Palm Desert is at the center of the valley and it is best known as the shopping mecca of the Coachella Valley. Dozens of department and national chain stores can be found all along Highway 111 and on El Paseo there are upscale boutiques, art galleries and numerous restaurants.

   Palm Desert is a comfortable mix of commerce and art with approximately 96 sculptures placed throughout the city in parks, street medians, public facilities and private businesses.

   The Palm Desert Civic Park is the most beautiful public park in the Valley and it has become a gathering place for families. The park has an amphitheater, picnic/barbecue pavilions, tennis courts, baseball fields, playground, volleyball courts, dog park, skateboard park and walking trails.

   Palm Desert is also the center for top entertainment with the McCallum Theater for the performing arts, a delightful venue that brings entertainers from across the country. The Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa attracts international tourists for leisure travel. This is a deluxe resort hotel surrounded by rich landscaping and waterscapes where regal swans and pink flamingos glide. There is a huge man-made lake that connects the indoors with the outdoors. A gondola dock inside picks up guests and whisks them away to dining establishments on the property.

   There is pride in Palm Desert for its financial stability and positive business attitude. Palm Desert is a progressive community, showing pioneering skills in the use of drought tolerant landscaping to save water. Its municipal golf course, Desert Willow, is a fantastic example of the program’s success.

   College of the Desert in located in Palm Desert. It is a highly regarded member of the California Community College System. The role of the College is to offer two year degree and certificate programs to recent high school graduates and adults interested in pursuing new career challenges. It is also the location of the year round outdoor market on Saturdays and Sundays where fresh vegetables, flowers and interesting market items and art work can be found.

   Palm Desert has a new claim to fame. It is becoming the Valley’s educational Vortex, bringing quality higher education with an exciting new center called the Heckman Center for Entrepreneurial Management. This center is affiliated with the University of California, Riverside and it will bring over 35,000 students to the Valley. It will expand the Valley’s educational opportunities by offering 4 year degree programs and certificates in such areas as the electronic economy and international finance. The Coachella Valley will become an important member of the world of academia.

www.Palm-Desert.org
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