ZIP Code 92201

Indio (Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. The population was 89,137 in the 2020 United States Census, up from 76,036 at the 2010 census, an increase of 17%. Indio was originally inhabited by the Desert Cahuilla Indians. The City of Indio came about because of the need for a halfway point for the Southern Pacific Railroad between Yuma, Arizona and Los Angeles, since the engines needed to be refilled with water. After the railroad's arrival in 1876, Indio really started to grow. Onions, cotton, grapes, citrus and dates thrived in the arid climate due to the ingenuity of farmers finding various means of attaining water, first through artesian wells and later through the valley's branch of the All-American Canal. However, water also was a major problem for Indio and the city was flooded several times until the storm water canals were created in the 1970s. By the 1920s, about one to two thousand residents lived in Indio, while it ballooned from 2,500 to 5,000 during the winter months and was advertised as a health resort for senior citizens and those with respiratory diseases. Indio served as the home of the USDA's Date Station, taking place on the place that would become a major part of the culture of the rest of the 20th century. The station started in 1907.

History

Indio is the primary city name, but also Bermuda Dunes are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Indio. The City of Indio came about because of the need for a halfway point for the Southern Pacific Railroad between Yuma, Arizona and Los Angeles. At first, the would-be city was called Indian Wells,:292 but since many other areas already had that name, Indio (after a Spanish variation of the word "Indian") was chosen instead. By 1920, about one to two thousand year-round residents lived in Indio, while it ballooned from 2,500 to 5,000 during the winter months. Indio also served as the home of the USDA's Date Station, a place where leading scientific research was taking place on the fruit that would become a major part of the culture. In the second half of the 20th century Indio's population began to move to the east to the Chiriaco Summit located 30 miles to the south. With the majority of the Coachella Valley burning of the burning of Thermal and the decline of the Thermal and Indio towns, the city began to grow again. On September 6, 1930, the first business license was granted to Fred Kohler, storekeeper and storekeeper of the Indio General Store. The city was incorporated in September 1930 and became the first city in Riverside County to have its own post office. The town was named after the Desert Cahuilla Indians, who lived in the area before the arrival of the U.S. railroads in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The name Indio means "Indian Wells" in Spanish.

Geography

Indio is located at 33°4312N 116°1355W (33.719871, 116.231889). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 75.6 square kilometers (29 sq mi), 99.97% of which is land and 0.03% is water. The telephone area code is 760. The official elevation of Indio is below sea level; the city hall is 14 feet (4 m) below sea levels. Indio has a warm winter/hot summer desert climate (Köppen: BWh) The hottest temperature ever recorded there was 125 °F (52 °C) on July 6, 1905. It is in the Colorado Desert region of the Sonoran Desert. It's adjacent to the geologic Salton Sink and within the site of historic Lake Cahuilla of the Lower Colorado River Valley. IndIO is an official National Bird Sanctuary, because of the seasonal bird migration flight routes that cross the town en route to the Salton Sea. It has over 348 days of sunshine per year. Under 4 inches (100 mm) of annual precipitation are average, with over 348 Days of sunshine. In September 1939, a thunderstorm from the remains of a tropical storm, brought more than 6" of rain in less than 24 hours. The mean annual temperature is 75.8 °f (24.3 °C). Winters are warm with daytime highs often between 6886 °F [2030 °C].

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Indio had a population of 76,036. The racial makeup of Indio was 46,735 (61.5%) White (27.0% Non-Hispanic White), 1,805 (2.4%) African American, 741 (1.0%) Native American, 1,693 (2.2%) Asian, 55 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 22,394 (29.5) from other races, and 2,613 (3.4) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51,540 persons (67.8%) There were 28,971 housing units at an average density of 992.5 per square mile (383.2/km²), of which 15,274 (65.3%) were owner-occupied, and 8,104 (34.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate is 12.5%. In 2009-2013, Indio's median household income was $50,068, with 21.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line. In 2000, there were 49,116 people, 13,871 households, and 11,069 families residing in the city. The average household size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.3% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, and 9.2% from 45 to 64.

Economy

Two major contributions to the local economy are year-round agriculture and tourism. Jobs in fields such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, maintenance, and retail and housekeeping are highly sought after in the area. The average salary for a job in Indio increased from $28,224 in 2003 to $35,532 in 2015. Indio is home to Buzz Box Premium Cocktails, Ring Power Corporation, Triangle Distributing Company (formerly Heimark), The Forager Project, and Purus International. Other companies include Pepsi Cola Distributing, R.C. Equipment, Sepa Building Materials, Arctic Glacier, and L.A. Lumber Company. Two Native American casinos are owned by the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, and the Spotlight 29 Casino, formerly "Trump 29-Nine Palms" The city is currently in the process of a 2040 general plan to increase the number of developments inIndio. It is the secondary seat of government for Riverside County, California, and employs more than a thousand county employees. The city opened a 120-room Fairfield Inn and Suites in February 2019 and broke ground on a 93-room Hampton Inn andsuites that is expected to open January 2020. The top employers in the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report are the Fantasy Springs Casino and the Laughlin Resort Casino, which is owned by Twenty 29 Band ofMission Indians, formerly known as "The Trump Band" It was partly owned by then-businessman Donald Trump for a brief period of time in the 2000s.

Arts and culture

Indio's official nickname is "The City of Festivals" Two major annual festivals are the Indio International Tamale Festival and the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. Indio is also the site of many other annual arts, culture, and entertainment festivals and events. In 2013, OC Weekly's Dave Barton described the arts scene in Indio with "seems to consist of Johnny Cash tributes, chalk art, camel and ostrich races, and Neil Simon revivals" In 2016, Goldenvoice brought together The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters and Neil Young for a 3-day mega concert known as Desert Trip. Desert Trip took place at the same venue as the Coachella Music Festival, over two three-day weekends, on October 79 and 1416, 2016. Despite Desert Trip becoming the highest-grossing music festival in history, Golden Voice founder Paul Tollett has not announced any plans for a second Desert Trip, stating that it's not necessary for it to "turn into another franchise festival" The Riverside County fairgrounds is a facility that hosts various events year round such as music concerts, 4x4 monster truck rallies, rodeos, and other special events. It also has the historic MHittier Ranch Tower, which is used for the only light art projection system in theCoachella Valley Performing Arts Center, known as IPAC. It has hosted live concerts, theater productions, sing-alongs, movie nights, and movie-along theater events.

Politics

The city operates under a City Council-City Manager form of government. The five councilmembers are elected by district for four-year terms. Each year the Council selects the Mayor on a rotational basis. The City Council is the legislative body for the city, Public Financing Authority and Redevelopment Agency. Its responsibilities include establishing City policies, adopting of ordinances and resolutions, holding public hearings, authorizing expenditures, and the appointment of the City Manager, City Attorney and the member of City commissions and committees. In the California State Legislature, Indio is in the 28th Senate District, represented by Democrat Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and in the 56th Assembly District,represented by Democrat Eduardo Garcia.In the U.S. House of Representatives, Indi is in California's 36th congressional district, representation by Democrat Raul Ruiz. The city's mayor is Waymond Fermon; the city's city manager is City Manager and staff and City Attorney is City Attorney. The mayor is elected by the City Council for a four year term, with a two-year term for the mayor Pro Tem. The council is made up of five members, with the mayor, mayor pro tem and two other council members. The Mayor is elected for a two year term; the City manager and staff are elected for four year terms. The Council is made of five elected members, the mayor and the mayor pro Tem, with two other members for two year terms for a three year term.

Education

Indio is served by two public school districts: Desert Sands Unified and Coachella Valley Unified. Indio's six elementary and two middle schools are highly rated under the California Distinguished Schools program. The two school districts are expanding, with plans on building more schools, along with remodeling the older ones with new buildings and designs. C.O.D opened a campus facility in 2002 in the Riverside County Employment Developmental Center located on Monroe Street. The California Desert Trial Academy College of Law was approved by the California State Bar as an unaccredited fixed facility law school in Indio and is currently holding classes in the County Law Library. The College of the Desert, commonly referred to by its initials (C.o.D), is the Coachellas Valley's community college. The district also has a Regional Occupational Program facility that provides vocational educational courses in the Valley's job market. It is located on Oasis street in the city's southeastern corner, near the town of Mecca. The school district's headquarters is located in La Quinta, and the district's high school is in Thermal, about 20 miles from Indio. It also has its own private school, Grace Academy (K8), Indio Christian Center (112), River Springs Charter School (K12), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (PK8), Trinity Lutheran Child Development Center (PK, K) and Christian School of the desert (PK12), located in nearby Bermuda Dunes. It has a special education center, Eisenhower Community Education Center, for special needs students.

Public safety

The Indio Police Department was one of 15 law enforcement agencies chosen to participate in President Barack Obama's 21st Century Policing Task Force. The city of Indio contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. Indio has 4 fire stations used to reduce response times, and a full-time staff of 56 people. One of the eleven U.S. Customs and Border Protection stations is located in Indio. The California Highway Patrol Border Division office is also located in the city. The division patrols Interstate 10, State Routes 62, 86, and 177, which encompasses cities such as Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella. It was originally an auxiliary for the El Centro Sector station. Now, the border patrol agents are tasked with patrolling the northern portion of Imperial County. The Border Division was created in 1936 and covers the northern part of the state. It is one of the oldest border patrol stations in the United States. It has been in operation since 1936 and is located near the border with Mexico. The border division was created to protect the northern portions of the California desert. It covers the southern portion of the State of California, which includes Desert Hot springs and Palm Springs. It also includes the cities of Cathedral City and Rancho Springs. TheBorder Division is based in the border town of La QuintA, which is located on the northern edge of the desert.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Indio, Riverside County, California = 1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Indio = 5.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 89,137 individuals with a median age of 29 age the population grows by 81.13% in Indio, Riverside County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,700 residents per square mile of area (1,000/km²). There are average 3.5 people per household in the 25,086 households with an average household income of $49,101 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 16.30% of the available work force and has dropped -6.49% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 10.72%. The number of physicians in Indio per 100,000 population = 109.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Indio = 3.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 14. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 270. 107 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 18, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Indio, Riverside County, California which are owned by the occupant = 47.37%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 10 years with median home cost = $147,910 and home appreciation of -21.52%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.19 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,722 per student. There are 22.3 students for each teacher in the school, 8018 students for each Librarian and 983 students for each Counselor. 3.91% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 5.96% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.48% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).