Thermal, California
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Thermal is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
within the
Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...
in
Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...
, United States, located approximately southeast of
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...
and about north of the
Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...
. The community's elevation is below
mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...
. It is served by
area codes 760 and 442 Area code 760 is a California telephone area code that was split from area code 619 on March 22, 1997. Area code 442 is an overlay of 760 that became effective on November 21, 2009. It encompasses much of the southeastern and southernmost porti ...
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 A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP), which does not precisely correspond to the historical community.


History

Thermal (originally Kokell) began as a railroad camp in 1910 for employees of the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
, followed by
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
(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 Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located in the southeastern Coachella Valley, 20  nautical miles (23  mi, 37  km) southeast of the ...
on the same site. An auto racetrack and club, a members-only racetrack near Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (Thermal Club), is under development and is being built on land originally owned by the Kohl family (owners of Kohl Department stores) and built-in partnership with them. The Kohls still own significant property in this area.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the CDP covers an area of 9.5  square miles (25.5  km), all of its land.


Climate

Thermal has a
desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(''BWh'' according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
). 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 and its average annual low is . Summer highs above occur on average 28 days per year and exceed every other year. Summer nights often stay above . Winters are warm with daytime highs rarely below , although light freezes happen every year. The average annual precipitation is under , with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the area was on July 28, 1995 and the coldest is on December 23, 1990.


Demographics

The
2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
reported that Thermal had a population of 2,865. The population density was . The racial makeup of Thermal was 1,034 (36.1%)
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 28 (1.0%)
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 30 (1.0%) Native American, 32 (1.1%)
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1 (0.0%)
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1,685 (58.8%) from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 55 (1.9%) from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
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 Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(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 , 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

There are several schools in the
Coachella Valley Unified School District The Coachella Valley Unified School District is a public school district in Riverside County, California, United States, with headquarters in Thermal. The District serves a area, including the cities of Coachella, Indio (southern portion) and ...
that are in and near the community. These include schools in Salton City, 20 miles south of Coachella, in
Imperial County, California Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern Californi ...
. 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 Desert Mirage High School is a public high school for grades 9–12. It is located in Thermal, California. The school is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District The Coachella Valley Unified School District is a public school district ...
(9-12),
West Shores High School West Shores High School is a public high school for grades 7–12. It is located in Salton City, California Salton City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. It is the largest Imperial County development on the Salt ...
(9-12) and La Familia Continuation High (9-12).
College of the Desert College of the Desert (COD) is a public community college in Palm Desert, California. COD enrolls about 12,500 students, of which around one third attend college full-time. It serves the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The college is federa ...
, a community college based in
Palm Desert Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has been ...
has opened a new satellite campus, the East Valley Educational Center, on the corner of 62nd Avenue and Buchanan Street.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located in the southeastern Coachella Valley, 20 nautical miles (23 mile, mi, 37 kilometre, km) southe ...
(formerly Thermal Airport) is located about 1.6 miles southwest of the community. The
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
owns and operates the former
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
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 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
in
Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índio ...
.


Cemeteries

The Toro Cemetery is located on Monroe Street. The
Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Imperial and Riverside counties in California.


Thermal Club

The Thermal Club is a private motorsports facility situated on south of Thermal. This private country club for automotive enthusiasts plans to build a with 300 lots for member-owned garages and villas. the first was in use by early members and for media and promotional events with two more courses planned.


References

* 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


External links

* {{authority control
Census-designated places in Riverside County, California Populated places in the Colorado Desert Coachella Valley Census-designated places in California