Riverside County, California

Riverside County is bordered on the north by San Bernardino County; on the east by La Paz County, Arizona; on the southeast by Imperial County; on the southwest by San Diego County; and on the west by Orange County. ==Etymology==

When Riverside County was formed in 1893, it was named for the city of Riverside, the county seat. That city, founded in 1870, was so named because of its location near the Santa Ana River. ==History==

Indigenous include a large area of Riverside County. The Indigenous peoples of the valleys, mountains and deserts of what is now Riverside County are the Serrano, the Payómkawichum, the Mohave, the Cupeno, the Chemehuevi, the Cahuilla, and the Tongva. The Aguanga and Temecula Basins, Elsinore Trough and eastern Santa Ana Mountains are the traditional homelands of the Payómkawichum. The inland valleys in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains and the desert of the Salton Sink are the traditional homelands of the Cahuilla. Spanish era 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. Mexican era With the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba in 1821, Mexico gained its independence from 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 principal rancherias, and the most distant, and it occupied most of today's San Gorgonio Pass area. Following the Mexican secularization act of 1833 by the First Mexican Republic, 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 (Sepulveda), La Sierra (Yorba), 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. American era 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 formation 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. 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. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) 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 Trail in Joshua Tree National Park from State Route 62 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 • Cleveland National Forest (part) • Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge • Dos Palmas Preserve • Joshua Tree National Park (part) • San Bernardino National Forest (part) • Sand to Snow National Monument (part) • Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument 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 (11 of the 19) 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: • Agua Tibia Wilderness (part) • Beauty Mountain Wilderness • Big Maria Mountains Wilderness • Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness • Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness • Joshua Tree Wilderness (part) • Little Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness (part) • Mecca Hills Wilderness • Orocopia Mountains Wilderness • Palen/McCoy Wilderness • Palo Verde Mountains Wilderness (part) • Pinto Mountains Wilderness • Rice Valley Wilderness • Riverside Mountains Wilderness • San Gorgonio Wilderness (part) • San Jacinto Wilderness • San Mateo Canyon Wilderness (part) • Santa Rosa Wilderness • South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness State parks • California Citrus State Historic Park • Lake Perris State Recreation Area • Mount San Jacinto State Park County parks and trails • Hurkey Creek Park • Idyllwild Park • Indio Hills Palms • Jensen Alvarado Ranch • Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area • Lake Skinner Recreation Area • McCall Memorial Equestrian Park • Santa Rosa Plateau ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,418,185. The median age was 36.8 years, with 24.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 15.3% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males. The racial makeup of the county was 41.2% White, 6.5% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.1% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 26.4% from some other race, and 16.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 49.7% of the population. 94.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.5% lived in rural areas. There were 763,283 households in the county, of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 2000 census 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 . There were 584,674 housing units at an average density of . 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 The Government of Riverside County operates as a general law county under the California Constitution and law. It does not have a county charter. The county government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas. The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, with each member elected by districts for four-year terms. In 1999, the Board of Supervisors approved a multimillion-dollar planning effort to create the Riverside County Integrated Plan (RCIP) which was to encompass a completely new General Plan, regional transportation plan (CETAP) 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 (courtrooms). 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, Moreno Valley, Norco, Palm Desert, Perris, Rancho Mirage, San Jacinto, Temecula and Wildomar. The Morongo Indian Reservation also contracts with the Sheriff's Office to provide police services to the reservation. 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 and University California Riverside Riverside County Probation Department https://rivcoprobation.org/ ==Politics==

Voter registration Overview Prior to 2008, Riverside County was a Republican stronghold in presidential and congressional elections. Between its creation in 1893 and 2004, it voted for the Democratic presidential nominee only three times: Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 (by a margin of 337 votes, or 0.99%), Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 (by a margin of 19,363 votes, or 13.65%), and Bill Clinton in 1992 (by a margin of 6,784 votes, or 1.58%). In 1932, it was one of only two counties in the entire West Coast to vote for Republican president Herbert Hoover over Roosevelt during the latter's landslide victory. In 2024, it was one of ten counties that flipped for Donald Trump after voting for Biden in 2020, and was one of six that voted for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years since George W. Bush in 2004. At the state level, Riverside remains one of the most conservative counties in Southern California and is frequently the only county in the region to not vote for Democratic candidates, having not voted for a Democrat for governor since 1998 (and having only voted three times for Democrats in the past century). At the local level, Democrats are strongest in Riverside County in large cities such as Riverside, Perris, and Moreno Valley, performing especially well in majority Black and Hispanic areas, although those have been shifting heavily to the right. Democrats are also strongest in progressive-leaning White areas and college campuses such as Downtown Riverside, the area surrounding UC Riverside, the LGBT enclave of Palm Springs and most of the Hispanic-majority Coachella Valley. Republicans perform especially well in the wealthy San Diegan exurbs in the Temecula Valley as well as more middle-class white cities such as Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Menifee. Republicans are also usually more successful in the rural areas of the county as well as wealthy retirement enclaves such as Canyon Lake and Bermuda Dunes. In the United States House of Representatives, Riverside County is split between 6 congressional districts: • • • • • and • . In the California State Senate, the county is split between four legislative districts: • , • , • , and • . In the California State Assembly, the county is split between six legislative districts: • , • , • , • , • , and • . ==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 . • Azusa Pacific University – Murrieta • Brandman University , part of the Chapman University System – Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Riverside and Temecula • California Baptist University – Riverside • California Southern Law School – Riverside • California State University, San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus – Palm Desert • California State University, San Marcos, Temecula Satellite Campus – Temecula • College of the Desert – Palm Desert and Indio • La Sierra University – Riverside • Mayfield College – Cathedral City • Mt. San Jacinto College – Banning, Menifee, San Jacinto, Temecula • Olivet University – Anza • Palo Verde College – Blythe • Riverside Community College District • Riverside City College • Moreno Valley College • Norco College • Santa Barbara Business College – Palm Desert • University of California, Riverside – Palm Desert and Riverside • University of Phoenix – Murrieta and Palm Desert K-12 schools ; Public school districts K-12 unified: • Alvord Unified School District • Banning Unified School District • Beaumont Unified School District • Coachella Valley Unified School District • Colton Joint Unified School District • Corona-Norco Unified School District • Desert Center Unified School District • Desert Sands Unified School District • Hemet Unified School District • Jurupa Unified School District • Lake Elsinore Unified School District • Moreno Valley Unified School District • Murrieta Valley Unified School District • Palm Springs Unified School District • Palo Verde Unified School District • Riverside Unified School District • San Jacinto Unified School District • Temecula Valley Unified School District • Val Verde Unified School District • Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Secondary: • Perris Union High School District Elementary: • Menifee Union School District • Nuview Union Elementary School District • Perris Elementary School District • Romoland Elementary School District ; State-operated schools • California School for the Deaf, Riverside ; Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools: • Sherman Indian High School ==Transportation==

Major highways • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Public transportation • Riverside Transit Agency serves the western third of Riverside County, as far east as Banning. • SunLine Transit Agency serves Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area. • RidePV (formerly Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency) provides service in Blythe, near the Arizona border. • Beaumont Transit serves the city of Beaumont. • Banning Connect serves the city of Banning. • Corona Cruiser serves the city of Corona. • Riverside County is also served by Greyhound buses. Amtrak trains stop in and , and Amtrak California provides bus connections to the Gold Runner in , Beaumont, Palm Springs, Thousand Palms, Indio, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City, and Hemet. Amtrak Thruway buses connect Fullerton tp Palm Springs and Indio. Metrolink trains serve nine stations in Riverside County: , , , , , , , , and . 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 • March Air Reserve Base (former March Air Force Base) Commercial airports • Palm Springs International Airport General aviation airports • Banning Municipal Airport • Bermuda Dunes Airport • Blythe Airport • Corona Municipal Airport • Flabob Airport, Riverside • French Valley Airport (Temecula Valley) • Hemet-Ryan Airport (San Jacinto Valley) • Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, Thermal (Coachella Valley) • Perris Valley Airport • Riverside Municipal Airport ==Military installations==

• Active • Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range • March Air Reserve Base • Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment Norco • Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division • Historical • Desert Training Center • Blythe Army Airfield • Desert Center Army Airfield • Palm Springs Army Airfield • Rice Army Airfield • Shaver's Summit Army Airfield • Thermal Army Airfield (Also named Naval Air Facility Thermal (historical)) • Hemet Army Airfield ==Points of interest==

• Castle Park (amusement park) • The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture • Empire Polo Club, location of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals • Gold Base, international headquarters of the Church of Scientology and Golden Era Productions • Indian Wells Tennis Garden • Joshua Tree National Park • Living Desert Zoo and Gardens • March Field Air Museum • Mission Inn Hotel & Spa • Orange Empire Railway Museum • Orocopia Mountains Wilderness • Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Mount San Jacinto State Park • Palm Springs Desert Museum • Ramona Bowl, Home of The Ramona Pageant • Riverside Art Museum • Riverside County fair grounds, location of the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival • Riverside National Cemetery, including the Medal of Honor Memorial • Salton Sea State Recreation Area • Santa Rosa Plateau • Sunnylands Center & Gardens • Temecula Valley AVA Wine Region • Western Science Center ==Communities==

Cities Census-designated places • Aguanga • Anza • Bermuda Dunes • Cabazon • Cherry Valley • Coronita • Desert Center • Desert Edge • Desert Palms • East Hemet • El Cerrito • El Sobrante • French Valley • Garnet • Good Hope • Green Acres • Highgrove • Home Gardens • Homeland • Idyllwild • Indio Hills • Lake Mathews • Lake Riverside • Lakeland Village • Lakeview • March ARB • Mead Valley • Meadowbrook • Mecca • Mesa Verde • Mountain Center • North Shore • Nuevo • Oasis • Ripley • Romoland • Sage • Sky Valley • Temescal Valley • Thermal • Thousand Palms • Valle Vista • Vista Santa Rosa • Warm Springs • Whitewater • Winchester • Woodcrest Unincorporated communities • Alberhill • Alessandro • Arnold Heights • Bonnie Bell • Box Springs • Cahuilla • Chiriaco Summit • Desert Beach • Edgemont • El Cariso • Fern Valley • Gilman Hot Springs • La Cresta • Lake Tamarisk • North Palm Springs • Pine Cove • Pinyon Pines • Radec • Rancho Capistrano • Snow Creek • Thomas Mountain Former census designated places • Crestmore Heights, annexed to Jurupa Valley Ghost towns • Dos Palmas • Eagle Mountain • Fertilla • Hell • La Placita • Leon • Midland • Pinacate • Saahatpa • Temescal • Terra Cotta • Willow Springs Station Indian reservations 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. (Sandoval County, however, has two additional joint-use areas, shared between reservations. San Diego County, California has the most, with 18 reservations.) • Agua Caliente Indian Reservation • Augustine Indian Reservation • Cabazon Indian Reservation • Cahuilla Indian Reservation • Colorado River Indian Reservation (partly in La Paz County, Arizona and San Bernardino County, California) • Morongo Indian Reservation • Pechanga Indian Reservation • Ramona Village • Santa Rosa Indian Reservation • Soboba Band of Mission Indians • Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation (partly in Imperial County, California) • Twenty-Nine Palms Indian Reservation (partly in San Bernardino County, California) Population ranking The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Riverside County. † county seat ==Climate==