor. Not until the 1950s did Coachella begin to expand into its present sphere that includes 32 square miles.
In 1946 Coachella became "City of Coachella". Its first City Council was elected tentatively during the incorporation voting process: Lester C. Cox, T. E. Reyes, John W. Westerfield, Lester True, and Paul S. Atkinson. Also elected on November 26, 1946 were Marie L. Johnson as City Clerk and John C. Skene as City Treasurer. John Westerfield was appointed Mayor at the first meeting.
The film director Frank Capra is interred in the Coachella Valley Cemetery in Coachella. Professional boxing champions Antonio Diaz and Julio Cesar Chavez are originally from Coachella. The agricultural area surrounding Coachella was where the United Farm Workers union staged strikes and protests, included visits by UFW leader Cesar Chavez.
Downtown Coachella is under renovation during an economic boom has increased the number of people in the city, as locals of Hispanic origin sometimes call it "Pueblo Viejo", or the old neighborhood. Despite its' image for Mexican immigration, a large percentage are US citizens born and raised in Coachella, a multi-generational Mexican American subculture has taken root in the town.
Near the city limits of Coachella are two gaming establishments on Indian reservations. Fantasy Springs casino-resort and Spotlight 29 casino, both owned and operated by Native American tribes, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians.
Geography
Coachella is located at 33°40′46″N 116°10′28″W / 33.67944°N 116.17444°W / 33.67944; -116.17444Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (33.679522, -116.174488)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 53.9 km² (20.8 mi²), all land.
The elevation is 68 feet/35 meters below sea level, as the Eastern half of the Coachella valley is below sea level. The saltwater lake, Salton Sea is 10 miles/6 km. South of Coachella, lies 227 feet below sea level.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 22,724 people, 4,807 households, and 4,480 families residing in the city. The population density was 421.4/km² (1,091.4/mi²). There were 5,024 housing units at an average density of 93.2/km² (241.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 38.77% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 56.57% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. 97.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Coachella has one of California's highest percentage of Latinos. Visitors may notice the cultural imprint left behind by the city's Mexican-Americans and recent arrivals from Mexico to work in the Coachella Valley's thriving economy. Agriculture, landscaping, domestic help, hotel lodging and retail jobs in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley are a major draw to the newcomers. But, city council officials disagree and referred to a large wave of newcomers are from suburban Los Angeles and San Diego, but fall in the Hispanic category.
There were 4,807 households out of which 65.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.8% were non-families. 5.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.72 and the average family size was 4.80, a typical cultural trait of Hispanic-American residents. Coachella has one of America's highest ratio of unmarried single mothers of any city with an excess of 10,000.
In the city the population was spread out with 40.8% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males. Teen pregnancy rates are notably higher than national and state average, and in Coachella Valley High School, over a quarter (28 percent) of female students are mothers while ever attending school.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,590, and the median income for a family was $28,320. Males had a median income of $23,044 versus $15,550 for females. The per capita income for the city was $7,416. About 29.1% of families and 28.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 (rates above state and national average) and 25.7% of those age 65 or over (also it's above average, since the city has a large senior citizen population).
Local issues
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In a 2006 state-funded economic survey, Coachella ranks third lowest in average personal income of any California city, and one of ten poorest cities in the state. The city's remote location from urban areas and the continuous seasonal labor migration caused the high poverty rate. In Coachella, one out of every three are on public assistance and over 40 percent receive welfare and social security funds.
Coachella dealt with socioeconomic issues that produced a history of above-average criminal activity. The city long battled a negative image of illegal drug trade, high school dropouts and youth gangs. Much of the non-Hispanic population moved out in part of reaction in what's called white flight in urban areas. The 2006 FBI crime statistical release on The Desert Sun newspaper placed Coachella at the lowest crime ratios per population in all of the Coachella Valley and Riverside County, California.
In 1995, state and federal officials designated Coachella is part of the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone to boost economic activity and draw in business corporations to relocate in the mainly rural city, once had several fruit shipping plants. In the same time, the two-lane State Route 86/111 expressway opened to traffic east of the city and is referred to as the "NAFTA highway", an alternative safer route for international trucking from Mexicali, Mexico on the way to Los Angeles or Arizona.
Today, new retail and commercial properties appear on Coachella's two main drags: Harrison Street (formerly US 99) and Grapefruit Boulevard (State Highway 111). Since 2000, thousands of single-family homes and multi-unit apartment complexes are build in a fast pace, as the city's population soars and could had doubled in the last decade from 20,000 to an estimate of 40,000. The Corona Yacht Club near the casinos, while two new golf courses (Desert Lakes and the Vineyards) attract retirees and local businesspeople.
Coachella is also a shorthand reference to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in nearby Indio, California.
External links
- City of Coachella official website
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