:Desert Hot Springs, California

The only people residing in areas north of Palm Springs before the 20th century were the Cahuilla Indians in the village of Seven Palms.{{rp|27}} Although Cahuilla people never settled permanently in today's Desert Hot Springs,{{rp|11}} they often camped here during winter times due to the warm climate.{{rp|7}}

According to early homesteader and writer Cabot Yerxa in his newspaper columns published in The Desert Sentinel newspaper, the first homesteader in the area of the city of Desert Hot Springs was Hilda Maude Gray, who staked her claim in 1908.{{cite web |url=https://www.hildamgray.com/ |title=Hilda M Gray: Desert Hot Springs Homestead Pioneer |last1=Gray |first1=Dean M. |access-date=May 3, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411033547/http://www.hildamgray.com/ |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |url-status=usurped}}{{cite web |title=The History of Desert Hot Springs |url=http://www.dhshistoricalsociety.com/desert_hot_springs_history.htm |website=Desert Hot Springs Historical Society |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121145926/http://www.dhshistoricalsociety.com/desert_hot_springs_history.htm |archive-date=January 21, 2013}}{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}}

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.

File:This Natural Hot Mineral Water Pool is maintained at about 95 degrees with a constant flow of approximately 125 gallons a minute (80817).jpg

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."{{rp|8}} Realtors arrived to speculate, and thousands of lots were laid out over a six-square mile area. Some homes were bought by retirees, and the area was incorporated as a city in 1963, with 1,000 residents.

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-marijuana-cultivation-20160510-story.html|title=This California desert town is experiencing a marijuana boom|first=Paloma|last=Esquivel|date=May 10, 2016|access-date=July 14, 2017|via=LA Times}} It was later featured in a CNBC special as California's first city to permit the commercial cultivation of marijuana in 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/television/2017/08/07/desert-hot-springs-featured-cnbc-marijuana-special/547112001/|title=Desert Hot Springs to be featured in CNBC marijuana special |work=The Desert Sun |access-date=February 6, 2019}}

Image:Desert Hot Springs 2008.jpg

Before the development of the city began in the 1930s, Desert Hot Springs was a treeless place in California's Colorado Desert.{{rp|11}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|30.66|sqmi|km2}}, of which 98.73% is land, and 1.27% is water. Desert Hot Springs is nestled between two mountain ranges: San Bernardino Mountains and San Jacinto Mountains.{{rp|8}} It is located just south of Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park. It is located in the Colorado Desert region of the Sonoran Desert.{{cite web|url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/natural-vegetation-desert-hot-springs-california-110230.html|title=Natural Vegetation of Desert Hot Springs, California|website=Traveltips.usatoday.com|access-date=February 6, 2019}}

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 {{convert|107|F|C|abbr=on}} in July and August while night-time lows tend to stay between {{convert|78|-|90|F|C|abbr=on}}. The winters are mild with days typically seeing temperatures between {{convert|68|-|78|F|C|abbr=on}} and corresponding night-time lows between {{convert|50|-|60|F|C|abbr=on}}. Heat waves during the summer months involving temperatures higher than {{convert|110|F|abbr=on}} 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.{{rp}} However, the winter season can be warmer due to the surrounding mountains blocking north winds. Since it lies at a higher elevation than the cities further south, cold air drains into the lower elevation of the Coachella Valley, which results in warmer night-time lows, producing an example of thermal inversion.

{{Weather box|location = Palm Springs Int'l Airport elev. 425 ft. 9 mi south of Desert Hot Springs CA

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 95

|Feb record high F = 99

|Mar record high F = 104

|Apr record high F = 112

|May record high F = 116

|Jun record high F = 121

|Jul record high F = 123

|Aug record high F = 123

|Sep record high F = 121

|Oct record high F = 116

|Nov record high F = 102

|Dec record high F = 93

|year record high F = 123

|Jan high F = 70.8

|Feb high F = 74.0

|Mar high F = 80.4

|Apr high F = 87.7

|May high F = 95.7

|Jun high F = 103.7

|Jul high F = 108.1

|Aug high F = 107.3

|Sep high F = 101.9

|Oct high F = 91.2

|Nov high F = 78.5

|Dec high F = 69.2

|year high F = 89.1

|Jan mean F = 58.1

|Feb mean F = 61.0

|Mar mean F = 66.3

|Apr mean F = 72.6

|May mean F = 80.0

|Jun mean F = 87.2

|Jul mean F = 92.8

|Aug mean F = 92.4

|Sep mean F = 86.9

|Oct mean F = 76.7

|Nov mean F = 65.0

|Dec mean F = 56.6

|year mean F = 74.7

|Jan low F = 45.4

|Feb low F = 48.0

|Mar low F = 52.2

|Apr low F = 57.4

|May low F = 64.3

|Jun low F = 70.8

|Jul low F = 77.5

|Aug low F = 77.6

|Sep low F = 71.9

|Oct low F = 62.3

|Nov low F = 51.6

|Dec low F = 44.1

|year low F = 60.3

|Jan record low F = 19

|Feb record low F = 24

|Mar record low F = 29

|Apr record low F = 34

|May record low F = 36

|Jun record low F = 44

|Jul record low F = 54

|Aug record low F = 52

|Sep record low F = 46

|Oct record low F = 30

|Nov record low F = 23

|Dec record low F = 23

|year record low F = 19

|Jan precipitation inch = 1.16

|Feb precipitation inch = 1.16

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.49

|Apr precipitation inch = 0.05

|May precipitation inch = 0.02

|Jun precipitation inch = 0.02

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.14

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.29

|Sep precipitation inch = 0.22

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.20

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.38

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.70

|year precipitation inch = 4.83

|Jan precipitation days = 3.8

|Feb precipitation days = 3.5

|Mar precipitation days = 2.4

|Apr precipitation days = 0.7

|May precipitation days = 0.4

|Jun precipitation days = 0.2

|Jul precipitation days = 0.7

|Aug precipitation days = 1.1

|Sep precipitation days = 1.0

|Oct precipitation days = 0.8

|Nov precipitation days = 1.0

|Dec precipitation days = 2.6

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

| url = http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USC00046635.normals.txt

| title = NOAA's 1981–2010 Climate Normals (1981–2010)

| year=2011

| publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date=July 19, 2011

}}

|date=July 2011

}}

The Mission Creek Fault,{{cite web|url=https://www.mswd.org/documents/HotWaterMaps.pdf|title=Mission Springs Water District: hot water maps|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082328/https://www.mswd.org/documents/HotWaterMaps.pdf|url-status=dead}} 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,{{cite web|url=https://www.mswd.org/documents/SubBasins.pdf|title=Mission Springs Water District: sub-basins map|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081830/https://www.mswd.org/documents/SubBasins.pdf|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/awards2.htm|title=Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting – Award Winners|website=Berkeleysprings.com|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-date=October 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028201110/http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/awards2.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofdhs.org/Award-Winning_Water|title=City of Desert Hot Springs – Award-Winning Water|website=Cityofdhs.org|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-date=July 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708225817/http://www.cityofdhs.org/Award-Winning_Water|url-status=dead}}{{rp|16}}

{{US Census population

|1960= 1472

|1970= 2738

|1980= 5941

|1990= 11668

|2000= 16582

|2010= 25938

|2020= 32512

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

From having 20 residents in 1941, Desert Hot Springs had 28,000 residents in 2014.{{rp|25}}

The 2010 United States Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0618996|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715024428/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0618996|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Desert Hot Springs city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}} reported that Desert Hot Springs had a population of 25,938. The population density was {{convert|1,097.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Desert Hot Springs was 15,053 (58.0%) White (34.4% Non-Hispanic White),{{cite web |title=Desert Hot Springs (city), California |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0618996.html |website=quickfacts.census.gov |access-date=February 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322081217/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0618996.html |archive-date=March 22, 2015 |url-status=dead }} 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 {{convert|461.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, 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.

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 16,582 people, 5,859 households, and 3,755 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|713.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 7,034 housing units at an average density of {{convert|302.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 68.2% white, 6.1% black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 16.4% from other races, and 5.8% multiracial. 40.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

There were 5,859 households, out of which 38.7% had children under 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8, and the average family size was 3.5.

In Desert Hot Springs, the age of the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. Desert Hot Springs has a reputation as an active adult community where many retirees choose to live.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,987, and the median income for a family was $29,126. Males had a median income of $27,873 versus $21,935 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,954. About 22.4% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over, one of the highest for cities over 10,000 in southern California.{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Desert-Hot-Springs-California.html#ixzz0qp55mycA|title=Desert Hot Springs, California (CA 92240, 92282) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders|website=City-data.com|access-date=July 14, 2017}}

Desert Hot Springs has a diverse population. Several racial or ethnic groups live there, with the largest group being of Mexican and Central American ancestry. There is a Korean American ethnic section of the city at 8th Street and Cholla Drive. Thousands of American Jews made the city their home. According to the Desert Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the city's population is over 10 percent African-American or Black. The city has a high proportion of Native Americans, most of whom are members of the Cahuilla tribe in proximity to the Agua Caliente Cahuilla tribal board in Palm Springs. A large percentage of the city population is LGBTQ.{{cite web|url=http://www.missioncreektribe.net/|title=Home|website=Mission Creek Band of Mission Indians|access-date=July 14, 2017}}

In the California State Legislature, Desert Hot Springs is in {{Representative|casd|19|fmt=sdistrict}}, and in {{Representative|caad|47|fmt=adistrict}}.{{Cite web |url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |title=Statewide Database |publisher=UC Regents |access-date=November 24, 2014}}

In the United States House of Representatives, Desert Hot Springs is in {{Representative|cacd|25|fmt=district}}.{{Cite GovTrack|CA|36}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.rivco4.org/web/cities/cityinfo/cityofdeserthotsprings.html|title=County of Riverside: City of Desert Hot Springs|website=Rivco4.org|access-date=January 28, 2024|archive-date=January 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118045424/http://www.rivco4.org/web/cities/cityinfo/cityofdeserthotsprings.html|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite journal|last=Nyczepir|first=Dave|title=Desert Hot Springs picks Martín Magaña as city manager|journal=The Desert Sun|date=May 7, 2014|url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2014/05/07/martin-magana-desert-hot-springs-city-manager/8811681/}}

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.

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.{{cite web|url=http://rvcfire.org/about-us/service-area |title=Service Area|website=rvcfire.org|access-date=July 14, 2017}}

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.

File:Living Waters Spa.jpg

The city is home to windmill farms in the west and also by the San Gorgonio Pass. The growing use of solar power accompanied by many windmills make Desert Hot Springs a leading city in renewable energy.{{rp|23}}

The main economy is based on spas, which are mostly owner-operated. The mild climate and hot springs make it a popular tourist destination.{{rp|8}}

In 2001 the town filed for a Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy.[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-10/brown-signs-bill-to-limit-california-s-municipal-bankruptcies.html "Brown Signs Bill to Limit California's Municipal Bankruptcies", Business Week, October 10, 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012191723/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-10/brown-signs-bill-to-limit-california-s-municipal-bankruptcies.html |date=October 12, 2011 }} Accessed October 18, 2011 The bankruptcy was resolved in 2004[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E3D61530F932A05750C0A9609C8B63 Caldwell, Dave. "Havens | Desert Hot Springs, Calif.; Near Palm Springs, A Little City Thinks Big", ''New York Times", March 31, 2006] by selling municipal bonds when it faced a legal judgmentThe city issued $12.78 million in 40-year bonds to pay a $10.85 million debt. Of that amount, $8.85 million was paid to Silver Sage Partners, Ltd., which had successfully sued the city for discrimination under the Federal Fair Housing Act, and $2 million was paid to other creditors. The remainder was put into the general fund or used for other purposes.{{Citation

| last = Maeda

| first = Toshi

| title = With Chapter 9 status over today, Desert Hot Springs pins hope on growth

| journal = The Desert Sun

| url = https://ronslog.typepad.com/ronslog/2004/10/dhs_bankruptcy.html

| pages = A–1

| date = October 27, 2004

| via = Ron's Log (DHS Bankruptcy)

}} of almost $6 million.[https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ajxCNoS2DEzE Marois, Michael B. and William Selway. "California City Moves Closer to Bankruptcy Filing (Update3)", Bloomberg, February 27, 2008]

Desert Hot Springs is home to a number of hot mineral water spas. During the 1950s and 1960s, the town had over 80 spa hotels.{{Cite web|last=Lozano|first=Alicia Victoria|date=May 10, 2021|title='If you build it, they will come': California desert cashes in on early cannabis investment|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/if-you-build-it-they-will-come-california-desert-cashes-n1266728|url-status=live|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=NBC News|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510123806/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/if-you-build-it-they-will-come-california-desert-cashes-n1266728 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 }} 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.{{Cite web|title=Miracle Springs Resort & Spa – Hot Mineral Water Resort|url=https://www.miraclesprings.com/|access-date=October 7, 2017|website=MiracleSprings.com|language=en}}{{Citation|last=Tamahori|first=Lee|title=Mulholland Falls|date=April 26, 1996|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117107/|type=Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller|others=Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri|publisher=Largo Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Polygram Filmed Entertainment|access-date=October 7, 2017}}{{Citation|last=Serafini|first=Giorgio|title=Senior Moment|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6588950/|type=Comedy, Drama, Romance|others=Christopher Lloyd, Katrina Bowden, Jean Smart, Esai Morales|publisher=Goff Productions|access-date=October 7, 2020}}{{Citation|title=Hot Springs Hotel|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129687/|type=Comedy|others=Samantha Phillips, Robert Vitelli, Glori Gold, Marc Revivo|publisher=Taurus Entertainment Company|access-date=October 7, 2020}}
• The Two Bunch Palms Resort, which was used as a 1992 filming location for the movie The Player.{{TCMDb title|id=18104|title=The Player}}{{cite web |title=Sustainable Resort in Palm Springs{{mdash}}Mineral Hot Springs |url=http://www.twobunchpalms.com/about/our-history |website=Two Bunch Palms |access-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009182556/http://www.twobunchpalms.com/about/our-history |archive-date=October 9, 2014 |url-status=unfit}}
• 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.{{Cite web|title=Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel – Hot Mineral Pools and Spa Services|url=http://dhsspa.com/|access-date=October 7, 2017|website=Dhsspa.com|language=en}}{{cite web|last=Howser|first=Huell|title=Desert Hot Springs Hotel – Palm Springs (0016)|url=http://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/09/25/desert-hot-springs-hotel-palm-springs-0016/|work=California's Gold|publisher=Chapman University Huell Howser Archives|author-link=Huell Howser|date=September 25, 2002|oclc= 47724820 }}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.johnlautner.org/Deserthotsprings.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030413175310/http://www.johnlautner.org/Deserthotsprings.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2003|title=John Lautner Foundation: Desert Hot Springs Motel|date=April 13, 2003|access-date=February 6, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/February-2012/Deja-New/ |title=Hipsters, Hollywood types, and architecture buffs are checking into the only hotel designed by John Lautner {{ndash}} in Desert Hot Springs |access-date=October 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019041002/http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/February-2012/Deja-New/ |archive-date=October 19, 2014}}

In 2006 the architectural firm of Marmol Radziner + Associates designed a sustainable, modernist prefab home featured in the November 2006 issue of Dwell magazine.{{cite magazine |last1=Anderton |first1=Frances |title=Desert Utopia |magazine=Dwell |date=November 2006 |url=https://www.dwell.com/article/desert-utopia-526c857d |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029041558/http://www.dwell.com/homes/prefab/4239671.html |archive-date=October 29, 2007 |url-status=live}}(Originally published in November 2006, identical article reprinted with date of January 18, 2009).{{cbignore}} The home served as a prototype for the firm's efforts to develop a series of prefab homes.

The Desert Star Weekly newspaper is published in the city.

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.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06065_riverside/DC20SD_C06065.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Riverside County, CA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|page=3 (PDF p. 4/6)|access-date=2024-10-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06065_riverside/DC20SD_C06065_SD2MS.txt Text list]

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

File:Cabots-Pueblo-Museum.jpg

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

Although never a resident, Marilyn Monroe occasionally visited the spas in Desert Hot Springs. She spent a week in the town shortly before her death.{{rp|8}}{{failed verification|date=May 2020|reason=no indication of any visits to Desert Hot Springs except for the one visit to Singing Tree Ranch shortly before her death}}

• 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

Desert Hot Springs lies just south of large nature preserves such as Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park. Surrounding areas are home to a number of species adapted for the desert climate and temperature extremes. Species include pronghorns, desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, kit fox, desert iguana, horned lizard, chuckwalla, roadrunners, mountain lions, raptors and Gila monsters.

Although black bears are not common here, a bear was sighted on Palm Drive and Dillon Road in October 2010.{{cite news |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/05/15/bear-sighting-indio-la-verne-rare/323126001/|title=What makes the bear sighting in Indio so rare |work=The Desert Sun |access-date=February 6, 2019}}

{{portal|California}}

• Desert Hot Springs (thermal mineral springs)

Informational notes

{{Reflist|group=note}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

• {{Citation

| editor-last1 = Brown

| editor-first1 = Richard E.

| last = Yerxa

| first = Cabot Abram

| title = On the Desert Since 1913

| place = Desert Hot Springs

| publisher = Cabot's Museum Foundation

| year = 2011

| isbn = 978-0-615-45570-9

| oclc =810254220 }} – a partial compilation of Yerxa's commentaries and articles published in the Desert Hot Springs Desert Sentinel from 1951 to 1957

• {{cite book

| last1 = Coffee | first1 = L. W.

| title = Desert Hot Springs: Why?

| location = Desert Hot Springs

| publisher = Cabot's Museum Foundation

| year= 1948

}} (republished 2008)

• {{cite book |last=Effinger |first=Bill |title=The Vortex Made Me Do It! : The Mystery and History of Desert Hot Springs |year=2011 |publisher=New Century Publishing |location=San Marcos, CA |isbn=978-0615470207 |pages=486 }}
• {{cite book

| last1 = Hunt | first1 = John J.

| title = The Waters of Comfort (The History of Desert Hot Springs California)

| publisher = Little Morongo Press

| year= 2006

| pages = 275

| oclc = 52917018

| asin = B000W6EMS8}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Minckler | first1 = Karen

| first2 = Bethany | last2 = Schroeder

| first3 = Cole| last3 = Eyraud

| title = The Legend of Cabot Yerxa

| location = Desert Hot Springs

| publisher = Cabot's Museum Foundation

| year= 1986

| oclc=272397224 }}

{{Wikivoyage|Desert Hot Springs}}

{{Commons category|Desert Hot Springs, California}}

• {{Official website|name=Official website for the city of Desert Hot Springs}}
• [http://www.dhshistoricalsociety.com Desert Hot Springs Historical Society]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Desert Hot Springs

|North = Morongo Valley

|Northeast = Yucca Valley
Joshua Tree

|East = Joshua Tree National Park

|Southeast = Cathedral City

|South = Palm Springs

|Southwest = Whitewater
San Gorgonio Pass

|West = Whitewater Canyon

|Northwest = San Bernardino Mountains

}}

{{Riverside County, California}}

{{Inland Empire}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1963 establishments in California

Category:Cities in Riverside County, California

Category:Coachella Valley

Category:Government units that have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy

Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California

Category:Populated places established in 1941

Category:Populated places established in 1963

Category:Populated places in the Colorado Desert

Category:Spa towns in California

Category:Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California