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Iconic Palm Springs Windmill Farm celebrates 40th anniversary

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The Coachella Valley celebrated the 40th anniversary of one of its iconic landmarks, the Palm Springs Windmill Farm.

In 1982, 8 small wind turbines were installed in the outskirts of the North Palm Springs/San Gorgonio area. It would be the first wind farm in Southern California. The farm now has a total of approximately 1,346 wind turbines.

Photo marking local wind turbines in the region (Courtesy of The U.S. Wind Turbine Database)

The windmills become synonymous with our desert, marking a gateway for travelers on Interstate 10. It's been featured in film & TV and has even drawn the ire of a former president.

Perhaps most importantly, it provides clean, renewable energy to the Coachella Valley.

To celebrate, the Palm Springs Windmill Tours held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the wind farm Wednesday afternoon.

The day was filled with complimentary mini-walking tours, jeep tours, and featured new exhibits featuring some of the older wind turbines as a way to highlight its history.

The tours were started in 2014 and allows people to get an up-close and personal look at the towering windmills. It's the only windmill tour in the United States that offers in-depth tours on a private wind farm.

The tour takes approximately one hour and half hours depending on your pace. Click here to book your tour.

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