Coachella, California

==History==
{{more citations needed|date=April 2019}}
The city was founded as '''Woodspur''' in 1876, when the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] built a [[rail siding]] on the site. In the 1880s the indigenous [[Cahuilla]] tribe sold their land plots to the railroads for new lands east of the current town site, and in the 1890s, a few hundred [[traquero]]s settled along the tracks. In 1901, the citizens of Woodspur voted on a new name for their community and at a town hall meeting settled on "Coachella".

The origin of the name ''Coachella'' is unclear. Some locals believe it was a misspelling of ''conchilla'', a Spanish word for the small white snail shells found in the valley's sandy soil, vestiges of a lake that dried up over 3,000 years ago.

Coachella began as a {{convert|2.5|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} territory gridded out on the mesquite-covered desert floor. Coachella became a city in 1946. During the incorporation voting process, the first city council was tentatively elected.

In the 1950s Coachella begin to expand into its range, about {{convert|32|sqmi|km2}}, an area which contained large year-round agricultural corporate farms and fruit groves, particularly of [[citrus]] (lemons, oranges, grapefruit) and [[date palm]]s.

By the 1980 census, Coachella's population had reached at least 10,000 due to relatively slow population growth. Due to a high percentage of Hispanics in the city, Coachella was a scene of [[Chicano]] political activism. The agricultural area surrounding Coachella was where the [[United Farm Workers]] union staged strikes and protests, including visits by UFW leader [[César Chávez]] in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2018, Harrison Street (the main street in town) was renamed for him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/coachella/2018/05/31/coachellas-harrison-street-renamed-honor-cesar-chavez/661193002/|title=Organizer's 20-year quest to honor Cesar Chavez finds success in Coachella street renaming|website=Desert Sun|access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref>

In 1995, state and federal officials designated Coachella as part of the [[Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone]] to boost economic activity and entice businesses to relocate to this rural city which was once home to several fruit shipping plants.

In 2010, a Coca-Cola bottling facility (a [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] certified building) was added to the city's new light industry facilities, a boon in the rapid-growth community which has a currently troubled economy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100419/BUSINESS/100419031/1006/news01/Coca-Cola+%27s%20Coachella%20facility%20to%20open%20Wednesday%20with%20LEED%20certification|title=Coca-Cola's Coachella facility to open Wednesday with LEED certification|newspaper=Desert Sun|date=April 19, 2010|access-date=2010-04-22}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>