A school house was raised in 1914, and by 1927 the community had its first newspaper; the Desert Sun, and Palm Springs appeared on the Southern Pacific schedule.
The El Mirador Hotel was completed in 1928 at a cost of $750,000 and provided accommodations for up to 300 guests.

Palm Springs was incorporated as a municipality of the sixth class in 1938, at which time there were 910 registered voters in the area. To Philip L. Boyd went the honor of being the first mayor. In 1942 the village inaugurated a city manager form of government supported by an unsalaried mayor and city council.

World War II brought increased activity to the desert with General George S. Patton Jr. directing swiftly moving tank corps, training for what was to be a rehearsal for the invasion of North African deserts. The El Mirador Hotel and grounds were requisitioned and turned into Torney General Hospital in time to receive the wounded from the battlefields of the word. An air field was established with two mile long runways, which would later become Palm Springs Airport.

The cessation of the hostilities found Palm Springs returning to its pre-war resort status, and the growth of this desert area has exploded since 1945. The assessed valuation has risen from $8,000 in 1945 to $4,117,000,000. One nine-hole golf course was the boast of the village in 1945. Now more than 85 golf courses, 600 tennis courts, and 10,000 swimming pools dot the desert landscape in the greater Palm Springs resort area.