What is the population of Desert Center, California?

Desert Center has a population of approximately 144 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Desert Center, California located?

Desert Center is located in California, United States, at approximate coordinates 33.7378°, -115.3666°.

What is the median household income in Desert Center?

The median household income in Desert Center is approximately $73,393 based on the most recent open data.

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Desert Center

CaliforniaCDP

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Desert Center

Total population

144

Median home value

$216,100

18.9%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$73,393

Desert Center$73k

National$74k

Elevation656 m

Land area78.8 km²

Weather97°F · Sunny

Coordinates33.74°, -115.37°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Elevation

656 m

Area

78.8 km²

Official website

DesertCenter.govoffice.com

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Desert Center is a census-designated place in the Colorado Desert in Riverside County, California. It is in southern California, between the cities of Indio and Blythe at the junction of Interstate 10 and State Route 177, about halfway between Phoenix and Los Angeles. The ZIP Code is 92239, and the community is in telephone area codes 442 and 760. The elevation is 656 feet (200 m). The population was 256 at the 2020 census.

History & geography

History

The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen Albert Ragsdale, also known as "Desert Steve", and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to some business in Los Angeles. The road between Phoenix and Los Angeles was mostly sand, and Ragsdale's vehicle broke down near a place called Gruendyke's Well. This featured a hand-dug well and was inhabited by a prospector named Bill Gruendyke. Gruendyke rescued Ragsdale and gave him food, shelter, and water until his vehicle was repaired and he could resume his journey to Los Angeles. Upon his return, Ragsdale bought out Gruendyke and moved his family to the remote spot, where they constructed a small shack with a lean-to that served as a repair garage. A Model T truck was modified to serve as a tow car. Gasoline was pumped by hand from a 55-gallon drum. Lydia served food and refreshments to thirsty and weary travelers. In spite of the remote location— in any direction from anything—the Ragsdales prospered. Ragsdale named his outpost "Desert Center". In 1921, it was announced that the sand road running through Desert Center would be relocated about north, straightened, paved, and named U.S. Route 60, a modern "high-speed" highway. In March 1926, The San Bernardino Daily Sun reported that 21 miles of grading was being done on a new road from Desert Center to Hopkins Well, changing the location of the desert highway and running over better soil. :"'The old highway there will be abandoned when the new work is completed,' said Mr. [E. Q.] Sullivan [division engineer for the California Highway Commission], 'and we will later surface such stretches of the new road as are necessary.' F. C. Payton is…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of , all of it land. In the vicinity of Desert Center are the Chuckwalla Mountains, Corn Springs, Eagle Mountain (Kaiser Steel's former iron mine), and Chiriaco Summit and museum.

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Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).