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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 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 2006 population has been estimated at 2,070,315[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. Such famous golf resorts 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.
HistoryRiverside 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. GeographyAccording 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. The Inland Empire area of southern California is made up of the western portion of Riverside County. Incorporated cities
See Southern California Zip Codes for individual Zip Code data. Unincorporated communities and neighborhoods
Indian reservations
Adjacent counties
National protected areas
Law, government and politicsLaw
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] PoliticsRiverside is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to have won the county was Bill Clinton in 1992. In the House of Representatives, Riverside is mostly 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, 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 are in the county. They are all represented by Republicans: the 63rd by Bill Emmerson, the 64th by John J. Benoit, the 65th by Paul Cook, the 66th by Kevin Jeffries, the 71st by Todd Spitzer, and the 80th by Bonnie Garcia. In the State Senate all of the 37th district and parts of the 31st, 36th, and 40th districts are in the county. The 31st, 36th, and 37th districts are held by Republicans, Robert Dutton, Dennis Hollingsworth, and Jim Battin respectively, and the 40th is held by Democrat Denise Moreno Ducheny. GovernmentA 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. TransportationMajor highwaysPublic transportation
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. Airports
The other airports in Riverside County are for general aviation only:
Demographics
In 2006 the county had 2,026,803 people, an increase of 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. 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. EducationUniversities and colleges
Military installations
Places of interest
Sources
References
External links
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