Sky Valley was "discovered" during the Colorado River Aqueduct construction by the Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. Many of the early residents were MWD employees who settled in the Wide Canyon area. Dillon Road (allegedly named for an MWD project engineer) was constructed for access to the various tunneling sites. Foundations of one such site, Berdoo Camp, can still be seen off Berdoo Canyon Road.

Most of the tracts in Sky Valley were created by the so-called Jackrabbit Homestead Act of 1938, which offered 5-acre tracts of "worthless land" to those who would build tiny "claim shacks." After World War II, people flocked to buy these parcels, but the realities of desert living and the lack of any utilities meant that many claims were abandoned, and only a few hardy souls actually set up permanent homes.

Over the next few decades those few families formed a community. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors first recognized the boundaries of Sky Valley on April 27, 1970. At that time, the boundaries were Ford Avenue on the west, Thousand Palms Canyon Road on the east, Joshua Tree National Park on the north, and on the south, the northern boundaries of the Thousand Palms area. In 2009 the boundaries were extended westward from Ford to Bennett Road. In total, this amounts to 37 square miles. See the current map HERE.

As air-conditioning became common, as desert living became popular, and as low-desert land became scarcer, developers cast their eyes on Sky Valley. The Sky Valley Homeowners Association was formed in 1982 to oppose a proposed high-density development, and we have continued to oppose such developments. Sky Valley residents have a well earned reputation for mobilizing against forces that threaten the low density, rural life style they cherish.

In October, 2003, the Riverside Board of Supervisors approved a 5 acre minimum for single family residences in Sky Valley as part of their Comprehensive General Plan. This plan is amended every five years, and there will always be those who see Sky Valley as a subdivision waiting to be built, so residents have to be vigilant to keep the 5-acre minimum in force.

In 1993 the Riverside County board of supervisors created the Sky Valley Community Council to hear citizens' concerns. To see some of the threats that Sky Valley residents battled before the Council was formed, click HERE. To see projects the Homeowners Association has worked on since then, click HERE.