Coachella ( KOH-ə-CHEL-ə, commonly koh-CHEL-ə) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is the namesake and easternmost city of the Coachella Valley, in Southern California's Colorado Desert. Originally a railroad town, Coachella is a prominent hub for agriculture and shipping across Southern California and the Western United States. Coachella today is one of California's fastest-growing cities; when it incorporated in 1946, it had 1,000 residents. By the 2020 Census, the population had grown to 41,941. The city is officially bilingual in English and Spanish, with 90% of residents speaking Spanish.