Palm Springs, California is a desert city in Riverside County with a population of about 45,000. This city is one of the nine cities that make up the Coachella Valley. Tourists come to Palm Springs, California to enjoy the desert scenery of the city and participate in the outdoor activities popular throughout the area.

The modern day area of Palm Springs was once home to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for 500 years. The Cahuilla Indians still inhabit the city and are important in the local economy of the city. The native Americans operate plenty of business enterprises, which include land leasing, hotel and casino operations, and banking. “Se-Khi”, which means “boiling water”, was the Cahuilla name for the area surrounding the city, which probably refers to the desert life. A Spanish explorer named the area “Agua Caliente”, which means “hot water”. US Government surveyors contributed the name of Palm Springs for the area during the 1860s, and from then on, the official name became Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is surrounded by mountains. It has the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the north, the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south, and the San Jacinto Mountains to the west. The Palm Springs climate can be contributed to the geography, which gives its warm and dry climate, and less than 6 inches of rain annually. Palm Springs has average desert climate, with cold winters and hot dry summers. Snow is common on the mountains around the city but rarely falls directly in the city.

During the winter months, tourism is flourishing. With many five star hotels, restaurants and attractions, a wonderful water park, and high-end boutiques in uptown and downtown, Palm Springs caters to the many tourists. The Palm Springs Art Museum, Annenberg Theater, and the highly popular Palm Springs International Film Festival will provide much entertainment to any tourists that visit Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is a hot spot for golf. It’s actually considered one of the top golf destinations in the world.  While visiting Palm Springs, you will have more than 110 golf courses to choose from. If you don’t golf yourself, you still may like to attend one of the major golfing events that take place in Palm Springs every year.

In addition to golf, Palm Springs also features tennis, horseback riding, hiking and many other outdoor activities. The shopping and art galleries in the area are also top notch. From college students on spring break to retirees, it seems everyone enjoys vacationing in Palm  Springs.

Tags: california, golfing, palm springs