Today, many of the communities in and around the Palm Springs area are hot tourist spots and boast of extreme wealth. Rancho Mirage, California is just one of the cities that have benefited by the worlds attraction to this beautiful desert area. Incorporated in 1973, Rancho Mirage is relatively young but has experienced tremendous growth over the past few decades.
Rancho Mirage is situated in Riverside County and became the 16th city in that county. It may have seemed like the city was always destined for wealth and success. In fact, the first building permit issued by the city was for the Sunrise Country Club Development.
And it didnt take very long for Rancho Mirage to start attracting attention. In 1974, President Nixon wrote his State of the Union Address while golfing at Rancho Mirages Annenberg Estate. Prince Charles also visited the estate in this year, and likely noticed a great deal of development because more than 5,000 dwellings were under construction. The activity was so great that Rancho Mirage experienced an $11 million growth in valuation ranking it as the fifth wealthiest city in Riverside County.
Throughout the years, notables and...