“We continue to set the bar higher,” says Mayor Eduardo Garcia about his city’s outlook for the future.

Palm Desert started building its solid civic foundation nearly four decades ago and hasn’t looked back since. The city has a wide appeal for everyone from vacationers looking to soak up the sun and take in the sights to families and retirees looking for a stable community where they can enjoy a full and well-rounded life.

The list of assets is impressive. An 80 percent increase in population since 2000. Eighteen hundred acres of land zoned for clean industry in a tax-friendly enterprise zone. Easy access to freeways, rail lines, and a regional airport. A new college campus and a regional transit center. Clearly, Coachella is getting ready for a bright future.

After 35 years of incorporation, Palm Desert is the model of a healthy and successful city with a true sense of community spirit. Its ever-increasing year-round population, two high-profile universities, and a solid balance sheet give this community at the center of the Coachella Valley the poise to continue achieving great things well into the future.

Coachella is proactively building for a bright future full of opportunities. Major community improvement projects addressing everything from traffic circulation to water supply are underway to position the city for the population increase it expects over the next five to 10 years.

This year marks Coachella’s 60th anniversary of incorporation. Authority to annex land within its sphere of influence could double the size of the community in the next decade.