Thermal began as a railroad camp in 1910 for employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, followed by Mecca in 1915 and Arabia in between, each with about 1,000 residents. Permanent dwellings were soon established on Avenue 56, former U.S. Route 99 and State Route 111 by the 1930s. Agricultural development from canal irrigation made the area thrive in greenery by the 1950s, followed by the former Camp Young U.S. Naval Air station converted into Thermal Airport by 1965. In the early 1990s, a four-lane highway was constructed over an earlier transportation route. There is a proposal for a major commercial aviation Airport known as the Jackie Cochran-Desert Cities Regional Airport in the same site. An auto racetrack and club, a members-only racetrack near Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, is under development, and is being built on land originally owned by the Kohl family and built in partnership with them. The Kohls still own significant property in this area.
Thermal has a desert climate. High mountain ranges on three sides contribute to its unique and year-round warm climate, with some of the warmest winters west of the Rocky Mountains. Its average annual high temperature is and its average annual low is. Summer highs above are common and sometimes exceed, while summer night lows often stay above. Winters are warm with daytime highs often between. The average annual precipitation is under, with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the area was on July 6, 1905. The mean annual temperature is.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Thermal had a population of 2,865. The population density was 303.1 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Thermal was 1,034 White, 28 African American, 30 Native American, 32 Asian, 1 Pacific Islander, 1,685 from other races, and 55 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,730 persons. The Census reported that 2,863 people lived in households, 2 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized. There were 684 households, out of which 452 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 410 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 113 had a female householder with no husband present, 87 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 61 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 6 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 55 households were made up of individuals and 19 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.19. There were 610 families ; the average family size was 4.36. The population was spread out with 1,070 people under the age of 18, 316 people aged 18 to 24, 781 people aged 25 to 44, 502 people aged 45 to 64, and 196 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.5 males. There were 761 housing units at an average density of 80.5 per square mile, of which 269 were owner-occupied, and 415 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 1,162 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,701 people lived in rental housing units.
The Thermal Club is a private motorsports facility situated on south of Thermal. This private country club for automotive enthusiasts plans to build a with 300 lots for member-owned garages and villas. the first was in use by early members and for media and promotional events with 2 more courses planned.
