Coachella, Riverside County
The city of Coachella began as a railroad siding called Woodspur, where mesquite wood was loaded for the Southern Pacific. Residents renamed it in 1901, and according to a widely told story the new name was a misprint of Conchilla, Spanish for the little shells found in the valley soil. The city incorporated in 1946 and is surrounded by date gardens, vineyards and vegetable fields.