Palm Springs

Welcome to Palm Springs

 

Renowned worldwide as an oasis in the desert, Palm Springs offers an enviable living environment that is rich in history, steeped in culture, touched by the magic of Hollywood, and complemented by stunning natural beauty. Golf courses, tennis clubs, swimming pools, award-winning restaurants, countless mountain and canyon hiking trails, luxury resorts, and a wide array of festivals bring travelers from around the world while filling the calendars of local residents. Nestled at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains on the western edge of Southern California's Coachella Valley, Palm Springs is a vacation paradise, attracting a broad spectrum of people from Southern California, as well as international tourists eager to explore an area far different from their native countries. Located about 110 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 140 miles northeast of San Diego, Palm Springs is a favorite choice for tourists in need of a quick weekend getaway and for those in search of a vacation home. But it’s not just a local’s-only vibe. Palm Springs welcomes everyone, and it’s tremendously popular with those from colder climes who flock to the city for its sunshine and famously dry weather. As the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the area offers unique opportunities to explore their history and culture, which remains very much a part of Palm Springs today. In the first half of the Twentieth Century, Palm Springs was an escape for and often home to Hollywood’s most notable stars, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Many of these Hollywood legends are remembered through their magnificent homes located throughout the city, public art, and city streets that bear their names. To celebrate its Hollywood history, Palm Springs hosts the annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which is one of the largest and most acclaimed film festivals in North America. Palm Springs’ one-of-a-kind collection of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) homes and businesses draws hundreds of thousands each year, culminating in the city's annual Modernism Week, a 10-day event that celebrates the history and current state of Mid-Century design and architecture. Palm Springs has some of the finest MCM architecture in the world. Several MCM homes belonged to celebrities including Dinah Shore and Dean Martin, and many showcase the talents of some of the most prominent architects of the 1900s, including Richard Neutra, Albert Frey and Donald Wexler. With a year-round population of about 48,000 that nearly doubles in the winter season, Palm Springs feels both like a small, quaint town and a world-class, trend-setting city. There is plenty to do, with nightlife, hiking groups, galleries, a quick tram ride to the mountains above, and a bustling downtown city center with galleries, shops and more. But, when getting to know people, from artists, retirees and small business owners, to architects, film industry professionals and outdoor enthusiasts, one quickly realizes that Palm Springs is a place that values community—an eclectic and accepting community full of pride. Palm Springs is at the doorstep of breathtaking national and state parks, while offering local attractions including The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and The Palm Springs Art Museum. Nearby, Joshua Tree National Park makes for a great day trip, with terrain so unique and mesmerizing that people travel from all over the world to experience its beauty. Palm Springs and its environs present a wide range of public and private school options, ensuring excellent educational opportunities for everyone from elementary school children to university graduates. Palm Springs High School is known for its excellent sports program, while Cielo Vista Charter School and Katherine Finchy Elementary School were both awarded gold ribbons by the U.S. Department of Education. California is also home to affordable colleges and universities for residents through the UC and Cal State education system. California State University, San Bernardino and University of California, Riverside, are both close by.

Palm Springs... a home for everyone

From singles, retirees and couples to young families and those dreaming of a second home, Palm Springs has just what you’re looking for. Explore its impressive spectrum of neighborhoods.

Deepwell Estates

The neighborhood of Deepwell offers a variety of architectural styles, from Mid-Century and Desert Ranch to current-day Contemporary. So how did it get its name? Deepwell stems from the story of a scientist named Pearson, who in 1926, bought property in the area and dug a well. He soon found water a few feet below the surface, but continued drilling past 600 feet. Deepwell is centrally located and moments from downtown.

 

Indian Canyons

Located in South Palm Springs near the scenic Indian Canyons trail system, this upscale enclave reveals 70s Modern, Ranch, Hollywood Regency and Mid-Century Modern residences. Residents enjoy generous mountain views from most homes with no intrusion of power lines, which are located underground. Discover the architectural Canyon View Estates, designed by Dan Palmer and William Krisel in the early 1960s and built by the Alexander Construction Co.

Sunrise Park

Sunrise Park is centrally located in Palm Springs, offering the perfect balance of architectural properties and a distance from the mountains that provides longer winter sun, all while remaining close enough to everything downtown has to offer. Many homes here were built by the Alexander Construction Company and designed by William Krisel, AIA. Others were crafted by Alexander's competitor, Jack Meiselman, whose homes in Sunrise Park date back to the early 1950s.

The Mesa

This South Palm Springs’ neighborhood showcases approximately 180 homes bordering the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. Created in the 1930s, it was envisioned as one of the first gated communities with a single entrance. While no longer gated, an original gate tower still stands. Often hidden from the street by gates and mature hedges, its homes display Spanish, Contemporary, Craftsman and Mid-Century Modern architecture. Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Sonny Bono, Barry Manilow, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood and many other celebrities have or still make The Mesa their home.

Movie Colony

The fabulous Movie Colony in Palm Springs developed in the 1930s and 1940s, when Hollywood movie stars built second-home getaways as alternatives to their Los Angeles-area estates. Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Estée Lauder and Bing Crosby commissioned homes in the Colony, which only features about 170 homes. Today, the Movie Colony is one of the most sought-after addresses in the city.

Movie Colony East

Formerly known as the Ruth Hardy Park neighborhood, Movie Colony Easy is highly sought-after for its proximity to downtown, location near the park, and its wide selection of more than 700 residential offerings that were built between the late 1930s to present day. The community is noted for some of its well-heeled residents, which have included Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé, Bing Crosby, Carmen Miranda, Keely Smith and Hedy Lamarr.

Racquet Club East

Explore 550 Mid-Century Modern homes in the popular Racquet Club Estates collection. This coveted tract was designed by William Krisel A.I.A., and built by the famed Alexander Construction Company. A sub-section of the Racquet Club East neighborhood also has a small set of tract homes built by Alexander's competitor, Jack Meiselman. In the northwest region of the neighborhood, you will also find the iconic Steel Houses designed by famed architect Donald Wexler.

Vista Las Palmas

One of Palm Springs’ most exclusive enclaves, Vista Las Palmas unites outstanding period architecture with understated prestige. In the late 1950s, The Alexander Construction Company began building the upscale tract at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains on the northwest side of town, where the wealthy Old Hollywood crowd resided. In Vista Las Palmas, the firm of Palmer and Krisel, as well as architect Charles Dubois, designed approximately 330 luxury homes that are in very high demand today. There are many iconic residences in Vista Las Palmas, one of which is the custom Alexander-built home at 1350 Ladera Circle christened "The House of Tomorrow.” The home was extensively featured in Look Magazine's September 1962 issue, and today is better known as the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway.