La Quinta, California

La Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 23,694 at the 2000 census. It is growing at a rate of approximately 110% every ten years, making it one of the fastest growing cities in California. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination (a claim that is also made on behalf of Scottsdale, Arizona). Among those destinations is the La Quinta Resort and Club, a resort dating to 1926 and famous as the spot in which director Frank Capra penned the screenplay of Lost Horizon.

[edit] History

[edit] Colonial History

The area of La Quinta was first established in the early 16th century by Spanish conquistadores under the command of Captain Juan Bautista D'Anza, as the fifth resting point for travellers along the route from present-day Mexico to the San Gabriel Missions. The words "la quinta" are Spanish, translating to "the fifth". More specifically, the word "quinta" is known in Mexico as a type of hacienda.

[edit] Modern Development and Incorporation

In 1927, Walter Morgan established the La Quinta Resort at the northern section of Marshall Cove, as a type of secluded hideaway for nearby Hollywood's celebrities and socialites. The Resort was the site for the Coachella Valley's first golf course. ^[1]

As nearby desert cities grew to capacity, La Quinta's growth rose dramatically by the mid-1990s, which led to its incorporation as a city in Riverside County in 1982. ^[2]

[edit] Geography

La Quinta is located at 33°40′31″N, 116°17′51″W (33.675373, -116.297391)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 83.4 km² (32.2 mi²). 82.2 km² (31.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (1.37%) is water. The city's elevation is 56 feet (20 meters) above sea level.

[edit] Santa Rosa Mountains

The Santa Rosa Mountains at dusk.

The most prominent feature of the La Quinta area is its Santa Rosa Mountains. Visitors to Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, California can be treated to a brief glimpse of La Quinta in one of the park's attractions: Soarin' Over California. The "Palm Springs" segment of Soarin' Over California was actually shot at the world-famous PGA West golf complex in La Quinta. The Santa Rosa Mountains are nestled against the golf course and can be seen easily in the segment.

The area is very close to the earthquake-causing San Andreas Fault, with companies offering jeep tours to the fault line for tourists and locals alike. ^[3]

[edit] Climate

According to its nearest neighboring city, Indio, California, La Quinta has an approximate yearly average temperature of 89.0F (High) and 57.9F (Low). ^[4]

[edit] Surrounding Cities

La Quinta is in the Coachella Valley and is relatively close to all major cities in that valley, including:

City	Population (2000 census)	Population (2005 estimate)
Cathedral City	42,647	50,632
Coachella	22,724	30,764
Desert Hot Springs	16,582	19,386
Indian Wells	3,816	4,781
Indio	49,116	66,118
Palm Desert	41,155	49,280
Palm Springs	42,807	45,731
Rancho Mirage	13,249	16,416

[edit] Economy

[edit] Tourism

The city enjoys a healthy tourism industry, especially during the cooler winter months in which "snowbird" tourists arrive. The most prominent industry is golfing with more than twenty golf courses, including PGA West, which has hosted prestigious tournaments such as The Skins Game, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, The Grand Slam of Golf, The Legends of Golf, as well as the PGA Tour Qualifying School. ^[5].

[edit] Service Industries

In addition to standard service industries, La Quinta is the site of the first Wal-Mart Supercenter in California. Moreover many residents work for the tourist industries in hotels, resorts, golf courses, and nearby vegas-style casinos, such as: Spa Resort Casino, Agua Caliente Casino, Spotlight 29, Fantasy Springs and Augustine. There are thousands of jobs related to the sizzling growth in the construction, hotels, landscaping and retail store industries. La Quinta wants to bring in high-paying professional businesses to the city and benefited from neighboring cities' growth (Indio, Palm Desert and Palm Springs). ^[6] Additionally, the city has a new commercial district called "Old Town La Quinta" with small shops and restaurants ^[7]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 23,694 people, 8,445 households, and 6,553 families residing in the city. The population density was 288.1/km² (746.2/mi²). There were 11,812 housing units at an average density of 143.6/km² (372.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.51% White, 1.42% African American, 0.72% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 13.85% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.01% of the population.

La Quinta has developed a culturally diverse community, as large ancestry groups include Armenians, British, French, Germans, Italians, Poles and Jews of multiple nationalities. The La Quinta resort had an "open door" policy not to discriminate on race and ethnicity in the 1940s and 1950s, catered to celebrities whom vacationed in the area didn't encounter ethnic discrimination, like billionaire Walter Annenberg was reportedly at the La Quinta resort. ^{[citation needed]} [1]

Hispanics are the largest single ethnic group in the city, after waves of immigration from Mexico settled the area since the 1950's. Mostly Latino neighborhoods are located in older homes of the Cove and old Town sections. La Quinta's sister city is in Tequila, Jalisco in Mexico brought by international ties with that country and the city holds an annual "16th de Septiembre" (Mexican independence day) festive event in September.

La Quinta's permanent population growth has brought more people from other urban areas in California, where home prices are higher come to the city's affordability. They joined newcomers from around the nation and the world, such as Canada (a large percentage of "snowbirds" or part-time residents are Canadian), and the Asian continent (see Asian Americans) brought on a multi-cultural character in the growing city.

There were 8,445 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,552, and the median income for a family was $56,848. Males had a median income of $40,553 versus $31,627 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,284. About 5.0% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

La Quinta is home to large numbers of senior citizens come to buy a home for the winter or year-round to enjoy the amentities provided by the city's golf clubs, tennis courts and recreation halls. Families of young children came to the city in droves for a better place to raise a family, thus the percentage of young people under age 18 is high, nearly 30 percent.

[edit] Transporation

The city is part of the SunBus line, which services much of the Coachella Valley. ^[8]

[edit] Education

[edit] Libraries

The city has a new public library that began operations in 2005.

The Desert Sands Unified School District services the entire city of La Quinta, and maintains the following public schools:

[edit] Elementary

John Adams Elementary School
Harry S. Truman Elementary School
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, an IB World School ^[9]

[edit] Middle School

La Quinta Middle School
John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, an IB World School

[edit] High School

La Quinta High School ^[10] an IB World School

[edit] Notable residents

The city is home to a number of celebrity residents including Merv Griffin. Griffin is the driving force behind the annual La Quinta Arts Festival, one of the country's leading plein air art shows. There is also a restaurant owned by professional golfer Arnold Palmer and another owned by actor Clint Eastwood in La Quinta. ^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, the musician/actor Tyler Hilton was a former resident of La Quinta, and attended La Quinta High School. ^[11]