Discovered in 1774 by a Spanish explorer, this site was dubbed Agua Caliente (hot water). One hundred years later, it was the location of a stagecoach stop and a drowsy, one-store railroad town. Today, after a second hundred years, Palm Springs is known as "America's premier desert resort." Originally the domain of the Cahuilla, the city has been laid out in a checkerboard pattern, with nearly every other square mile still owned by the tribe.