Rancho Mirage Real Estate > Rancho Mirage Community Info

HISTORY

Incorporated in 1973, Rancho Mirage was actually founded 58 years earlier by rancher R.P. "Bert" Davie and E.E. McIntyre. Recognizing the potential for land development, several area pioneers began to build luxury sites to entice wealthy city dwellers into the desert. Among the first were the "Wonder Palms" Date Ranch, Magnesia Falls Cove, the "Desert Air Hotel" and airstrip (now the Rancho Las Palmas Country Club), The White Sun Guest Ranch and Thunderbird Ranch and Country Club. Ford Motor Company named one of its prestigious automobiles after the Thunderbird Country Club. Celebrities flocked to Rancho Mirage and the development of luxury resorts and high-end residential communities continued.

RESORTS

Today, Rancho Mirage is the home of world-class resorts such as The Westin Mission Hills, Rancho las Palmas Resort and Spa, The Lodge at Rancho Mirage, and the newly updated Ritz Carlton Hotel located on the hill above Frank Sinatra Drive.

ANNUAL EVENTS

Special annual events include the National Date Festival, La Quinta Arts Festival, Newsweek Champions Cup (tennis), U.S. Polo Open and the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival.

ECONOMY

While tourism remains the area's top industry, agriculture and the production of table grapes, dates, grapefruit, lemons and oranges are a close second. The area is also known for its fine restaurants, professional services, financial institutions and home furnishing centers.

ATTRACTIONS

The River at Rancho Mirage is a retail complex featuring world-class shopping, gaming, entertainment, and dining. After a day on the links, residents and visitors alike will enjoy such cultural venues as the McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts, Annenberg Theatre, Children's Discovery Museum, Palm Springs Desert Museum and the Living Desert Reserve.

RECREATION

Hikers from around the world flock to the Bighorn Overlook Trail, Butler-Abrams Trail and Clancy Lane Trail, which takes them into the Coachella Valley and Santa Rosa Mountains. Whitewater Park, Michael S. Wolfson Park and Blixseth Mountain Park are just a few of the well-maintained parks and public areas in Rancho Mirage.