Indio

Indio

Indio
Home of events like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivals and Stagecoach Music Festival, Indio has carved out its niche as the desert’s the City of Festivals.

It rose in the late 19th century as a railroad town and flourished as an agriculture hub. After the Southern Pacific railroad tracks reached the area from Los Angeles in 1876, workers named the station Indio, Spanish for ‘Indian’ and a nod to the Cahuilla people who had long inhabited the land.

In 1907, the USDA set up its Date Station here to study the important Middle Eastern fruit. By the ’20s, the groves had become a tourism magnet, and one of the first festivals was born to fete the annual harvest.
In 1930, it became the first Coachella Valley City incorporated. Today, it is the largest, fasted-growing city in eastern Riverside County, serving as the region’s center for business, government, and entertainment, with a focus on arts, food, sporting events, and cultural activities that foster valley-wide tourism.

Personality Profile
Indio is as much at home with agriculture as world-recognized entertainment, blue-blooded polo tournaments, and gaming. The increasing popularity of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festivals and Stagecoach Music Festival, as well as the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, Southwest Art Festival, and the International Tamale Festival draw thousands of visitors each year.

Fun Facts
Indio is historically significant as Coachella Valley’s oldest and fast-growing city and also served as the site for the region’s first railroad depot Other favorite Indio attractions include Empire Polo Club, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Shields Date Garden, and the Cabazon Cultural Museum.