La Quinta is a peaceful and relaxing community with a small town friendliness. It is 30 minutes from Palm Springs and nestled at the base of the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains.

   La Quinta has been growing rapidly since 2002. Baby boomers and retirees have been buying homes in its upscale communities such as: PGA West, Tradition Country Club, Lake La Quinta and The Citrus. There is also a quaint area called La Quinta Cove that is being transformed by fashionable homes.

   Golf and Tennis enthusiasts from around the world visit or locate to La Quinta for the fantastic facilities and spectacular events hosted here annually. PGA West is internationally recognized as one of the world’s most magnificent resort communities, and it has been the site of numerous national and professional events.

   Adding to the city’s character is the La Quinta Arts Festival, which takes place yearly in March. Today this long-running outdoor art show is known as one of America’s most important art fairs. They have juried artists and artisans displaying paintings, sculpture, jewelry and crafts.

   At the city’s southern end is Lake Cahuilla, a county campground and day use facility for swimming, fishing and picnicking. There are numerous hiking and biking trails, both no-incline and mountainous terrain. Enthusiasts can hike or bike from the top of “The Cove” to the base of the rugged mountains that form a dramatic backdrop to the city.

   La Quinta was incorporated in 1982 and it is the first recorded city to be named after a hotel. This came to be through a wealthy gentleman from San Francisco who built an exclusive hotel in the 1920’s in the cove of the Santa Rosa Mountains and called it the La Quinta Hotel.

   The Legends claim that the term “La Quinta” came from early Spanish explorers who were known to ride for days at a time, going straight from dusk to dawn for four days in a row. They would finally rest on “la quinta” or “the fifth” day. Eventually La Quinta became the term used for a small country estate or a resting place. The rock peaking out at Highway 111 and Washington Street in La Quinta was once such a resting place. La Quinta inspires a strong loyalty among its residents. Perhaps due to the Cahuilla Indian history reports that the ancient tribes called La Quinta “The Garden of Eden” because they believed that it was where human life began on Earth.

www.La-Quinta.org