What Desert Recreation District does

Desert Recreation District (DRD) is a California special district — an independent local government entity founded in 1950 and headquartered at 45305 Oasis Street, Indio — that delivers parks and recreation services across the Coachella Valley. It operates 17+ community centers, 6 aquatic facilities (Bagdouma Pool, Cathedral City High School Pool, Fritz Burns Pool, Lake Cahuilla Pool, Mecca Community Pool, and Pawley Pool), parks spanning 13 communities, a tiered trail system (Easy, Moderate, Hard, OHV), and the Golf Center at Palm Desert, which hosts First Tee - Coachella Valley. Sub-brands include the District Gymnastics Academy (housed at the Indio Community Center) and Pawley Pool Family Aquatic Complex, the district's longest-running facility dating to the 1950s.

The district is funded primarily through property taxes and assessments levied within its statutory service area, supplemented by program and activity fees (swim lessons, sports leagues, fitness classes, gymnastics, martial arts, dance, camps), facility rental income (community centers, pools, meeting rooms, sports facilities), and limited advertising sold through activity guides and the website. Pricing is unit-based and accessible — for example, $3 per child and $4 per adult pool entry, with children under three free, and $15 per vehicle for Lake Cahuilla holiday operations. Programs and rentals are enrolled through a self-serve Fast Track Activity Registration system on the Streamline website platform, with marketing distributed via activity guides, email newsletters, Facebook, Instagram, board meetings, and community events.

DRD serves four primary customer segments — families and children, active adults and seniors, individuals with disabilities (supported by a designated ADA Coordinator and Aira integration), and community organizations — across 14+ communities including Indio, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Cathedral City, Coachella, Mecca, Thermal, Thousand Palms, North Shore, Bermuda Dunes, Indio Hills, Oasis, Rancho Mirage, and Shumway Ranch. Governance is by an elected Board of Directors with meetings held twice monthly at the Indio Community Center, and strategic direction is set by the 2020 Parks & Recreation Master Plan and 2022 DRD Strategic Plan. Active capital projects include the Metro 8 Theater conversion into a gymnastics/recreation center, the Thermal Community Park development, and walking-path lighting at Thousand Palms Community Park.

Name

Desert Recreation District

Legal name

Desert Recreation District

Website

https://myrecreationdistrict.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Desert Recreation District is a California special district that operates community centers, pools, parks, trails, and recreation programs across 14+ Coachella Valley communities, funded primarily by property taxes and program fees and serving families, seniors, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parks and Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Parks and recreation
• Community recreation programs
• Aquatic facilities
• Recreation facility rentals
• Special district services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Program and Activity Fees: Revenue generated from fees for recreation programs including swim lessons, sports leagues, fitness classes, gymnastics, martial arts, dance, camps, and other activities. Entry fees collected at pools and facilities.
2. Facility Rentals: Rental fees for community centers, pools, meeting rooms, and sports facilities for private events, celebrations, and sporting competitions.
3. Property Tax Revenue: As a special district, receives funding through property taxes and assessments from residents within its service boundaries.
4. Advertising: Revenue from advertisers wanting to reach the district's community members through activity guides and website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Desert Recreation District is a California public special district that develops and manages parks, pools, community centers, and recreation programs across the Coachella Valley. It provides year-round recreation activities, aquatic facilities, trails, and facility rentals to residents.

Product overview

Desert Recreation District provides community recreation services across the Coachella Valley through a network of programs, facilities, and parks. The District operates a unified portfolio of recreation services organized around: (1) core Programs & Activities including sports, fitness, aquatics, arts, senior services, and youth camps; (2) Facilities including community centers, pools, and the specialized Golf Center at Palm Desert; (3) Parks & Trails spanning 13 communities; and (4) Facility Rentals for events and gatherings. Key facilities include the Indio Community Center (largest facility with gymnastics academy), Pawley Pool (oldest aquatic complex since 1950s), La Quinta Community Fitness Center (state-of-the-art equipment), and the Golf Center at Palm Desert (home of First Tee - Coachella Valley). The District also manages development projects including the Metro 8 Theater Conversion and Thermal Community Park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recreation Programs & Activities Year-round community recreation programs including Active Adult & Senior Programs, Adaptive/Therapeutic Sports, Art & Music, Camps & After School, Community Events, Dance, Golf, Gymnastics, Health & Fitness, Martial Arts, Movies, Outdoors, Special Interest, Sports, Swim & Water, and Tot Programs serving Coachella Valley residents.
• Facilities (Centers & Pools) Community centers, aquatic facilities, and recreation centers across multiple Coachella Valley communities including Indio Community Center, La Quinta Community Fitness Center, Palm Desert Community Center & Gymnasium, and six aquatic locations with pools for swimming, water fitness, and youth lessons.
• Parks & Trails Parks and outdoor recreation areas across multiple communities plus trails for Easy, Moderate, Hard, and OHV use spanning the Coachella Valley communities.
• Facility & Venue Rentals Rental options for pools, parties & celebrations, events & holidays, sports & athletics, and meetings & banquets across District facilities.
• Golf Center at Palm Desert 9-Hole Par 3 golf course with driving ranges, putting greens, chipping bunkers, private lessons, and free clinics; home of the First Tee - Coachella Valley.
• District Gymnastics Academy Gymnastics training programs housed at the Indio Community Center, offering instruction and competitive opportunities in gymnastics.
• Pawley Pool Family Aquatic Complex The District's longest-running facility since the 1950s, offering swim lessons, water polo, aquatic aerobics, and open swim with a large pool (3,750 sq. ft.), two 9-foot slides, wading pool, splash pad, and child frog slide.
• Ready Set Swim! Jr. Swimming program for children in the Coachella Valley promoting water safety and swimming skills.
• Cooling Centers Cooling center facilities available to residents during hot weather conditions for heat relief, hydration, and safety.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Tee - Coachella ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Golf Center at Palm Desert serves as home of the First Tee - Coachella Valley, a youth development organization introducing golf and life skills to young people.
• Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRD partners with CVUSD for facility rentals and joint use of facilities. The Jerry Rummonds' Community & Senior Center is operated in partnership with the school district.
• StreamlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider powering the district's website, content management, and online activity registration system.
• AiraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-demand live visual interpreters service provided for ADA compliance to assist users with disabilities access website content.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East Bay Regional Park District: California special district operating a large portfolio of regional parks, trails, and recreation facilities across the East Bay. Highly comparable to DRD as a publicly funded special district providing multi-site parks and recreation services to a defined service population.
• Cleveland Metroparks: Established Ohio park district operating an extensive network of parks, trails, golf courses, and nature centers with a similar mix of recreation programming, facility rentals, and educational offerings. Comparable in scale and breadth of multi-community service.
• Fairfax County Park Authority: Large public park authority operating recreation centers, pools, golf courses, and parks for a defined county population. Directly comparable to DRD's model of tax-funded multi-facility recreation delivery with programming across age groups.
• Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation: County-level parks and recreation department offering community centers, athletic facilities, aquatics, and programming across a multi-jurisdiction service area. Comparable operating model to DRD in terms of public funding, facility diversity, and program breadth.

Regional players

• Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District: Regional park district operating in the same Southern California / Inland Empire region as DRD. Provides comparable parks and open-space services to a wider Riverside County footprint, with overlap in desert park environments and a similar climate-driven operating profile.
• The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: Major nearby nature-based attraction in Palm Desert offering outdoor experiences, trails, and educational programming. Operates in the same Coachella Valley market as DRD and overlaps on outdoor recreation and nature experience offerings for residents and visitors.
• Indian Wells Tennis Garden: Premier tennis and event facility located in the Coachella Valley, offering recreation programming, lessons, and event hosting. A regional adjacent peer that competes for sports and recreation participation in the same geography as DRD's golf, sports, and aquatics programs.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the Desert: Non-profit recreation and fitness organization serving the Coachella Valley with aquatics, fitness, youth, and senior programming. Operates in the same service area as DRD with overlapping program categories (swim, fitness, youth sports), making it a direct functional competitor for membership and program revenue.

Emerging players

• Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley: Local non-profit providing youth development, after-school, and recreation programming in the Coachella Valley. Overlaps with DRD's youth, camp, and after-school segments and competes for the same family and youth programming market.

Others

• Helendale Community Service District: California community services district in the High Desert providing parks and recreation services alongside other public services. Comparable as a small California special district with a similar governance and public-funding model, though at a smaller scale and different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mydrd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desert Recreation District