Riverside County, California

Riverside County is a place in the U.S. state of California. It is one of the most crowded places in California and the 10th-most populous in the whole country. Over 2 million people live there.

The county is in Southern California and is named after the city of Riverside, where the government offices are. It is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario area, close to the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Riverside County is very big, covering about 7,208 square miles. It stretches from near Los Angeles to the border with Arizona. The western part has dry lands and a warm climate. The middle and eastern parts are mostly desert or have mountains. Much of Joshua Tree National Park is here. The county has popular towns such as Indio, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and others in the Coachella Valley.

Many people from Los Angeles have moved to Riverside County for cheaper homes. It has been one of the fastest-growing places in California. Some people have also moved there from the San Diego metropolitan area.

Location

Riverside County is in Southern California. It is next to San Bernardino County to the north, La Paz County and Arizona to the east, Imperial County to the southeast, San Diego County to the southwest, and Orange County to the west.

Etymology

Main article: List of Riverside County, California, placename etymologies

Riverside County was created in 1893 and was named after the city of Riverside. This city is where the county government is located. The city of Riverside was founded in 1870 and was named because it is near the Santa Ana River.

History

The original people of what is now Riverside County include groups like the Serrano, Payómkawichum, Mohave, Cupeno, Chemehuevi, Cahuilla, and Tongva. When Europeans arrived, a farm was set up by a mission in 1819, and a rancho was established for farming and grazing.

Later, when Mexico ruled the area, many rancho land grants were given out. When California became part of the United States, the area was split between two counties. In 1893, Riverside County was formed from parts of two existing counties, and the city of Riverside was chosen as its seat. The county was important for civil rights movements and later became a place where some Native American tribes opened casinos after winning a legal battle.

Geography

Riverside County is a large place! It covers 7,303 square miles (18,910 km²), making it the fourth-largest county in California. Most of this area is land, with only a small part being water. The county stretches about 180 miles (290 km) from east to west.

The county has many different kinds of land, from desert areas to forested regions. Some special places in Riverside County include parts of Joshua Tree National Park and the Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge. There are also many parks and wild areas where animals and plants grow naturally.

Flora and fauna

Riverside County has many different plants and animals. Some plants grow in the desert, while others live in the forests. One special tree that grows here is the Blue oak, which is found only in California.

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 special wild areas in Riverside County that help protect nature.

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, Riverside County had 2,418,185 people. The median age was 36.8 years. About 24.6% of people were younger than 18, and 15.3% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males.

The racial makeup 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 people made up 49.7% of the population.

Most people, 94.5%, lived in towns and cities. The rest, 5.5%, lived in the countryside.

There were 763,283 homes in the county. About 38.4% of these homes had children younger than 18 living in them. About 19.4% of homes had only one person living in them. And 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 848,549 homes for people to live in. Some of these homes were empty. Of the homes that were lived in, 66.6% were owned by the people living there and 33.4% were rented.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

The 2010 United States census said that Riverside County had 2,189,641 people. The racial makeup was 61.0% White, 6.4% African American, 1.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 20.5% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. About 45.5% were Hispanic or Latino people.

2000 census

In 2000, there were 1,545,387 people in the county. The racial makeup 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. About 36.2% were Hispanic or Latino people.

By 2006, the population had grown to 2,026,803 people. In 2005, about 45.8% were non-Hispanic White people. The numbers of African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans stayed about the same as in 2000. The number of Pacific Islanders went up a little. Hispanics made up 41% of the people.

There were 506,218 homes. About 38.9% had children younger than 18 living in them. About 56.5% were couples living together, married. About 12.0% had a woman living alone without a husband. And 26.4% were not families. About 20.7% of homes had only one person living in them. And 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The median income for a home was $42,887, and for a family it was $48,409. Men earned $38,639 on average, while women earned $28,032. The per capita income was $18,689. About 10.7% of families and 14.2% of people lived below the poverty line. This included 18.5% of children younger than 18 and 7.6% of people 65 or older.

Government and law enforcement

Government

The government of Riverside County works as a general law county under the California Constitution. It does not have its own special rules, called a county charter. The county government takes care of important services for everyone, like voting, keeping records, collecting taxes, and helping people with health and social needs. It also runs services for areas that are not part of any city.

The county is led by a group of five leaders called the Board of Supervisors. Each leader is chosen by voters in different parts of the county and serves for four years. In 1999, they started a big planning project to make new plans for land use, transportation, and protecting nature. The main plan they finished in 2003 was special because it brought together many different ideas to help the county grow wisely.

Courts

The Riverside Superior Court is the main court for Riverside County. It has 14 buildings where court meetings happen, including places in Riverside, Murrieta, Moreno Valley, Banning, Hemet, Corona, Temecula, Indio, Palm Springs, and Blythe. The main building is the Riverside Historic Courthouse. This building, made in 1903, looks like famous buildings in Paris, France. It was closed for a few years in the mid-1990s to make it safer after earthquakes but opened again in 1998.

Politics

Voter registration

Chart of voter registration

1. Democratic (40.5%)
2. Republican (31.3%)
3. Independent (20.5%)
4. Other parties (7.71%)

Overview

Before 2008, Riverside County often chose Republican leaders in big elections. It only chose Democratic leaders three times between 1893 and 2004: for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Bill Clinton in 1992. In 2024, the county voted for Donald Trump after voting for Biden in 2020. This was the first time in 20 years the county voted for a Republican leader.

In local elections, Democrats do well in big cities like Riverside, Perris, and Moreno Valley, especially in areas with many Black and Hispanic people. Republicans are stronger in places like the Temecula Valley, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Menifee, as well as in rural areas and wealthy retirement spots.

Riverside County is split among several areas in the United States House of Representatives and the California State Senate and Assembly, with both Democratic and Republican leaders representing different parts of the county.

Crime

The following table shows the number of reported incidents and the rate per 1,000 people for different types of offenses.

Cities by population and crime rates

Education

Riverside County has many places for people to learn. There are universities and colleges in cities like Murrieta, Riverside, and Palm Desert. Some of these schools include Azusa Pacific University, California Baptist University, and University of California, Riverside.

The county also has many public school districts that help children from kindergarten through high school. These districts cover towns and cities across the area, making sure every child can go to school. Some of these districts include Alvord Unified School District, Riverside Unified School District, and Temecula Valley Unified School District. There are also special schools, like the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, to support students with different needs.

Transportation

Major highways

• I-10
  • I-10 BL (Blythe)
• I-15
• I-215
• US 95
• SR 60 – former US 60
• SR 62
• SR 71
• SR 74
• SR 78
• SR 79
• SR 86
• SR 91
• SR 111
• SR 177
• SR 243
• SR 371

Public transportation

The Riverside Transit Agency helps people travel in the western part of Riverside County, going as far east as Banning. The SunLine Transit Agency serves Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. RidePV offers service in Blythe, close to the Arizona border. Other local services include Beaumont Transit in Beaumont, Banning Connect in Banning, and the Corona Cruiser in Corona.

Riverside County also has Greyhound buses. Amtrak trains stop in Riverside and Palm Springs, with Amtrak California buses connecting to places like Riverside–Downtown, Beaumont, Palm Springs, Thousand Palms, Indio, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City, and Hemet. Amtrak Thruway buses link Fullerton to Palm Springs and Indio.

Metrolink trains stop at nine stations in Riverside County: Riverside–Downtown, Riverside–La Sierra, Corona–North Main, Corona–West, Jurupa Valley/Pedley, Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR, Moreno Valley/March Field, Perris–Downtown, and Perris–South. These trains go to Orange, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties every day, mainly for people who commute to work.

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

Riverside County has several important places used by the military. Some that are still active today include the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, March Air Reserve Base, and the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment Norco, which has the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division.

In the past, the county also had many military airfields, such as the Desert Training Center with locations like Blythe Army Airfield, Desert Center Army Airfield, Palm Springs Army Airfield, Rice Army Airfield, Shaver's Summit Army Airfield, and Thermal Army Airfield. There was also the Hemet Army Airfield.

Points of interest

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Riverside County, California and List of museums in the Inland Empire (California)

Riverside County has many fun places to visit. You can go to amusement parks like Castle Park (amusement park), see art at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, or watch music festivals at the Empire Polo Club, where events like Coachella and Stagecoach happen.

Other great spots include beautiful Joshua Tree National Park, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. You can also visit the Riverside Art Museum or the Western Science Center to learn and have fun.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Some places in Riverside County are not part of a city but have their own names. These include:

• 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

These places in Riverside County are not part of any city or town and have their own names:

• 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

One place used to be its own area but is now part of a bigger city:

• Crestmore Heights, annexed to Jurupa Valley

Ghost towns

These are old places that are no longer lived in:

• Dos Palmas
• Eagle Mountain
• Fertilla
• Hell
• La Placita
• Leon
• Midland
• Pinacate
• Saahatpa
• Temescal
• Terra Cotta
• Willow Springs Station

Indian reservations

Riverside County has 12 special areas where Native American tribes live. These are called Indian 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 list below shows how many people live in each place, based on the 2020 census of Riverside County. The county seat is marked with a symbol.

† county seat

Climate

Riverside County has a warm climate. It is mostly dry, but some areas get more rain. The summers can be very hot, while winters are mild and cool. This makes the county a nice place to live for many people.