Cathedral City is one of the newer communities in the valley, having just been incorporated in 1981. It was a natural extension of Palm Springs, starting out in 1925 as a housing subdivision. The town's name goes back a long way to 1850 when the area was named after the rock formations that mark its western boundaries.

The city has both newer and established neighborhoods of single family houses and condominiums, and it is the second largest community in the valley, with a population estimated to be over 50,000. On average, housing is generally less expensive here, than in Palm Springs.

Since its incorporation, the city has embarked on an aggressive expansion program to create a vibrant city center and to attract new businesses. That effort is starting to see results with a new mixed use housing project for City Center in the works, a major five year infra-structure project, initiated in 2006, for the Cove area, and new shopping and restaurant venues being built near City Center.

The median housing price is $334,500.