Prior to the Gold Rush on the Colorado River, Indian Wells was an Indian village. The name Indian Wells was coined in 1823 and was a thriving route of travel for those looking to capitalize on the Gold Rush.
William Bradshaw was a proud supporter of the movement and built a train line from LA that transported those in search of gold to the dessert. Indian Wells grew in popularity because of this train route but was removed from the line in 1875 due to the advancement of the Southern pacific Railroad which started to run through the Coachella Valley. This was short lived as the Indian Village train station was re-opened in 1876
As traffic within this area began to increase, the County Well was introduced by the County of Riverside in order to provide a new watering point in 1870. in 1875 Army engineers were brought in to examine the possibility of irrigating the Imperial Valley by using the Colorado River.
Soon after, families began to start migrating to Indian Wells and started with a small post office and few country clubs. From then on out Indian Wells has been a land of opportunity and has continued to grow over the years.
Indian Wells Facts
- Population (year 2000): 3,816. Estimated population in July 2004: 4,730 (+24.0% change)
- Males: 1,802 (47.2%), Females: 2,014 (52.8%)
- Zip code: 92210
- Median resident age: 63.4 years
- Median household income: $93,986 (year 2000)
- Median house value: $400,700 (year 2000)
- Ancestries: English (21.5%), German (18.3%), Irish (18.0%), Italian (7.3%), United States (5.7%), Scottish (4.8%).
- Land area: 13.2 square miles
For population 25 years and over in Indian Wells:
- High school or higher: 94.0%
- Bachelor’s degree or higher: 39.4%
- Graduate or professional degree: 14.7%
- Unemployed: 2.6%
- Mean travel time to work (commute): 26.8 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Indian Wells city:
- Never married: 9.2%
- Now married: 70.7%
- Separated: 1.4%
- Widowed: 9.6%
- Divorced: 9.1%
Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Indian Wells:
- College of the Desert
- Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
- Crafton Hills College
- University of Redlands
- Loma Linda University
- University of California-Riverside
- San Bernardino Valley College]
Indian Wells is a community that offers exceptional education, healthcare and overall living environments. This section of Coachella is definitely one of the places to visit if you’re ever in southern California.