By Ellen Paris

For years the citizens of Rancho Mirage have known their small gem of a city, located in the middle of the Coachella Valley, is pretty close to paradise. Consider that this “playground of presidents” has been home to famous philanthropists, Hollywood royalty, and former U.S. presidents. From the moment you enter the city limits, you see why luminaries like Walter Annenberg, Frank Sinatra, Betty and Gerald Ford, Ginger Rogers, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, and the Marx Brothers happily called Rancho Mirage home.

Today Rancho Mirage’s 16,416 permanent residents and another 11,300 seasonal ones feel the same about their home. “We really are a small town that provides our residents with a wide array of exceptional services, which make for a very unique lifestyle,” observes Rancho Mirage Mayor Alan Seman. Rancho Mirage’s population grew 57 percent between 1994 and 2004, evidence that Rancho Mirage is a special place.

Drive down Frank Sinatra Drive and experience the beauty that is Rancho Mirage. Streets are so clean they glisten in the sunlight. Everything looks brighter here. Manicured flora and fauna are everywhere, creating the perfect contrast between the blue sky and the towering palm trees. Citywide, there are five parks with mountain vistas offering clean and safe settings for families and friends to relax and enjoy the desert’s natural beauty. Where else in America is there a park with a “welcome message” from Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore?

Rancho Mirage, with only 24.7 square miles, is truly a city that offers everything in a small, perfect, and safe environment. From 15 championship golf courses to vibrant cultural and entertainment activities to first-rate restaurants to shopping, there’s little reason to leave the city. Residents can join the Rancho Mirage City Golf Club and play two championship courses at The Westin Mission Hills Resort at discounted rates. Numerous hiking, biking, and equestrian trails are all easily accessible from anywhere in Rancho Mirage. Prestigious residential country clubs like Mission Hills, Morningside, Sunrise, Tamarisk, The Springs, and Thunderbird with championship golf courses, tennis facilities, and full social calendars provide residents with a luxury resort lifestyle with all the benefits of a small-town environment unlike anywhere else.

Residents enjoy miles of wide, sculpted sidewalks that are perfect for walking, running, and biking. Even the driving on Rancho Mirage’s wide, tree-lined streets with their lush landscaped median islands is different than anywhere else. The streets are paved with a special blend of hot, rubberized asphalt, making for an incredibly smooth and quiet driving experience. The street names go beyond the ordinary with main roads named after Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, and Dinah Shore. Only in Rancho Mirage can residents give directions like, “Make a right on Bob Hope and a left on Frank Sinatra.”

Since its incorporation in 1973, Rancho Mirage has always championed quality growth. It has long been key to maintaining the essence that is Rancho Mirage. “When people move to Rancho Mirage, they’re looking for a different lifestyle than other resort areas. With that in mind, we are constantly working to protect our environment, including the many endangered species such as the bighorn sheep,” says Mayor Pro Tem Richard Kite. “As we plan for the future, we are always looking to preserve our open space and to protect our fragile desert,” he adds.

Responsible government describes Rancho Mirage’s ability to maintain a high-quality lifestyle that residents value so highly. With almost $200 million in its investment portfolio, Rancho Mirage is unique among California cities. “We always spend less than we earn,” says Mayor Seman. Well thought-out expenditures that consistently benefit residents top the list of how Rancho Mirage budgets its money.

Rancho Mirage is a city that realizes the importance of reinvesting in the community to ensure it remains as perfect as it is for years to come. Improvements like the current $26 million undergrounding of all the city’s residential overhead utility lines further enhance the stunning mountains views. The city even took over its portion of Highway 111 from the state so it can be assured that it will be maintained to Rancho Mirage’s high standards.

The best example of providing residents with a superior lifestyle through special services and amenities is the new Rancho Mirage Public Library slated to open late 2005. The land was generously donated by longtime residents Walter and Lenore Annenberg shortly before the ambassador’s death. He would be proud to see the strikingly designed, 36,000-square-foot  structure today.

The City of Rancho Mirage spent almost $13 million dollars on the library’s construction. The entire amount was funded from the city’s Redevelopment Agency — a perfect example of a city spending wisely. With over 125,000 volumes, a large 350-seat community room, 40 computer workstations, wireless network access for laptop users, a large children’s area with separate story-time room and an outdoor amphitheater for special community programs, the library will be worthy of this city.

Its existing library is one of the most used public libraries in California as measured by per capita checkouts. The Rancho Mirage library ranked third highest in the state, beating out the public libraries of Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and Pasadena, according to Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings. After all, great cities have great libraries.

With more than 80 percent of its residents living in elegant gated communities, crime simply isn’t as much of an issue here. If there is a problem, a local 911 call center provides residents with response times of 3 to 4 minutes, one of the state’s fastest. “We care about our citizens in many different ways,” explains Mayor Alan Seman. Unlike some cities, ambulance services in Rancho Mirage are free to Rancho Mirage residents and visitors.

Eisenhower Medical Center (EMC), the region’s premier medical center, is located in the center of Rancho Mirage on Bob Hope Drive. The 130-acre campus has earned an international reputation for innovative health care. In addition to 325 doctors having admitting privileges at the 253-bed hospital, EMC is home to the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center and the Betty Ford Center. A recent $300 million upgrade and expansion is bringing more state-of-the-art research, treatment, and outpatient facilities to Rancho Mirage. The new Lucy Curci Cancer Center provides residents the latest in cancer detection and treatment. Plans are underway on an additional $135 million Annenberg Pavilion.

Rancho Mirage also offers residents first-rate cultural activities. The Children’s Discovery Museum is one of the top-ranked children’s museums in the country. It is a place of education, excitement and enjoyment, with a large variety of special programs, camps and community events. The annual Rancho Mirage Speakers’ Series brings well-known national and international experts to the desert for lively evenings of discussion. The Rancho Mirage Art Affaire, a juried fine arts festival, has become a much-anticipated annual event for both residents and visitors. The River, at Rancho Mirage a 30-acre, water-themed complex provides a dining, entertainment, shopping, social, and cultural centerpiece for the city. The River is positive proof that Rancho Mirage is a business-friendly community. Last fall’s opening of The Cheesecake Factory added to the energetic environment of The River. It’s no surprise that Desert European Motorcar Sales, one of the country’s largest Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealerships, is located right in Rancho Mirage.

Rancho Mirage is also a city that cares about its citizens as they age. The city is quickly adding additional units to its low-income senior housing inventory. Currently there are about 200 city units, and more are planned. “These are very upscale living communities,” says Mayor Seman. “We really want to provide for our seniors in the twilight of their lives. Rancho Mirage is truly a Shangri-La in the desert.”

Story from the 2005/2006 Edition of FOCUS on the Coachella Valley, produced by Palm Springs Life Magazine for the Riverside County Economic Agency. Distributed in the Palm Springs Life October 2005 Magazine. More information available at http://www.rivcoeda.org/