Rancho Mirage, California

Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). Rancho Mirage was incorporated in 1973 from a merger of Mirage Cove with five unincorporated areas known as the "Cove communities" (Desert, Magnesia, Palmas, Tamarisk and Thunderbird), and had 3,000 permanent residents at the time.

History
Although the first modern settlements date back to the 1920s and 1930s, Rancho Mirage got its claim to fame after World War II. The Annenberg Estate or Sunnylands, owned by philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg, had long been popular with the wealthy and powerful, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mary Martin. Several United States presidents have vacationed at the Annenberg estate, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Ford later bought a house in Rancho Mirage and was living there at the time of his death in 2006. The Betty Ford Center, a world-renowned addiction rehabilitation center, is located in Rancho Mirage at the Eisenhower Medical Center.

Rancho Mirage has twelve golf courses, also known as country clubs or golf resorts. The city's first resort was the Thunderbird Guest Ranch, opened in 1946 for entertainers and business clientele. Other golf resorts are the Tamarisk, Mission Hills, the Springs, Sunrise, Omni Resorts Rancho Las Palmas hotel (opened in 1979 to replace the Desert Air golf and private airport from 1954–1978), Rancho Mirage, Morningside, Mission Hills North Course, Westin Hotels Mission Hills resort, and Tuscania by Sunrise Company opened in 2006.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs runs the Agua Caliente Casino on the intersection of Bob Hope Drive and Ramon Road off Interstate 10, opened in 2002. The casino is a popular destination for locals, tourists, and gambling enthusiasts. In 2008 the tribal board completed the expansion of the Agua Caliente resort, which includes a 16-story hotel and spa, as well as remodeling the casino and expanding the parking structures. A theater for top name entertainers opened in 2009. Though the Agua Caliente Resort and Casino was just outside the border of Rancho Mirage in an unincorporated area, the City of Rancho Mirage included the property as part of the city in an agreement with the tribe so they would have access to police and firefighting services.

Rancho Mirage has expanded its economy from one based on seasonal, resort-based golfing and low-paying rentals, to include light industry and commerce near the I-10 and high-end retail centers like The River shopping complex.

Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 sqmi, of which, 24.4 sqmi of it is land and 0.4 sqmi of it (1.57%) is water, including the 10-story Desert Island Hotel-Golf Resort built on an island surrounded by an artificial lake.

Climate
The climate of the Coachella Valley is influenced by the surrounding geography. High mountain ranges on three sides and a south-sloping valley floor all contribute to its unique and year-round warm climate, with the warmest winters in the western United States. Rancho Mirage has an arid climate: Its average annual high temperature is 87 °F and average annual low is 63 °F but summer highs above 108 °F are common and sometimes exceed 120 °F, while summer night lows often stay above 82 °F. Winters are warm with daytime highs between 73 - 84 °F. Under 5 in of annual precipitation are average, with over 348 days of sunshine per year.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Rancho Mirage had a population of 17,218. The population density was 693.3 people per square mile (267.7/km²). The racial makeup of Rancho Mirage was 15,267 (88.7%) White (81.7% Non-Hispanic White), 256 (1.5%) African American, 94 (0.5%) Native American, 651 (3.8%) Asian, 14 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 598 (3.5%) from other races, and 338 (2.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,964 persons (11.4%).

The Census reported that 17,154 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 16 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 48 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,829 households, out of which 1,031 (11.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,159 (47.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 453 (5.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 213 (2.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 316 (3.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 454 (5.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,055 households (34.6%) were made up of individuals and 1,961 (22.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94. There were 4,825 families (54.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.46.

The population was spread out with 1,828 people (10.6%) under the age of 18, 508 people (3.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,885 people (10.9%) aged 25 to 44, 5,415 people (31.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,582 people (44.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62.3 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

There were 14,243 housing units at an average density of 573.5 per square mile (221.4/km²), of which 7,089 (80.3%) were owner-occupied, and 1,740 (19.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 17.2%. 13,845 people (80.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,309 people (19.2%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Rancho Mirage had a median household income of $77,304, with 12.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,249 people, 6,813 households, and 4,074 families residing in the city. The population density was 544.9 people per square mile (210.4/km²). There were 11,816 housing units at an average density of 486.0 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.7% White, 0.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.4% of the population.

There were 6,813 households out of which 10.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.9 and the average family size was 2.4.

In the city the population was spread out with 10.3% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 14.0% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 43.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. Rancho Mirage owes its legacy to being a retirement haven for senior citizens since the 1950s. In 2003, the Rancho Mirage was named the best resort town in the world by the London Imperial Traveler Magazine. Contemplation of building a new airport 30 minutes away (the Desert Cities Regional Airport in Coachella) from Rancho Mirage is still in debate.

The median income for a household in the city was $59,826 and the median income for a family was $78,384. Males had a median income of $50,027 versus $36,529 for females. The per capita income for the city was $58,603. About 4.4% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
In the California State Legislature, Rancho Mirage is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Rancho Mirage is in.

Education
There is one elementary school (Rancho Mirage Elementary) and one high school Rancho Mirage High School in the city limits which are part of the Palm Springs Unified School District, the newly renovated Nellie Coffman Middle School on the city line with Cathedral City. There is one private school, Palm Valley School, which covers grades preschool-12th. The PSUSD is building a new grade-middle school complex on the lands of the former Walter Annenberg estate donated to the PSUSD. The complex expected to open in late 2012. Rancho Mirage is also home to Santa Barbara Business College, a private college that offers academic degrees and career training.

Top employers
According to Rancho Mirage's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:

Setting for books
Two novels are set in Rancho Mirage. The first was Love Child by Andrew Neiderman (1986) and the second is Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland (1991). Both have references to both Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs, as well the Mojave Desert. A third book, Rancho Mirage: an American Tragedy of Manners, Madness, and Murder by Aram Saroyan (2002) concerns a murder that occurred in the city.

Notable people
The late President Gerald Ford (served 1974-77) and his wife the late First Lady Betty Ford were the most prominent residents of Rancho Mirage. Other celebrities, businessmen and politicians include: • 2