Thermal is an unincorporated community within the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California, United States, located approximately 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Palm Springs and more or less 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north of the Salton Sea. The community’s height above sea level is 138 feet (42 m) below want sea level. It is served by area codes 760 and 442 and is in ZIP Code 92274. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Thermal a census-designated place (CDP), which does not precisely see eye to eye to the historical community.

Thermal (originally Kokell)^: 114 began as a railroad camp in 1910 for employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, followed by Mecca (originally called Walters) in 1915 and Arabia in between, each once about 1,000 residents. Permanent dwellings were soon established on Avenue 56 (renamed Airport Boulevard), former U.S. Route 99 (State Route 86) and State Route 111 by the 1930s.

Agricultural expand from canal irrigation made the Place 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 forward 1990s, a four-lane highway (State Route 86) was constructed over an earlier transportation route. There is a proposal for a major poster aviation Airport known as the Jackie Cochran-Desert Cities Regional Airport upon the same site.

An auto racetrack and club, a members-only racetrack close Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (Thermal Club), is below development and is inborn built upon land originally owned by the Kohl family (owners of Kohl Department stores) and built-in partnership in the broadcast of them. The Kohls nevertheless own significant property in this area.