Thermal is an unincorporated community within the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California, United States, located approximately 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Palm Springs and about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north of the Salton Sea. The community's elevation is 138 feet (42 m) below mean sea level. It is served by area codes 760 and 442 and is in ZIP Code 92274. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Thermal a census-designated place (CDP), which does not precisely correspond to the historical community.
Thermal, California
Kokell[1] | |
|---|---|
 Thermal with the Santa Rosa Mountains in the Background | |
 Location within Riverside County | |
  Thermal Location within California  Thermal Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 33°38′25″N 116°08′32″W / 33.64028°N 116.14222°W[2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Riverside |
| Incorporated | April 20, 1938[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.451 sq mi (24.479 km2) |
| • Land | 9.451 sq mi (24.479 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0.00% |
| Elevation | −138 ft (−43 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,676 |
• Estimate (2021)[7] | 2,700 |
| • Density | 280/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 92274 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-55254 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 2583161 |
History
editOn December 30, 1823, Brevet Captain Jose Romero led an expeditionary military expedition finding a route to Tucson from San Gabriel passes in the foothills west of Thermal and Martinez Indian Village (South of Thermal).[citation needed] Thermal (originally Kokell)[8]: 114 began as a railroad camp in 1910 for employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, followed by Mecca (originally called Walters) in 1915 and Arabia in between, each with about 1,000 residents. Permanent dwellings were soon established on Avenue 56 (renamed Airport Boulevard), former U.S. Route 99 (State Route 86) and State Route 111 by the 1930s.
Agricultural development from canal irrigation made the area thrive in greenery by the 1950s, followed by the former Camp Young U.S. Naval Air station converted into Thermal Airport by 1965. In the early 1990s, a four-lane highway (State Route 86) was constructed over an earlier transportation route. There is a proposal for a major commercial aviation Airport known as the Jackie Cochran-Desert Cities Regional Airport on the same site.
The Thermal Club is a members-only motorsports racetrack and club, located just south of the airport.[9] It was built by Tim and Twanna Rogers in partnership with the Kohl family, founders of the Kohl's department store chain. The venue opened in 2012, and is set to host a non-points IndyCar Series race in 2024.
Geography
editAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 9.5 square miles (25.5 km2), all of its land.[10]
Climate
editThermal has a desert climate (BWh according to the Köppen climate classification). High mountain ranges on three sides contribute to its unique and year-round warm climate, with some of the warmest winters west of the Rocky Mountains. Its average annual high temperature is 88.7 °F (31.5 °C) and its average annual low is 56.3 °F (13.5 °C). Summer highs above 110 °F (43 °C) occur on average 28 days per year and exceed 120 °F (49 °C) every other year. Summer nights often stay above 80 °F (27 °C). Winters are warm with daytime highs rarely below 60 °F (16 °C), although light freezes happen every year. The average annual precipitation is under 3 inches (76 mm), with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the area was 126 °F (52 °C) on July 28, 1995, and the coldest is 14 °F (−10 °C) on December 23, 1990.
| Climate data for Thermal, California (Desert Resorts Regional Airport, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 94 (34) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
110 (43) |
116 (47) |
123 (51) |
126 (52) |
122 (50) |
123 (51) |
114 (46) |
98 (37) |
93 (34) |
126 (52) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 82.8 (28.2) |
86.4 (30.2) |
94.1 (34.5) |
101.9 (38.8) |
106.8 (41.6) |
114.4 (45.8) |
116.9 (47.2) |
116.0 (46.7) |
112.3 (44.6) |
103.4 (39.7) |
91.5 (33.1) |
80.8 (27.1) |
119.0 (48.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 71.0 (21.7) |
74.3 (23.5) |
81.1 (27.3) |
87.2 (30.7) |
94.6 (34.8) |
103.0 (39.4) |
106.9 (41.6) |
106.2 (41.2) |
101.5 (38.6) |
90.9 (32.7) |
78.7 (25.9) |
69.3 (20.7) |
88.7 (31.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 55.0 (12.8) |
58.6 (14.8) |
65.0 (18.3) |
71.0 (21.7) |
78.7 (25.9) |
86.1 (30.1) |
91.2 (32.9) |
90.6 (32.6) |
84.8 (29.3) |
73.9 (23.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
53.5 (11.9) |
72.5 (22.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39.0 (3.9) |
42.9 (6.1) |
49.0 (9.4) |
54.8 (12.7) |
62.9 (17.2) |
69.1 (20.6) |
75.6 (24.2) |
74.9 (23.8) |
68.2 (20.1) |
56.9 (13.8) |
44.7 (7.1) |
37.7 (3.2) |
56.3 (13.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 27.2 (−2.7) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
36.6 (2.6) |
41.7 (5.4) |
50.5 (10.3) |
58.2 (14.6) |
64.0 (17.8) |
63.1 (17.3) |
55.6 (13.1) |
43.1 (6.2) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 17 (−8) |
19 (−7) |
24 (−4) |
32 (0) |
41 (5) |
50 (10) |
57 (14) |
52 (11) |
48 (9) |
28 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
14 (−10) |
14 (−10) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.64 (16) |
0.61 (15) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.08 (2.0) |
0.01 (0.25) |
0.01 (0.25) |
0.13 (3.3) |
0.12 (3.0) |
0.32 (8.1) |
0.19 (4.8) |
0.17 (4.3) |
0.34 (8.6) |
2.96 (74.2) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 15.3 |
| Source: NOAA[11][12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
editThe 2010 United States Census[13] reported that Thermal had a population of 2,865. The population density was 303.1 inhabitants per square mile (117.0/km2). The racial makeup of Thermal was 1,034 (36.1%) White, 28 (1.0%) African American, 30 (1.0%) Native American, 32 (1.1%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1,685 (58.8%) from other races, and 55 (1.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,730 persons (95.3%).
The Census reported that 2,863 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 2 (<0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 684 households, out of which 452 (66.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 410 (59.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 113 (16.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 87 (12.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 61 (8.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 6 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 55 households (8.0%) were made up of individuals, and 19 (2.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.19. There were 610 families (89.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.36.
The population was spread out, with 1,070 people (37.3%) under the age of 18, 316 people (11.0%) aged 18 to 24, 781 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 502 people (17.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 196 people (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.5 males.
There were 761 housing units at an average density of 80.5 units per square mile (31.1 units/km2), of which 269 (39.3%) were owner-occupied, and 415 (60.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 1,162 people (40.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,701 people (59.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Education
editThere are several schools in the Coachella Valley Unified School District that are in and near the community. These include schools in Salton City, 20 miles south of Coachella, in Imperial County, California. In Thermal, they are Westside Elementary (K-6), Oasis Elementary (K-8), Mountain Vista Elementary (K-6), Saul Martinez Elementary (K-6), Mecca Elementary (K-6), Edward Park Elementary (K-5), Toro Canyon Middle (6–8), Bobby Duke Middle (6–8), John Kelley Elementary (K-6), Coachella Valley High (9–12), Cesar Chavez Elementary (K-6), Cahuilla Desert Academy (Junior High: 7th and 8th grade), Desert Mirage High School (9–12), West Shores High School (9–12) and La Familia Continuation High (9–12).
College of the Desert, a community college based in Palm Desert has opened a new satellite campus, the East Valley Educational Center, on the corner of 62nd Avenue and Buchanan Street.
Infrastructure
editTransportation
editJacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (formerly Thermal Airport) is located about 1.6 miles southwest of the community. The Union Pacific Railroad owns and operates the former Southern Pacific Railroad mainline through Thermal.
The region is served by a two-lane expressway. California State Route 86 and California State Route 111 are modern transportation corridors that serve as a fruit shipping and international trucking route to connect with Interstate 10 in Indio.
Cemeteries
editThe Toro Cemetery is located on Monroe Street.[14][15]
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians maintain a small (48 interments) cemetery on Martinez Road.[14]
Thermal Club
editThe Thermal Club is a private motorsports facility situated on 344 acres (139 ha) south of Thermal. This private country club for automotive enthusiasts plans to build a 4.5-mile motor racing circuit (7,200 m) with 300 lots for member-owned garages and villas. As of 2014[update] the first 1.8-mile racing course (2,900 m) was in use by early members and for media and promotional events with two more courses planned.[16][17][18] In 2017, BMW completed construction of their BMW Performance Driving Center West, which is home to the BMW Performance Driving School.
In March 2024 the club hosted the $1 Million Challenge, a special non-championship all-star race for the 2024 IndyCar Series. For the 2025 season, this race will become a points-paying race.[19]
References
edit- Nordland, Ole J., History of the Coachella Valley County Water District, Second Ed., (Coachella, California: Coachella Valley Water District, 1978).
- Map: "Road Map of California, 1958," (Sacramento, California: State of California, Department of Public Works, Division of Highways).
- California Region Timetable: 14, (Modesto, California: Altamont Press, 2003).
- U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics
Notes
edit- ^ Grantham, D. W. (February 1984) "Towns and Places of the Coachella Valley" Archived 2011-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Desert Magazine 48:1 pp 39-40
- ^ "Palm Springs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ "Geography Program". Census.gov. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thermal, California
- ^ "Explore Census Data".
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Nordland, Ole J. (May 1968) "Coachella Valley's Golden Years" Archived 2015-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Coachella Valley County Water District
- ^ Nathan Brown (January 31, 2023). "Inside The Thermal Club: What a $5.2 million membership gets you (and why IndyCar is testing)". Indianapolis Star.
- ^ "Boundary Map and Geodata for the CDP of Thermal in California, U.S.A.". MapTechnica.com. Retrieved August 9, 2014
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Thermal CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "U.S. Board on Geographic Names". Usgs.gov.
- ^ "33°35'18.1"N 116°13'50.0"W". Google.com.
- ^ Undercoffler, David (August 9, 2014) "At the Thermal Club, wealthy gearheads will have private vrooms" Los Angeles Times
- ^ FLEMMING, JACK (July 5, 2019). "In Thermal, a motorsports community offers life in the fast lane". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ WICK, JULIA (November 24, 2019). "Plans for a luxury surf resort in an impoverished desert community spark inequity battle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ "IndyCar unveils 2025 schedule; Thermal Club becomes points round". RACER. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
External links
edit- Howser, Huell (September 27, 2002). "Coachella – Palm Springs Week (18)". California's Gold. Chapman University Huell Howser Archive.