Riverside County, California

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Riverside County, California
Map
Location in the state of California
California's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1893
Seat	Riverside
Largest city	Riverside
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	7,303 sq mi (18,915 km²) 7,207 sq mi (18,667 km²) 96 sq mi (248 km²), 1.31%
PopulationEst.  - (2007)  - Density	2,073,571 215/sq mi (83/km²)
Website: countyofriverside.us
Named for: Riverside, California

Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. This county is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area, in a region of Southern California known as the Inland Empire.

The population of Riverside County was 1,545,387 in 2000, and the 2007 population has been estimated at 2,073,571^[1]. The county seat is the city of Riverside.

Geographically, the county is desert. Most of Joshua Tree National Park is located in the county. Riverside County lies inland of Los Angeles, and south of San Bernardino. Large numbers of Los Angeles workers have moved to the county in recent years to take advantage of relatively affordable housing. Alongside neighboring San Bernardino County, it is one of the fastest growing parts of the Inland Empire. This spawned a wave of toll road construction in the area in the 1990s, starting with the addition of toll commuter lanes to the State Route 91 freeway, the main traffic artery to the western metropolitan area. In addition, smaller, but significant, numbers of people have been moving into southern Riverside County from the San Diego metropolitan area. The cities of Temecula and Murrieta account for 20% of increase in population of Riverside County between 2000 and 2007.

The famous resorts of the Coachella Valley such as Indian Wells, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs and Palm Desert are located in Riverside County. Indio is the center of an important date growing region.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Incorporated cities 2.2 Unincorporated communities and neighborhoods 2.3 Indian reservations 2.4 Adjacent counties 2.5 National protected areas 3 Transportation infrastructure 3.1 Major highways 3.2 Public transportation 3.3 Airports 4 Law, government and politics 4.1 Law 4.2 Politics 5 Government 6 Demographics 7 Education 7.1 Universities and colleges 8 Military installations 9 Places of interest 10 Notable Locations 11 People in group quarters 12 References 13 Sources 14 External links

[edit] History

Riverside County was created in 1893 from parts of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.

The county derives its name from the City of Riverside, California, christened when the upper canal of the Santa Ana River reached it in 1871.

The county's population surpassed one million people in 1980 when the current trend of high population growth as a major real estate destination began in the 1970s.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 18,915 km² (7,303 sq mi) of which 18,667 km² (7,207 sq mi) is land and 248 km² (96 sq mi), or 1.31%, is water. At roughly 180 miles (290 km) wide in the east-west dimension, the area of the county is massive. 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, and the desert region. Other possible subdivisions include tribal lands, the Colorado River communities, and the Salton Sink.

Serving this area are 19 healthcare facilities identified as "General Acute Care Hospitals." Five of these are identified as rural, sixteen provide at least basic emergency care, and three are level 2 trauma centers. The State of California defines Riverside county as Health Service Area 12.

There are 14 major airports in Riverside County. County government projections expect the county's population to roughly double between 2004 and 2040. Most of the growth is expected in communities viewed as being within practical commute distances of work in Los Angeles County and Orange County.

In California, each County Office of Education has influence over funding and operation of schools within its area. The county includes a total of about 380 public schools including Riverside's California School for the Deaf. These schools are operated by about 24 school districts and by Tribal governments in conjunction with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

[edit] Incorporated cities

Riverside County Cities	Year Incorporated	Population, 2007[2]	Median Income, 2006[2]
Banning	1913	28,272	$41,268
Beaumont	1912	28,250	$39,553
Blythe	1916	22,178	$45,302
Calimesa	1990	7,415	$47,406
Canyon Lake	1990	10,939	$70,106
Cathedral City	1981	51,081	$50,654
Corona	1896	144,661	$72,162
Coachella	1946	35,207	$33,402
Desert Hot Springs	1963	22,011	$33,263
Hemet	1910	69,544	$31,749
Indian Wells	1967	4,865	$120,074
Indio	1930	71,654	$45,143
Lake Elsinore	1888	40,985	$54,595
La Quinta	1982	38,340	$71,127
Menifee	2008	60,000	--
Moreno Valley	1984	174,565	$52,426
Murrieta	1991	92,933	$75,102
Norco	1964	27,262	$62,652
Palm Desert	1973	49,539	$61,789
Palm Springs	1938	46,437	$46,399
Perris	1911	47,139	$35,338
Rancho Mirage	1973	16,672	$78,434
Riverside	1883	287,820	$52,023
San Jacinto	1888	31,066	$39,235
Temecula	1989	93,923	$71,754
Wildomar	2008	14,064	$49,081

[edit] Unincorporated communities and neighborhoods

Aguanga Anza Bermuda Dunes Cabazon Cherry Valley Chiriaco Summit De Luz Desert Beach Desert Center East Blythe Eagle Mountain Eagle Valley East Hemet El Cerrito Glen Avon

Highgrove Home Gardens Homeland Idyllwild Lake Tamarisk Lakeland Village Lakeview Lost Lake Mead Valley Mecca Midland Mira Loma Mountain Center Murrieta Hot Springs North Shore Nuevo

Pedley Pine Cove Quail Valley Ripley Reinhardt Canyon Romoland Rubidoux Sedco Hills Sky Valley Sun City Sunnyslope Thermal Thousand Palms Valle Vista Winchester Woodcrest

[edit] Indian reservations

• Agua Caliente Tribal Council
• Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
• Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians
• Morongo Indian Reservation
• Pechanga Band of Mission Indians
• Ramona Band of Cahuilla Indians
• Santa Rosa Indian Reservation
• Soboba Band of Mission Indians
• Torres-Martinez

[edit] Adjacent counties

• San Bernardino County, California- north
• La Paz County, Arizona- east
• Imperial County, California- south
• San Diego County, California- south
• Orange County, California- west

		San Bernardino County		v • d • e
	Orange County		La Paz County, Arizona
		Riverside County, California
		San Diego County and Imperial County

[edit] National protected areas

• Cleveland National Forest (part)
• Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
• Joshua Tree National Park (part)
• San Bernardino National Forest (part)
• Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

[edit] Transportation infrastructure

[edit] Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 15 Interstate 215 U.S. Route 95

State Route 60 State Route 62 State Route 71 State Route 74 State Route 78 State Route 79

State Route 86 State Route 91 State Route 111 State Route 177 State Route 195

[edit] Public transportation

• Riverside Transit Agency serves the city of Riverside and the western third of Riverside County, as far east as Banning.
• Sunline Transit Agency serves Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area.
• Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency provides service in Blythe, near the Arizona border.

Riverside County is also served by Greyhound buses. Amtrak trains stop in Riverside and Palm Springs. Metrolink trains provide commuter rail service from western Riverside County to Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

[edit] Airports

• March Air Reserve Base may be converted to a commercial use municipal airport[1] and, eventually, an alternative international airport.[2] (Although, a proposal for converting the airport into an international airport was rejected in 2005.)
• Palm Springs International Airport offers commercial flights.
• The nearest commercial airport to Western Riverside County is San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) (completed in early 2008) and Ontario International Airport (ONT), both in San Bernardino County.

The other airports in Riverside County are for general aviation only:

• Banning Municipal Airport
• Blythe Municipal Airport
• Corona Municipal Airport
• Flabob Airport, Riverside
• French Valley Airport, Murrieta (Temecula Valley)
• Hemet-Ryan Airport (San Jacinto Valley)
• Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, Thermal (Coachella Valley)
• Perris Valley Airport
• Riverside Municipal Airport

[edit] Law, government and politics

[edit] Law

The Riverside Superior Court is responsible for upholding the law for Riverside County. The unified trial court system has a total of 13 courts: 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, Temecula Court, Larson Justice Center - Indio, Larson Justice Center - Annex, Indio Juvenile Court, and Blythe Court.^[3]

The main courthouse is the Riverside Historic Courthouse. This landmark, erected in 1904, 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 (courtrooms).^[4] In 1994, the courthouse was shut down for seismic retrofits due to the 1992 Landers and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. The courthouse was rededicated in September 1998.^[5]

The county continues to feel the impact of a significant backlog of unresolved criminal trials, which has had a ripple effect on civil trials, which had to be suspended altogether on two occasions in the early 2000s.

[edit] Politics

Presidential Election Results

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	48.7% 293,349	49.7% 299,380	1.6% 10,530
2004	57.8% 322,473	41.0% 228,806	1.1% 6,300
2000	51.4% 231,955	44.9% 202,576	3.7% 16,596
1996	45.6% 178,611	43.1% 168,579	11.3% 44,423
1992	37.1% 159,457	38.6% 166,241	24.3% 104,577
1988	59.5% 199,979	39.6% 133,122	1.0% 3,247
1984	63.5% 182,324	35.5% 102,043	1.0% 2,835
1980	59.9% 145,642	31.5% 76,650	8.6% 20,986
1976	49.2% 97,774	48.5% 96,228	2.3% 4,556
1972	58.0% 108,120	38.4% 71,591	3.6% 6,693
1968	52.9% 83,414	38.8% 61,146	8.3% 13,110
1964	43.1% 61,165	56.8% 80,528	0.1% 95
1960	56.2% 65,855	43.4% 50,877	0.5% 544

Riverside has historically been regarded as a Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. In recent years, however, Democratic registration numbers have been increasing, and Democrats have made inroads in historically Republican strongholds. In 2008, Barack Obama narrowly carried the county, becoming the first Democrat to do so since Bill Clinton in 1992.

In the House of Representatives, a substantial portion of Riverside County lies in California's 45th congressional district, with parts in the 41st, 44th, and 49th districts. All four districts are held by Republicans, the 41st by Jerry Lewis, the 44th by Ken Calvert, the 45th by Mary Bono Mack, and the 49th by Darrell Issa.

In the State Assembly all of the 64th district and parts of the 63rd, 65th, 66th, 71st, and 80th districts lie in the county. The 63rd is represented by Republican Bill Emmerson, the 64th by Republican Brian Nestande, the 65th by Republican Paul Cook, the 71st by Republican Jeff Miller, and the 80th by Democrat Manuel Perez. In the 80th Assembly District, which has a significant Democratic voter registration edge, Democrats were able to take back the district after 14 years of Republican representation with Perez's victory.

In the State Senate all of the 37th district and parts of the 31st, 36th, and 40th districts are located in the county. The 31st, 36th, and 37th districts are held by Republicans, Robert Dutton, Dennis Hollingsworth, and John J. Benoit respectively, and the 40th is held by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny.

On Nov. 4, 2008 Riverside County voted 64.8 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

[edit] Government

A General Plan was prepared for the county by the firm of Earth Metrics in the year 1994;^[6] in 2003 the County Supervisors authorized updating of this plan with respect to certain unincorporated areas.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	17,897		—
1910	34,696		93.9%
1920	50,297		45.0%
1930	81,024		61.1%
1940	105,524		30.2%
1950	170,046		61.1%
1960	306,191		80.1%
1970	459,074		49.9%
1980	663,166		44.5%
1990	1,170,413		76.5%
2000	1,545,387		32.0%
Est. 2007	2,073,571		34.2%

As of the census^[7] 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 (83/km²). There were 584,674 housing units at an average density of 81 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.58% White, 6.24% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 3.69% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 18.69% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. 36.21% 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, 56.50% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.30% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 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 10.70% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Universities and colleges

• California Baptist University
• California Southern Law School
• College of the Desert
• La Sierra University
• Mount San Jacinto College
• Palo Verde College
• Riverside Community College
• University of California, Riverside

[edit] Military installations

• March Air Reserve Base
• Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division

[edit] Places of interest

• California Citrus State Historic Park
• KidZone Youth Museum [3]
• Lake Perris State Recreation Area
• Living Desert Nature Preserve
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
• March Field Air Museum
• Mission Inn Historic hotel in downtown Riverside
• Mt San Jacinto State Park
• Orange Empire Railway Museum
• Orocopia Mountains Wilderness
• Palm Springs Desert Museum
• Santa Rosa Plateau
• Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology

[edit] Notable Locations

City Campground Lake Fulmor Picnic Area Salt Creek Campground Lake Hemet Campground Lake Hemet Picnic Area Evergreen Campground Johns Camp Alandale Forest Service Facility Fairview Point Scenic Viewpoint Mountain View Country Club

Julian Hinds Pumping Plant Jumbo Rocks Campground Ferguson Ranch Fern Basin Campground Fertilla Fisherman Campground Fishermans Camp Ryan Campground Fleming Ranch Herkey Creek Camp

[edit] People in group quarters

^[8]

• 13771 people in state prisons
• 4502 people in nursing homes
• 3306 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)
• 2955 people in other group homes
• 2845 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
• 2230 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
• 958 people in homes for the mentally retarded
• 757 people in agriculture workers' dormitories on farms
• 673 people in homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse
• 426 people in homes for the mentally ill
• 379 people in unknown juvenile institutions
• 285 people in religious group quarters
• 248 people in other types of correctional institutions
• 175 people in institutions for the deaf
• 157 people in other nonhousehold living situations
• 139 people in training schools for juvenile delinquents
• 132 people in mental (psychiatric) hospitals or wards
• 82 people in residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children
• 79 people in schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded
• 68 people in homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children
• 65 people in hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse
• 51 people in hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill
• 51 people in other hospitals or wards for chronically ill
• 18 people in other workers' dormitories
• 15 people in orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped
• 13 people in job corps and vocational training facilities
• 12 people in homes for the physically handicapped
• 11 people in short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• California Department of Health Services
• County of Riverside General Plan (2004).
• US Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics
• US Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration

[edit] External links

• Official Riverside County website
• Official Riverside County, Department of Information Technology website
• Official Riverside County Sheriff website
• Official Riverside County Fire Dept. web site
• Official Riverside County District Attorney's Office web site
• SanJacintoValley.info Information for residents and visitors of Hemet and San Jacinto located in San Jacinto Valley, California.
• Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology

v • d • e Inland Empire Metropolitan Area Counties Riverside • San Bernardino Major Cities Riverside • San Bernardino Cities and towns 100k-200k Corona • Fontana • Moreno Valley • Murrieta • Rancho Cucamonga • Ontario • Temecula • Victorville Cities and towns 25k-100k Apple Valley • Cathedral City • Chino • Chino Hills • Colton • Menifee • Hemet • Hesperia • Highland • Montclair • Indio • Lake Elsinore • Palm Desert • Palm Springs • Perris • Redlands • Rialto • Rubidoux • San Jacinto • Upland • Wildomar • Yucaipa Cities and towns 10k-25k Adelanto • Banning • Barstow • Beaumont • Big Bear Lake • Bloomington • Blythe • Canyon Lake • Coachella • Crestline • Desert Hot Springs • Glen Avon • Grand Terrace • La Quinta • Loma Linda • Mira Loma • Norco • Pedley • Rancho Mirage • Twentynine Palms • Yucca Valley Cities and towns under 10k Calimesa • Devore • El Cerrito • Highgrove • Home Gardens • Indian Wells • Mentone • Muscoy • Needles • San Antonio Heights • Sunnyslope • Wrightwood • Woodcrest Sub-regions Coachella Valley • Cucamonga Valley • Greater San Bernardino Area • High Desert (California) • Morongo Basin • Victor Valley

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Riverside County, California County seat: Riverside Cities Banning | Beaumont | Blythe | Calimesa | Canyon Lake | Cathedral City | Coachella | Corona | Desert Hot Springs | Hemet | Indian Wells | Indio | La Quinta | Lake Elsinore | Menifee | Moreno Valley | Murrieta | Norco | Palm Desert | Palm Springs | Perris | Rancho Mirage | Riverside | San Jacinto | Temecula | Wildomar CDPs Bermuda Dunes | Cabazon | Cherry Valley | East Blythe | East Hemet | El Cerrito | Glen Avon | Highgrove | Home Gardens | Homeland | Idyllwild-Pine Cove | Lakeland Village | Lakeview | March ARB | Mecca | Mira Loma | Murrieta Hot Springs | Nuevo | Pedley | Romoland | Rubidoux | Sedco Hills | Sunnyslope | Thousand Palms | Valle Vista | Winchester | Woodcrest Unincorporated communities Aguanga | Anza | Box Springs | Chiriaco Summit | Desert Center | Eastvale | Lost Lake | Mountain Center | Ripley | River Bend Lodge | Sun City Palm Desert | Thermal | White Water Ghost towns Eagle Mountain | Midland | North Shore

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Coordinates: 33°44′N 115°59′W / 33.73°N 115.98°W / 33.73; -115.98