Claudia Lua Alvarado has staked her future on the rows of towering date palms behind the home where she lives with her husband and two children in a desert community east of Los Angeles.
It's not solely due to the fleshy, sweet fruit they give each year. Their ample shade and the scenic backdrop they form draw scores of families seeking an event space to host celebrations ranging from weddings to quinceaneras, a traditional coming-of-age event for a girl's 15th birthday observed in Latin American cultures.
Lua Alvarado is one of several dozen owners of small ranches that produce dates and double as event venues catering to the Coachella Valley's predominantly Latino community.
"This is what sells our property," said Lua Alvarado, a 49-year-old fashion designer who bought the 8-acre (3.2-hectare) plot seven years ago. "It feels like we're in Hawaii or some other tropical place."
While the region is known for blistering heat and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that draws thousands of people each year, it's also responsible for more than 80% of the country's dates thanks to the arid climate and ample groundwater, according to the California Date Commission.
