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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 forms the border with Arizona.
The County derives its name from the city of Riverside, which is the county
seat.
The population of Riverside County was 1,545,387 in 2000, and by 2008
the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population had risen to 2,100,516.
Geographically, the county is mostly 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 was
one of the fastest growing parts of the Inland Empire prior to the
recent changes in the regional economy. 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[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
History
The indigenous peoples of what is now Riverside County are the Luise?o,
Cupe?o and Cahuilla Indians.[1] 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.[2]
The new county would be 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 canvas of the votes.[2]
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. 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. 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 Sink. Incorporated cities
Riverside County
Cities |
Year
Incorporated |
Population,
2007[3] |
Median Income,
2006[3] |
| 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 |
Unincorporated
communities and neighborhoods
New towns
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 is
in first place with 18 reservations.)
Adjacent counties
National protected
areas
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 it
its range in Riverside County.[4] Transportation
infrastructure Major highways
Public transportation
Riverside County is also served by Greyhound buses. 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 five
stations in Riverside County: Riverside-Downtown,
Riverside-La Sierra,
North Main-Corona, West Corona, and Pedley Station (in unincorporated
Pedley, CA). These trains provide service to
Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties seven days a week, with a
primarily commuter-oriented schedule. Airports Commercial airports
General aviation
airports
Law, government
and politics Law
Riverside County Courthouse
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.[7]
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).[8] 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.[9]
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. 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 1932, it was one of
only two counties (the other being Benton County, Oregon) on the entire Pacific coast
of the United States to vote for Hoover over Roosevelt.[10] 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.
Riverside County voted 64.8% in favor if Proposition 8 which amended the California
Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.[citation needed] Government
A General Plan was prepared for the county by the firm of Earth
Metrics in the year 1994;[11] in 2003 the County Supervisors authorized updating of this plan with
respect to certain unincorporated areas. 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. 2008 |
2,100,516 |
|
35.9% |
As of the census[12] 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. Education Universities and
colleges
Military installations
Places of interest
Gold
Base, in an unincorporated area in the county, is
the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology. The compound includes the
studios of Golden Era Productions.[13][14][15][16] Other sites include:
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b Fitch, Robert J. Profile of a Century: Riverside County, California,
1893-1993. Riverside County Historical Commission Press, 1993.
Pages v-viii.
- ^ a b Husing, John (October 2007). "Inland Empire City Profile 2007" (PDF). Inland Empire Quarterly Economic Report (Redlands: Economics & Politics,
Inc) 19 (4). http://www.johnhusing.com/QER%20Oct%202007%20web.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008 Blue Oak: Quercus douglasii,
GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- ^ http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_D_faa06.2f43b1a.html
- ^ http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_planes08.406df4b.html
- ^ Riverside Superior Court -
Locations
- ^ Rededication of the Historic
Riverside County Courthouse
- ^ California Courts - Main Courthouse
- ^ http://media.photobucket.com/image/1932%20election%20map/rarohla/1932PresidentialElectionMap.png
- ^ General Plan for Riverside County, Earth Metrics Inc.,
Burlingame, Ca. (1994)
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Rural Studio is Scientology
Headquarters." San Jose Mercury News. August 13, 1991. 6B
California News. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
- ^ Kelly, David. "Scientology foes blast new Riverside County law." Los Angeles Times. January 10, 2009. 1. Retrieved on October 21,
2009.
- ^ Glick, Julia. "County ordinance raises questions
about Scientology." The Press-Enterprise.
Tuesday January 6, 2009. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
- ^ McGavin, Gregor. "Scientologists' presence in Inland
area dates back to 1960s." The Press-Enterprise.
Tuesday January 15, 2008. Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
Sources
External links
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