The Coachella Valley has some of the highest growth rates in Riverside County and California. This population growth is most prominent in the Eastern Coachella Valley Cities due to simple geography and building restrictions enforced in other parts of the Valley. As the population expands in these areas, real estate developers, real estate professionals and municipalities will have to plan to keep up with demand and market conditions when planning for the future.
Where is the Growth Happening in the Coachella Valley?
There is a population explosion happening in the Valley right now and most of it will happen in the East Valley. This, according to Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and the Southern California Association of Governments (SVAG), will increase the population of the Valley to an astonishing 884,000 by 2035 (Source: SVAG). This projection is a 99.4% increase from the 2014 population of 443,401 (Source: CVAG) people. This is truly unprecedented growth, but what areas are growing the most?
Indio and Coachella are leading cities in growth and, in recent years, have seen a huge population growth. Indio saw a 17.8% increase in population from 2010 to 2016 ranking the 13th fastest growing city in all of California. Close behind is the City of Coachella seeing 14.9% growth in the same period out-pacing Desert Hot Springs by a nearly a percentage point. La Quinta also fared well in growth ranking 44th state wide with a growth rate of 11.6%. That said, the City of Coachella is predicted to have a massive population boom. While recent numbers have been lower than SVAG’s has predicted in their 2016-2040 RTP/SCS Final Growth Forecast by Jurisdiction they estimated Coachella (City) would jump in population from 42,400 in 2012, to a whooping 73,600 by 2020.
The graph and map below shows the huge population increase in the East end of the Valley with Indio and Coachella showing the largest gains.
Click here to read the full article: Path of Development: Coachella Valley’s High Growth Areas.
