Rancho Mirage, California

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Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 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 eight 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), but had 3,000 permanent residents at the time.

Although the first settlements gone back to the 1920's and 1930's, Rancho Mirage got its claim to fame after World War II. The Annenberg Estate or Sunnylands in the area had long been popular with the wealthy and powerful, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Mary Martin, and Lloyd Campbell and the Campbells. Several US presidents have vacationed here, and Gerald Ford was a frequent visitor who later bought a house. The Betty Ford Center is located in the Eisenhower Medical Center of the town. President Gerald Ford was living in the town at the time of his death.

Rancho Mirage boasts of 12 golf courses, also known as country clubs. The city's first golf 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, Marriott's 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 Mission Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs runs the Agua Caliente Casino on the intersection of Bob Hope Drive and Ramon Road off the I-10 freeway, opened in 2002. The thriving casino is a popular destination for locals, tourists, and gaming enthuasists, and the tribal board announced in 2006 that Agua Caliente Casino will include a 12-story hotel, two golf courses, tennis courts, a shopping mall, and a convention center-sports arena facility, but will break ground after a federal environmental report.^{[citation needed]}

Rancho Mirage has expanded its economic profile from once regulated to seasonal, resort-based and low-paying, to include more light industry and commerce by the I-10 freeway and Southern Pacific Railroad, high-end retail centers like the River shopping complex opened in 2005 build around an artificial lake resembles a castle's moat. The city includes one elementary school (Rancho Mirage Elementary) that is part of the Palm Springs Unified School District, and the District is building a new high school, with an expected completion date of the 2009-10 school year.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.0 km² (24.7 mi²). 63.0 km² (24.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (1.58%) is water, including the 10-story Desert Island hotel-golf resort built on an island surrounded by an artificial lake.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 13,249 people, 6,813 households, and 4,074 families residing in the city. The population density was 210.4/km² (544.9/mi²). There were 11,816 housing units at an average density of 187.7/km² (486.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.69% White, 0.89% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.62% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.44% 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 1.92 and the average family size was 2.36.

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 1950's.

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.