Coachella, CA

Coachella began as Woodspur in 1876, when the Southern Pacific Railroad built a siding at the site. In the 1880s, Cahuilla people sold land plots to the railroad in exchange for new lands east of the present city, and several hundred traqueros settled along the tracks in the 1890s. Coachella became an agriculture and shipping center at the eastern end of its namesake valley in the Colorado Desert. The 2020 census counted 41,941 residents. At 68 feet below sea level, the city reflects the lower valley’s basin geography; the Salton Sea, about 10 miles south, lies 228 feet below sea level. One explanation for the city’s name links it to conchilla, Spanish for the small shells found in sandy soil left by an ancient lake. Annual observances include Cinco de Mayo, Fiestas Patrias, and a December celebration of the Virgin Mary.