Riverside County, California


Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,189,641, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the United States. The name was derived from the city of Riverside, which is the county seat.
Riverside County is included in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Inland Empire. The county is also included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach Combined Statistical Area.
Roughly rectangular, Riverside County covers in Southern California, spanning from the greater Los Angeles area to the Arizona border. Geographically, the county is mostly desert in the central and eastern portions, but has a Mediterranean climate in the western portion. Most of Joshua Tree National Park is located in the county. The resort cities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, and Desert Hot Springs are all located in the Coachella Valley region of central Riverside County.
Between 2007 and 2011, large numbers of Los Angeles-area workers moved to the county to take advantage of more affordable housing. Along with neighboring San Bernardino County, it was one of the fastest growing regions in the state prior to the recent changes in the regional economy. In addition, smaller, but significant, numbers of people have been moving into southwest Riverside County from the San Diego metropolitan area. The cities of Temecula and Murrieta accounted for 20% of the increase in population of the county between 2000 and 2007.

History

Etymology

When Riverside County was formed in 1893 it was named for the city of Riverside, the county seat. The city, founded in 1870, received its name for its location beside the Santa Ana River.

Early history

The indigenous peoples of what is now Riverside County are the Luiseño, Cupeño and Cahuilla Indians. The Luiseño territory includes the Aguanga and Temecula Basins, Elsinore Trough and eastern Santa Ana Mountains and southward into San Diego County. The Cahuilla territory is to the east and north of the Luiseño in the inland valleys, in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains and the desert of the Salton Sink.
The first European settlement in the county was a Mission San Luis Rey de Francia estancia or farm at the Luiseño village of Temescal. In 1819, the Mission granted Leandro Serrano permission to occupy the land for the purpose of grazing and farming, and Serrano established Rancho Temescal. Serrano was mayordomo of San Antonio de Pala Asistencia for the Mission of San Luis Rey.
With the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba in 1821, Mexico gained its independence form Spain, but the San Gabriel Mission near what is now Los Angeles, California, continued to expand, and established Rancho San Gorgonio in 1824. The ranch was to be one of the Mission's principle rancherias, and the most distant, and it occupied most of today's San Gorgonio Pass area.
Following Mexico's confiscation of Mission lands in 1833, a series of rancho land grants were made throughout the state. In the Riverside County this included; Rancho Jurupa in 1838, El Rincon in 1839, Rancho San Jacinto Viejo in 1842, Rancho San Jacinto y San Gorgonio in 1843, Ranchos La Laguna, Pauba, Temecula in 1844, Ranchos Little Temecula, Potreros de San Juan Capistrano in 1845, Ranchos San Jacinto Sobrante, La Sierra, La Sierra, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero in 1846.
New Mexican colonists founded the town of La Placita on the east side of the Santa Ana River at the northern extremity of what is now the city of Riverside in 1843.
When the initial 27 California counties were established in 1850, the area today known as Riverside County was divided between Los Angeles County and San Diego County. In 1853, the eastern part of Los Angeles County was used to create San Bernardino County. Between 1891 and 1893, several proposals and legislative attempts were put forth to form new counties in Southern California. These proposals included one for a Pomona County and one for a San Jacinto County. None of the proposals were adopted until a measure to create Riverside County was signed by Governor Henry H. Markham on March 11, 1893.

County history

The new county was created from parts of San Bernardino County and San Diego County. On May 2, 1893, seventy percent of voters approved the formation of Riverside County. Voters chose the city of Riverside as the county seat, also by a large margin. Riverside County was officially formed on May 9, 1893, when the Board of Commissioners filed the final canvass of the votes.
Riverside County is the birthplace of lane markings, thanks to Dr. June McCarroll in 1915 when she suggested her idea to the state government.
The county is also the location of the March Air Reserve Base, one of the oldest airfields continuously operated by the United States military. Established as the Alessandro Flying Training Field in February 1918, it was one of thirty-two U.S. Army Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. The airfield was renamed March Field the following month for 2d Lieutenant Peyton C. March, Jr., the recently deceased son of the then-Army Chief of Staff, General Peyton C. March, who was killed in an air crash in Texas just fifteen days after being commissioned. March Field remained an active Army Air Service, then U.S. Army Air Corps installation throughout the interwar period, later becoming a major installation of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Renamed March Air Force Base in 1947 following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force, it was a major Strategic Air Command installation throughout the Cold War. In 1996, it was transferred to the Air Force Reserve Command and gained its current name as a major base for the Air Force Reserve and the California Air National Guard.
Riverside county was a major focal point of the Civil Rights Movements in the US, especially the African-American sections of Riverside and heavily Mexican-American communities of the Coachella Valley visited by Cesar Chavez of the farm labor union struggle.
Riverside county has also been a focus of modern Native American Gaming enterprises. In the early 1980s, the county government attempted to shut down small bingo halls operated by the Morongo Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians and the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. The tribes joined forces and fought the county all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in the tribes' favor on February 25, 1987. In turn, Congress enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 to establish a legal framework for the relationship between Indian gaming and state governments. Naturally, both tribes now operate large casinos in the county: the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa and the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino adjacent to Spotlight 29 Casino.
The county's population surpassed one million people in 1990 when the current trend of high population growth as a major real estate destination began in the 1970s. Once strictly a place for long distance commuters to L.A. and later Orange County, the county and city of Riverside started becoming more of a place to establish new or relocated offices, corporations and finance centers in the late 1990s and 2000s. More light industry, manufacturing and truck distribution centers became major regional employers in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the fourth-largest county in California by area. At roughly wide in the east-west dimension, the area of the county is massive. Riverside County, California is roughly the size of the State of New Jersey in total area. County government documents frequently cite the Colorado River town of Blythe as being a "three-hour drive" from the county seat, Riverside. Some view the areas west of San Gorgonio Pass as the Inland Empire portion of the county and the eastern part as either the Mojave Desert or Colorado Desert portion. There are probably at least three geomorphic provinces: the Inland Empire western portion, the Santa Rosa Mountains communities such as Reinhardt Canyon, and the desert region. Other possible subdivisions include tribal lands, the Colorado River communities, and the Salton Sea.

Flora and fauna

There is a diversity of flora and fauna within Riverside County. Vegetative plant associations feature many desert flora, but there are also forested areas within the county. The California endemic Blue oak, Quercus douglasii is at the southernmost part of its range in Riverside County.

National protected areas

There are 19 official wilderness areas in Riverside County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Some are integral parts of the above protected areas, most are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management, and some share management between the BLM and the relevant other agencies. Some extend into neighboring counties:

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Riverside County had a population of 2,189,641. The racial makeup of Riverside County was 1,335,147 White, 140,543 African American, 23,710 Native American, 130,468 Asian, 6,874 Pacific Islander, 448,235 from other races, and 104,664 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 995,257 persons ; 39.5% of Riverside County is Mexican, 0.8% Salvadoran, 0.7% Honduran, 0.6% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Cuban, and 0.2% Nicaraguan.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,545,387 people, 506,218 households, and 372,576 families residing in the county. The population density was 214 people per square mile. There were 584,674 housing units at an average density of 81 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 65.6% White, 6.2% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 18.7% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. 36.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.2% were of German, 6.9% English, 6.1% Irish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 67.2% spoke English and 27.7% Spanish as their first language.
In 2006 the county had a population of 2,026,803, up 31.2% since 2000. In 2005 45.8% of the population was non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of African Americans, Asians and Native Americans remained relatively similar to their 2000 figures. The percentage of Pacific Islanders had majorly risen to 0.4. Hispanics now constituted 41% of the population.
There were 506,218 households, out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.5.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,887, and the median income for a family was $48,409. Males had a median income of $38,639 versus $28,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,689. About 10.7% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and law enforcement

Government

Riverside County is organized as a General Law County under the provision of the California Government Code. The county has five supervisorial districts, and one supervisor is elected from each district every four years.
In 1999, the County Board of Supervisors approved a multimillion-dollar planning effort to create the Riverside County Integrated Plan which was to encompass a completely new General Plan, regional transportation plan and Habitat Conservation Plan. The resultant General Plan adopted in 2003 was considered groundbreaking for its multidisciplinary approach to land use and conservation planning.

Courts

The Riverside Superior Court is the state trial court for Riverside County with 14 courthouses: Riverside Historic Courthouse, Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside Family Law Court, Riverside Juvenile Court, Southwest Justice Center – Murrieta, Moreno Valley Court, Banning Court, Hemet Court, Corona Court, Temecula Court, Larson Justice Center – Indio, Indio Juvenile Court, Palm Springs Court and Blythe Court.
The main courthouse is the Riverside Historic Courthouse. This landmark, erected in 1903, was modeled after the Grand and Petit Palais in Paris, France. The courthouse, designed by Los Angeles architects Burnham and Bliesner, has a classical design – including a great hall that connects all the departments. In 1994, the courthouse was closed for seismic retrofits due to the 1992 Landers and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. The courthouse was reopened and rededicated in September 1998.
Riverside County hands down 1 in 6 death sentences in the US, in spite of it having less than 1% of the population.

Law enforcement

Sheriff

The Riverside County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for all of Riverside County. It provides patrol, detective, and other police services for the unincorporated areas of the county plus by contract to the cities and towns of Coachella, Eastvale, Indian Wells, Jurupa Valley, La Quinta, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Norco, Palm Desert, Perris, Rancho Mirage, San Jacinto, Temecula and Wildomar.

Municipal Police

Municipal departments within the county are Banning, Beaumont, Blythe, Calimesa, Cathedral City, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet, Indio, Menifee, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Riverside, Riverside Community College.

Politics

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Riverside has historically been regarded as a Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. In 1932, it was one of only two counties on the entire Pacific coast of the United States to vote for Hoover over Roosevelt. In 2008, Barack Obama narrowly carried the county, becoming the first Democrat to do so since Bill Clinton in 1992, and only the fourth to do so since Roosevelt's national landslide of 1936. In 2012, Obama again carried the county, this time with a plurality of the vote.
YearGOPDEMOthers
201644.35% 333,24349.73% 373,6955.92% 44,453
201247.97% 318,12749.62% 329,0632.40% 15,926
200847.90% 310,04150.21% 325,0171.89% 12,241
200457.83% 322,47341.04% 228,8061.13% 6,300
200051.42% 231,95544.90% 202,5763.68% 16,596
199645.61% 178,61143.05% 168,57911.34% 44,423
199237.06% 159,45738.64% 166,24124.30% 104,577
198859.46% 199,97939.58% 133,1220.97% 3,247
198463.48% 182,32435.53% 102,0430.99% 2,835
198059.87% 145,64231.51% 76,6508.63% 20,986
197649.24% 97,77448.46% 96,2282.29% 4,556
197258.00% 108,12038.41% 71,5913.59% 6,693
196852.90% 83,41438.78% 61,1468.31% 13,110
196443.14% 61,16556.79% 80,5280.07% 95
196056.15% 65,85543.38% 50,8770.46% 544
195662.16% 56,76637.34% 34,0980.51% 465
195265.08% 51,69233.93% 26,9480.99% 788
194855.66% 32,20940.28% 23,3054.06% 2,350
194453.94% 23,16845.26% 19,4390.81% 346
194051.39% 21,77947.20% 20,0031.41% 598
193648.89% 16,67449.88% 17,0111.24% 422
193250.20% 14,11245.37% 12,7554.43% 1,245
192877.94% 17,60021.12% 4,7690.94% 212
192461.99% 9,6198.49% 1,31829.51% 4,579
192069.55% 9,12421.33% 2,7989.12% 1,196
191654.64% 7,45233.44% 4,56111.92% 1,626
19121.23% 12429.33% 2,96369.45% 7,016
190857.24% 3,22924.36% 1,37418.40% 1,038
190465.23% 2,63816.77% 67818.00% 728
190061.14% 2,32929.77% 1,1349.08% 346
189653.06% 2,06343.31% 1,6843.63% 141

In the United States House of Representatives, Riverside County is split between 4 congressional districts:
In the California State Senate, the county is split between 3 legislative districts:
In the California State Assembly, the county is split between 7 legislative districts:
Riverside County voted 64.8% in favor of Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Education

Universities and colleges

Major highways

Public transportation

Amtrak trains stop in Riverside and Palm Springs, and Amtrak California provides bus connections to the San Joaquins in Riverside, Beaumont, Palm Springs, Thousand Palms, Indio, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City, and Hemet.
Metrolink trains serve nine stations in Riverside County: Riverside-Downtown, Riverside-La Sierra, North Main-Corona, West Corona, Jurupa Valley/Pedley, Hunter Park/UCR, March Field-Moreno Valley, Perris-Downtown, and Perris-South. These trains provide service to Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties seven days a week, with a primarily commuter-oriented schedule.

Airports

Military air bases

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Riverside County has 12 federally recognized Indian reservations, which ties it with Sandoval County, New Mexico for second most of any county in the United States.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Riverside County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† RiversideCity303,871
2Moreno ValleyCity193,365
3CoronaCity152,374
4MurrietaCity103,466
5TemeculaCity100,097
6HemetCity78,657
7MenifeeCity77,519
8IndioCity76,036
9PerrisCity68,386
10EastvaleCity53,668
11Lake ElsinoreCity51,821
12Cathedral CityCity51,200
13Palm DesertCity48,445
14Palm SpringsCity44,552
15San JacintoCity44,199
16CoachellaCity40,704
17La QuintaCity37,467
18BeaumontCity36,877
19Jurupa ValleyCity34,280
20WildomarCity32,176
21BanningCity29,603
22NorcoCity27,063
23Desert Hot SpringsCity25,938
24Agua Caliente Indian ReservationAIAN24,781
25French ValleyCDP23,067
26Temescal ValleyCDP22,535
27Mira Loma CDP21,930
28BlytheCity20,817
29Glen Avon CDP20,199
30Mead ValleyCDP18,510
31East HemetCDP17,418
32Rancho MirageCity17,218
33Valle VistaCDP14,578
34WoodcrestCDP14,347
35Pedley CDP12,672
36El SobranteCDP12,669
37Home GardensCDP11,570
38Lakeland VillageCDP11,541
39Canyon LakeCity10,561
40Good HopeCDP9,192
41MeccaCDP8,577
42CalimesaCity7,879
43Thousand PalmsCDP7,715
44GarnetCDP7,543
45Bermuda DunesCDP7,282
46Desert PalmsCDP6,957
47OasisCDP6,890
48NuevoCDP6,447
49Cherry ValleyCDP6,362
50HomelandCDP5,969
51Lake MathewsCDP5,890
52Torres-Martinez ReservationAIAN5,594
53SunnyslopeCDP5,153
54El CerritoCDP5,100
55Indian WellsCity4,958
56HighgroveCDP3,988
57Idyllwild-Pine CoveCDP3,874
58Desert EdgeCDP3,822
59North ShoreCDP3,477
60MeadowbrookCDP3,185
61AnzaCDP3,014
62Vista Santa RosaCDP2,926
63ThermalCDP2,865
64Warm SpringsCDP2,676
65CoronitaCDP2,608
66CabazonCDP2,535
67WinchesterCDP2,534
68Sky ValleyCDP2,406
69LakeviewCDP2,104
70Green AcresCDP1,805
71Colorado River Indian ReservationAIAN1,687
72RomolandCDP1,684
73Lake RiversideCDP1,173
74March ARBCDP1,159
75AguangaCDP1,128
76Mesa VerdeCDP1,023
77Indio HillsCDP972
78Morongo ReservationAIAN913
79WhitewaterCDP859
80Cabazon ReservationAIAN835
81RipleyCDP692
82Soboba ReservationAIAN482
83Crestmore HeightsCDP384
84Pechanga ReservationAIAN346
85Desert CenterCDP204
86Cahuilla ReservationAIAN187
87Santa Rosa ReservationAIAN71
88Mountain CenterCDP63
89Romona VillageAIAN13
90Twenty-Nine ReservationAIAN12
91Agustine ReservationAIAN11

Climate