Rancho Mirage

Anyone who has ever been to the city before would probably be surprised to learn that Rancho Mirage was not incorporated until 1973.  It seems so much more established and settled than that date would lead you to believe. The truth is Rancho Mirage was first settled way back in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Fame for the area did not start until after World War II.  Many of the Elite of Hollywood  (Sinatra, Hope, Fred Astaire, the Marx Brothers and Ginger Rogers  to name a few) began to draw the worlds attention to this beautiful spot in the California Desert.  To this day many streets in the city are named after these stars.

The World also knows about Mission Hills Country Club.  The Dinah Shore/Kraft Lades golf tournament id televised from here every year.  As a Rancho Mirage seasonal or year round resident you can get discounted tee times and golf fees at this great course.

The heart of what makes Rancho Mirage special is the primarily residential nature of the City.  Careful planning has lead to a city filled with just the right amount of commercial, much of it architecturally interesting, many parks and trails and loads of tree lined quiet residential streets.  World class golf, resorts, medical facilities and country clubs fill the rest of the area.  A new public Library is an architectural treat and a great community resource offering entertainment and lecture series year round.

A great mix of homes and condos offers a choice for any taste, any need. From Gated communities offering “weekender” sized condos, large condos up to large Luxury estates there is a home that would be perfect for anyone.  There are even areas that have horse property  such as Clancy Lane.  In addition to the many fine golf communities recent years have seen a few water front communities built. If you are interested in having  water view and a mountain view you can now do so.

New in 2009 will be the totally revamped Ritz Carlton Hotel – high on the hill above Frank Sinatra Drive.  Additionally parking is coming to the popular River Complex.  This complex was built on land surrounding the Post office. A shopping and Dining complex it has been a huge success in the valley.



Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 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 modern settlements date back to the 1920s and 1930s, Rancho Mirage got its claim to fame after World War II. The Annenberg Estate or Sunnylands, owned by philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg, had long been popular with the wealthy and powerful, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mary Martin. Several United States Presidents have vacationed at the Annenberg estate, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Ford later bought a house in Rancho Mirage and was living there at the time of his death in 2006. The Betty Ford Center, a world-renowned addiction rehabilitation center, is located in Rancho Mirage at the Eisenhower Medical Center.Rancho Mirage boasts twelve 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, KSL Resorts' 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 Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs runs the Agua Caliente Casino on the intersection of Bob Hope Drive and Ramon Road off Interstate 10, opened in 2002. The thriving casino is a popular destination for locals, tourists, and gambling enthusiasts. In 2008 the tribal board completed the expansion of the Agua Caliente resort, which includes a 12-story hotel and spa, as well as remodelling the casino and expanding the parking structures. A state-of-the-art theater for top name entertainers will open in the spring of 2009. Though the Agua Caliente Resort and Casino was just outside the border of Rancho Mirage in an unincorporated area, the City of Rancho Mirage included the property as part of the city in an agreement with the tribe so they would have access to police and firefighting services.Rancho Mirage has expanded its economy from one relegated to seasonal, resort-based and low-paying, to include more light industry and commerce by I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad, high-end retail centers like the River shopping complex, opened in 2005 and built around an artificial lake that resembles a castle's moat.