Palm Desert is located 14 miles east of Palm Springs and is essentially the geographic center of the Coachella Valley. It was incorporated in 1973 and is the third largest city in the valley, with 51,541 residents (2021 census). In addition to its residential developments of both single family and condo housing, it is one of the major commercial centers in the valley.
The city offers several fashionable, large upscale malls and the exclusive, trendy El Paseo shopping district. It’s our own version of Los Angeles’s Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. El Paseo features more than a mile of elegant shops and boutiques offering fashion designer clothing and leather goods, personal care products, trendy restaurants and cafes, and numerous fine art galleries. The median strip along El Paseo is beautifully planted according to each season, and there is a rotating selection of juried large outdoor sculptures installed along the way.
Palm Desert is also a major growth venue for retirees, with several popular 55+ retirement retreats having been built there in recent years. Currently, the properties for sale in these retirement communities represent a great relative value in real estate. Homes here offer residents a vast array of amenities to support an active retirement lifestyle.
In August 2023 the price of an average size detached home in Palm Desert was $726,658; the price for an attached home (condo) was $521,301. Median household income was $67,514 in 2021.