Palm Desert Apartments and Rentals

As the geographic center of the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert has evolved into a thriving city that is known as the cultural and retail hub of the Riverside County desert communities. Palm Desert incorporated in 1973, and later became a charter city in order to gain social and economic benefits from local control. Because Palm Desert is consistently rated as one of the safest cities in Southern California, Palm Desert apartments for rent are a popular choice for families looking to take advantage of the small town vibe and excellent education system offered in this community.

More than 50,000 residents enjoy the warm desert climate in Palm Desert, and the city's parks and recreation sites offer numerous options for outdoor recreation. The parks system features community gardens, dog parks, a rose garden and a variety of trails systems ideal for hiking, jogging and bicycling. Residents can head over to the newly completed Palm Desert Aquatic Center for hours of refreshing fun in the eight-acre water park featuring three swimming pools, diving boards and slides.

Palm Desert is home to a vibrant arts scene, and the city's renowned Art in Public Places Program enhances the natural beauty of the city while giving local artists a chance to showcase their latest creations. The Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert is another celebrated attraction, featuring ongoing exhibitions of painting, photography, art glass, architecture and design. Outside of the museum, 250,000 square feet containing native plants and waterfalls are enhanced by sculptures throughout winding pathways.

Due to its central location in the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert is known as the cultural and retail center of the desert communities. As a result, the key industries are hospitality and tourism, service support and retail trade. The city is home to 15 hotels and 20 shopping centers and plazas which provide a source of employment for many Palm Desert residents.

Palm desert features some of the best schooling in Riverside County, and is served by the Desert Sands Unified School District. It is also home to the campus of College of the Desert, the local community college. It has significantly expanded since its opening, and is known for its wide variety of degree, occupational and nursing programs. The University of California, Riverside, operates the Palm Desert Graduate Center, known for its Executive Master of Business Administration and Master of Fine Arts Degrees. It also is host to international academic conferences, and forges close ties to the community by providing outreach efforts to improve college attendance in the Coachella Valley.

Palm Desert's range of housing options makes it a desirable place to live within the Coachella Valley. It features a residential real estate mix that includes rental apartments, condominiums, single-family home subdivisions, country clubs and multi-million dollar estates. There is significant new construction and development in Palm Desert due to the considerable economic growth in Coachella Valley, and Palm Desert is an affordable choice in comparison to other Southern California areas such as San Diego or Los Angeles. In an effort to maintain affordable housing options for low-income families, the Palm Desert Housing authority operates more than 1,000 rental units. According to city-data.com, the median gross rent for an apartment in Palm Desert in 2009 was $1,090

The Palm Desert area features a number of signature events that gain worldwide recognition, such as Palm Springs Modernism Week, which is a celebration of mid-century design aesthetic and architecture featuring an architecture symposium, home tours and over 80 national and international decorative and fine arts dealers presenting designs of the modernist movement.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held at the Empire Polo Fields in the neighboring city of Indio, and the event has grown to become one of the country's most renowned music events. In 2012, the festival expanded to encompass two three-day weekends; in addition to live performances, the festival includes light shows and public art displays.

Arts festivals, golf tournaments and film festivals are popular community attractions throughout the year, and the warm Southern Climate make Coachella Valley an ideal location for outdoor events such as the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament and Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade.

Rent.com® can help you get settled in a Palm Desert apartment. Look through our rental listings and find the perfect home for your needs.