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Palm Springs from the Museum TrailPhoto: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−History
History · Palm Springs

Palm Springs’ post office opened in 1890, and 33 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #161 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Palm Springs was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 33 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 29 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1940 on, and the census since 1940.

1890first post office
33on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
32famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Palm Springs’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Palm Springs began

When was Palm Springs founded?

1890

The Palm Springs post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Pierce (1898), Gray (1913) and Garnett (1927), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 3,434 in 19402020 census: 44,575136 years

How historic is Palm Springs?

B−

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Palm Springs post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Palm Springs’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palm Springs is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #161 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Palm Springs’ overall grade.
Founding era1890, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19402.5% of homes (±0.6) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register33 listings, 60 historic buildings, 13.3 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 49%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 81%

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Palm Springs’ 13.3 sits above most of its state (93% of California towns have fewer) while its 60 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Palm Springs’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register33 places on the National Register.Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Palm Springs, and 5 old place names are still on the map.Famous sons and daughtersAlison Lohman, Cameron Crowe and 30 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

33 historic places in Palm Springs

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
33
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
60
each building in a district counts
first listed
2011
Thomas O'Donnell House
Thomas O'Donnell HouseCarey HouseFire Station No. 1, built 1955Frey House II, built 1964Palm Springs Tramway Valley StationSieroty HouseTramway Gas StationKocher-Samson Building, built 1934Loewy HousePalm Springs City HallDr. Franz Alexander House, built 1956First Church of Christ, ScientistHamrick HouseCoachella Valley Savings No. 1Coachella Valley Savings No. 2Edris HouseFrank Sinatra HouseKoerner House, built 1955Palm Springs Desert Museum, built 1938Palm Springs Unified School District Educational Administrative CenterSanta Fe Federal Savings and Loan AssociationArthur Elrod House, built 1968Smith, Maurice, and Dinah Shore HouseWexler HouseKrisel Tract Home, 1882 S. Caliente Road (APN 511032005-9)Grace Lewis Miller HouseBel Vista HouseDesert Golf CourseRiviera GardensPalm Springs Municipal Airport TerminalBel Vista House at 1150 N. Calle RolphSandcliffPlaza Theatre
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Colonial Revival1
Monterey Style1
Thomas O'Donnell HouseLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Carey HouseBuilding
Fire Station No. 1Built 1955
Frey House IIBuilt 1964
Palm Springs Tramway Valley StationBuilding
Sieroty HouseBuilding
Tramway Gas StationBuilding
Kocher-Samson BuildingBuilt 1934
All 33 listings
Loewy HouseBuilding · listed 2015Palm Springs City HallBuilding · listed 2015Dr. Franz Alexander HouseBuilding · listed 2016First Church of Christ, ScientistBuilding · listed 2016Hamrick HouseBuilding · listed 2016Coachella Valley Savings No. 1Building · listed 2016Coachella Valley Savings No. 2Building · listed 2016Edris HouseBuilding · listed 2016Frank Sinatra HouseBuilding · listed 2016Koerner HouseBuilding · listed 2016Palm Springs Desert MuseumBuilding · listed 2016Palm Springs Unified School District Educational Administrative CenterBuilding · listed 2016Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan AssociationBuilding · listed 2016Arthur Elrod HouseBuilding · listed 2016Smith, Maurice, and Dinah Shore HouseBuilding · listed 2019Wexler HouseBuilding · listed 2019Krisel Tract Home, 1882 S. Caliente Road (APN 511032005-9)Building · listed 2019Grace Lewis Miller HouseBuilding · listed 2020Bel Vista HouseBuilding · listed 2020Desert Golf CourseDistrict · listed 2020Riviera GardensDistrict · listed 2021Palm Springs Municipal Airport TerminalBuilding · listed 2021Bel Vista House at 1150 N. Calle RolphBuilding · listed 2024SandcliffDistrict · listed 2025Plaza TheatreBuilding · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Palm Springs’s post office has been open since 1890. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Palm Springs
1890–today
Pierce
1898–1902
Gray
1913–1918
Garnett
1927–1927
Garnet
1930–1943
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Carefree Mobile VillageDorado Mobile Home ParkGarnetMahoney Trailer ParkSalvia
Gone or out of use
Palm Springs Army Air FieldmilitaryPalm Springs Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Palm Springs
Jane Augustine PatencioWelwood Murray

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Famous people

32 famous people were born in Palm Springs

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Alison LohmanAmerican actress · b. 1979
Cameron CroweAmerican filmmaker and journalist · b. 1957
C
Candi MiloAmerican voice actress · b. 1961
Tyler HiltonAmerican singer-songwriter and actor · b. 1983
Michael IrbyAmerican actor · b. 1972
J
Jesse JamesAmerican actor · b. 1989
The story

How Palm Springs came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Palm Springs.

Read it all →

The first humans to settle in the area were the Cahuilla people, who arrived 2,000 years ago. Cahuilla Indians lived here in isolation from other cultures for hundreds of years prior to European contact. They spoke Ivilyuat, which is a Uto-Aztecan language.

Numerous prominent and powerful Cahuilla leaders were from the area, including Cahuilla Lion (Chief Juan Antonio). Palm Canyon was occupied during the winter months, but they often moved to cooler Chino Canyon during the summer months.

ChaptersFounding20th centuryToday

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Palm Springs in 1912

Passages that mention Palm Springs, cut from the printed page as they were published.

PALM SPRINGS The little settlement of Palm Springs is not located in the San Qorgonio Pass, but is nestled close to the San Jacinto mountains, about five miles distant from the Palm Springs railroad station.
History of Riverside County, California1912 · page 215Read the page →
Read the text

PALM SPRINGS The little settlement of Palm Springs is not located in the San Qorgonio Pass, but is nestled close to the San Jacinto mountains, about five miles distant from the Palm Springs railroad station.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
About the middle of the '80s white people began to take interest in the possibilities of raising early fruits at the oasis, and about 1887 there were two places flourishing as rivals in the vicinity of Palm Springs. The present town was one, and the loser in the race was Palm Dale. This was about t…
History of Riverside County, California1912 · page 216Read the page →
Read the text

About the middle of the '80s white people began to take interest in the possibilities of raising early fruits at the oasis, and about 1887 there were two places flourishing as rivals in the vicinity of Palm Springs. The present town was one, and the loser in the race was Palm Dale. This was about three miles east of Palm Springs, a company of Riverside capitalists gaining control of 160 acres and attempting to build there a town. They planted about 100 acres to oranges, obtaining water from the Whitewater river by

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Palm Springs, 1890 to 1979

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890In the archiveGardens, El Mirador Hotel
  3. 1890Post officeThe Palm Springs post office opens
  4. 1898Post officeThe Pierce post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900In the archivePalm Springs view from Tahquitz Canyon, ca.1900 (CHS-2687)
  7. 1902Post officeThe Pierce post office closes
  8. 1913Post officeThe Gray post office opens
  9. 1918Post officeThe Gray post office closes
  10. 1926In the archivePalm Canyon, near Palm Springs, Calif
  11. 1934BuiltKocher-Samson Building is built
  12. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1955BuiltFire Station No. 1 is built
  14. 1956BuiltDr. Franz Alexander House is built
  15. 1957In the archivePalm Springs 1957
  16. 1957Born hereCameron Crowe is born here
  17. 1961Born hereCandi Milo is born here
  18. 1964BuiltFrey House II is built
  19. 1973In the archivePalm springs 1973
  20. 1979Born hereAlison Lohman is born here
By decade

Palm Springs, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1920s5 items
Gardens, El Mirador Hotel1890Gardens, El Mirador HotelMt. San Jacinto from Two Bunch Palms, near Palm Springs, California1890Mt. San Jacinto from Two Bunch Palms, near Palm Sprin…Mt. San Jacinto and Chino Canyon from the City Gates1890Mt. San Jacinto and Chino Canyon from the City GatesPalm Springs view from Tahquitz Canyon, ca.1900 (CHS-2687)c. 1900Palm Springs view from Tahquitz Canyon, ca.1900 (CHS-…Palm Canyon, near Palm Springs, Calif1926Palm Canyon, near Palm Springs, Calif
1950s–1990s3 items
Palm Springs 19571957Palm Springs 1957Palm springs 19731973Palm springs 1973Douglas Coupland in Palm Springs 19901990Douglas Coupland in Palm Springs 1990
Today20 recent
City Hall2013City HallCity Hall2013City HallCity Hall2013City HallThe Palm Springs Art Museum, formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum2013The Palm Springs Art Museum, formerly the Palm Spring…The Rainmaker Fountain2013The Rainmaker FountainEdward S. Curtis Collection Modern houses at Palm Springs - Cahuilla2011Edward S. Curtis Collection Modern houses at Palm Spr…Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company2009Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Constr…Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company2009Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Constr…Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company2009Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Constr…Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company2009Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Constr…Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Construction Company2009Mid-century modern home built by the Alexander Constr…Elvis Presley honeymoon house2009Elvis Presley honeymoon houseElvis Presley honeymoon house2009Elvis Presley honeymoon houseSt. Theresa's Catholic Church2009St. Theresa's Catholic ChurchBank of America Building2009Bank of America BuildingMichael S. Wolfson Park2009Michael S. Wolfson ParkHome of Liberace2009Home of LiberaceCity Hall2009City HallCity Hall2009City HallCity Hall2009City Hall
On the map

Palm Springs on the map, 1940 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Palm Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Palm Springs on the 1940 USGS mapPalm Springs on the 1957 USGS mapPalm Springs on the 1972 USGS mapPalm Springs on the 1980 USGS mapPalm Springs on the 1996 USGS map1940Palm Springs sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Palm Springs.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Gardens, El Mirador Hotel
Retake this viewGardens, El Mirador Hotel, 1890

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Palm Springs’ page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Palm Springs, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,0001940196019802000202044,575

Grew from 3,434 people in 1940 to 44,575 in 2020, more than tenfold.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Palm Springs’ Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Palm Springs’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGardens, El Mirador Hotel: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cathedral CityIts storyDDesert Hot Springs1 historic placeC−Rancho Mirage1 historic placeC−WhitewaterIts storyD

Questions about Palm Springs’ history

What year was Palm Springs founded?

The Palm Springs post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Palm Springs rank for history?

Palm Springs is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #161 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Palm Springs?

33 listings: 30 buildings, among them the Thomas O'Donnell House (listed 2011, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Desert Golf Course, the Riviera Gardens and the Sandcliff, with 29 contributing buildings. 60 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Palm Springs?

3% of Palm Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1977.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the Library of Congress (22), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (33), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.