The Inland Empire and its regions within
The 'Inland Empire' is the region in
Southern California located in
Riverside and
San Bernardino Counties in the
United States. The Inland Empire is centered on the oldest cities in the region:
Ontario,
San Bernardino, and
Riverside. These cities were established at about the end of the 19th century and were major centers of agriculture including citrus, dairy, and wine-making. The name "Inland Empire" was first used in the
1950s to distinguish the region from the communities of the
Greater Los Angeles Area, and
Los Angeles itself.
The "Inland" part of the name is derived from the region's location about 37 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean (from
Huntington Beach) and east of
downtown Los Angeles. The most accepted physical boundary between Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and the Inland Empire is the definition of the Inland Empire consisting of two counties: Riverside and San Bernardino county. Between the Los Angeles area and the Inland Empire there was limited development (if any) and so, until about the 1970s, this relatively open, rural space between two 'developed' regions served as a convenient boundary. However, since then rapidly growing population and, therefore, residential, commercial, and industrial development, has led to cities being established in this rural, 'intermediate' area. Interconnectivity provided by a vast automobile-oriented transportation network, including perhaps one of the most comprehensive freeway systems in the United States, has further eroded any real or perceived boundary. So the best boundary might simply be considered to be the county line that separates Los Angeles County and San Bernardino/Riverside Counties. Cities in southeastern Los Angeles County lying east of the
San Jose Hills, such as
Pomona,
Diamond Bar, and
Claremont, are sometimes included. Also, the vegetation and climate changes from the coastal to desert regions can act as boundary, though a less precisely defined one than the county lines.
More recently, the name has also been used to distinguish the area from the coastal communities of
Orange County which are located to the west of the Inland Empire and south of
Los Angeles County. However, because of the Santa Ana Mountains, the boundary between Orange County and the Inland Empire is more clear and obvious.
With a population of over 4 million people,
[1] the Inland Empire is the
14th largest metropolitan area in the United States and
78th largest metropolitan area in the world.
History
Prior to the mid-19th century, the area was sparsely populated by
Native Americans; the
Spanish and
Mexicans who once controlled the area considered it largely unsuitable for colonization. The first group of White American settlers arrived over the
Cajon Pass in 1851, in the form of
Mormon pioneers who were the first settlers of San Bernardino. Although the Mormons left a scant six years later, recalled to
Salt Lake by
Brigham Young during the church's
standoff with the US government, more settlers soon followed.
The arrival of
railroads in subsequent decades and the importation of
navel and
Valencia orange trees touched off explosive growth, with the area becoming a major center for citrus production. This agricultural boom continued with the arrival of water from the
Colorado River and the rapid growth of Los Angeles in the early 20th century, with dairy farming becoming another staple industry. In 1926,
Route 66 (now known as
Foothill Boulevard) came through the northern parts of the area, bringing a stream of tourists and migrants to the region.
The Inland Empire was popular for recreational activities such as skiing the San Bernardinos or staying overnight at Riverside's Mission Inn. In Southwestern Riverside County, Lake Elsinore was popular among movie stars and boating enthusiasts. A naval academy was stationed there as well and a railroad ran through Corona, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, and Temecula into San Diego.
Today
As with the other agricultural areas in
Southern California, such as the
San Fernando and
San Gabriel valleys and Orange County, urban development has come to the Inland Empire. Since the 1980s, the area has evolved from a rural to a suburban environment. In addition to existing cities such as Riverside and San Bernardino, the region is now comprised of numerous suburban cities known as
bedroom communities such as
Rancho Cucamonga. Affordable home ownership is the primary motivation behind the growth in these Inland Empire communities as homes in the Inland Empire are generally less expensive than comparable homes in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, however, still generally more expensive than the rest of the nation.
Commercial development has increased at a similar pace to keep abreast with, and serve, the rapidly growing population of the Inland Empire. Like most suburban areas, the region is home to several large upscale
shopping malls, including the
Montclair Plaza in
Montclair,
Ontario Mills in
Ontario, Dos Lagos in Corona,
Promenade Mall in
Temecula and
Victoria Gardens Mall in
Rancho Cucamonga.
Inexpensive land prices (compared to Los Angeles and Orange Counties), a large supply of vacant land, and a transportation network where many highways and railroads intersect have also made it a major industrial center. Some of the nation's largest manufacturing and shipping companies have chosen the Inland Empire for their distribution facilities including
Toyota Motor Corporation's North American Parts and Logistics Distribution (NAPLD) center in
Ontario and APL Logistics in
Rancho Cucamonga. These distribution centers operate as part of the link that transports finished goods and materials from the ports of Los Angeles and
Long Beach to destinations to the north and east such as
Las Vegas,
Phoenix, and
Denver.
The result of this ongoing development has resulted in greater employment opportunities, increased affluence of the populace, and homeownership. Unfortunately, increased
traffic congestion, degradation in
air quality, and loss of open and environmentally sensitive land has been the negative result.
Air pollution, or
suspended particulate matter locally generated from the increased number of automobiles in the area, from point sources such as factories, dust carried into the air by construction activity, and the contribution of similar pollutants from the Los Angeles area has regularly caused the Inland Empire to be at, or near, the bottom of many air quality ratings. In 2004, the
EPA rated the
San Bernardino-
Riverside area as having the worst
particulate air pollution in the United States (although the
San Joaquin Valley in central California had the worst overall air pollution). The air pollution problem is exacerbated by the region's location which is surrounded by mountain ranges to the north and east; the mountains 'contain' these
aerosols which otherwise would be carried out of the region by the prevailing winds which typically flow from west to east.
The Inland Empire is subject to smog conditions on a regular basis as seen here, looking south, from the north terminus of Haven Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga. Note how the street 'fades' into the smoggy haze and the
Santa Ana Mountains are completely obscured.
The Inland Empire is also subject to
Santa Ana Winds that lead to generally clear days, free of smog or the
marine layer, as seen here, looking south, from the north terminus of Haven Avenue in
Rancho Cucamonga. Note how the street that 'faded' into the smoggy haze and the
Santa Ana Mountains that were completely obscured in the image above are now visible.
Traffic congestion problems on the roadways, as with elsewhere in
Southern California, is, simply stated, the result of the steady increase in the number of vehicles and a transportation infrastructure network that has not been expanded accordingly. Many of the existing freeways were completed in the late 1970s. With the exception of the segment of the
Foothill Freeway,
California State Highway 210 (CA/SR-210) between
San Dimas and
San Bernardino recently completed in July, 2007, no new freeways or highways are planned in the Inland Empire. Another problem is the jobs vs. housing imbalance. In general, most of the higher paying jobs are located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Thus, workers must commute daily up to two hours (each direction) on the existing network. As the population increases, the problem is most certainly going to increase as well.
The steady rise in population and the strong demand for housing has led to a dramatic increase in single-family residential construction on lots of 1/4 acre (1,000 m²) or more (as opposed to high-density development such as multi-level apartments or condominiums). Much of the vacant land is rapidly being developed to the chagrin of those who grew up living 'in the country'. In addition, much of the land that was used for agriculture is now being sold by their owners and being converted for use for more intensive purposes such a shopping centers, industrial warehouses, etc. This continuous development, due to the various interests involved, has become seemingly unplanned and uncontrolled
suburban sprawl.
The solution to all of these problems is not simple. The presence of so many municipal jurisdictions within the Inland Empire which often have different 'visions' for their respective futures means that no two cities can mutually agree on a solution or, just as common, have unequal means for implementing one. The lack of an organized or unequal enforcement of existing laws and policies further undermines any solution that could be proposed. Lastly, the pace at which development occurs (fast) versus the ability of government to respond to changes (slow) means that it could easily take years, if not decades, for a viable solution (such as new roads, pollution controls, etc.) to go into effect.
Geography
The Inland Empire is the region which comprises the counties of
Riverside County and
San Bernardino County, in addition to the eastern most portion of
Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County and
Orange County border the Inland Empire to the West;
Inyo and
Kern to the North,
San Diego to the South and the States of
Arizona and
Nevada to the East. The
Victor Valley region, lying to the north of the San Bernardino Mountain range, and to the east of the
Antelope Valley, in the southern
Mojave Desert, is generally considered part of the Inland Empire. Only a few cities on the eastern edge of
Los Angeles County that share an area
code with the rest of the region are also considered to be in the Inland Empire.
Demographics
The Inland Empire is described as a
Metropolitan Statistical Area by the
U.S. Census Bureau, notated as Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. With 4.03 million people,
[2] it is the
14th largest metropolitan area in the United States and
79th largest metropolitan area in the world.
According to
City-Data.com,
San Bernardino - which lies within the Inland Empire - has a crime index over double that of the nation's average as of 2005.
[3].
Media
Newspapers
The Inland Empire is served by three major newspapers. The San Bernardino Sun, which serves primary the
San Bernardino/
Redlands/
Fontana region; The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, which serves the
Pomona Valley;
The Riverside Press-Enterprise. It also has more than a few editions over the area, and there is an Inland Empire edition of the
Los Angeles Times. For the
High Desert (California) The Daily Press is the local newspaper. Please note The San Bernardino Sun and The Daily Bulletin are owned by The Singleton Group based out of Colorado. In recent years local officials have claimed The Press-Enterprise to be The Inland Empire's newspaper of record given their extensive coverage of all areas, as opposed to the other local newspapers.
Palm Springs and the greater
Coachella Valley are served by
The Desert Sun.
Radio
The Inland Empire is ranked 25th (April 2007) in the national radio market.
[4] San Bernardino radio station
KFRG (FM) 95.1 is now the only FM country station in Southern California. Since Los Angeles-based country station
KZLA-FM changed formats a short while ago, KFRG has positioned itself as a Southern California station instead of as a more inland, Inland Empire based station. This makes it more apt to reach the huge southern California market. San Bernardino classic hit station
KOLA 99.9 has the biggest reach of all Inland Empire stations, the size of its signal carrying it as far south as
San Diego, as far north as
Kern County, to the northwest to
Ventura County, and east to
Indio and
Salton Sea. KOLA is also one of the oldest and longest-running radio stations in Southern California. X103.9
KCXX (FM) represents the alternative rock radio format in the area, and is owned and operated by former Green Bay Packer and NFL Hall of Famer Willie Davis.
KVCR (FM) 91.9 is the Inland Empire's public radio station, broadcasting NPR, BBC World Service and other public radio programming. Many stations in the area do not transmit far, in part owing to the physical geography of the area, possibly in part because of the strength of the radio transmitters.
Television
While the Inland Empire has television channels licensed to their cities, only one channel, PBS member station KVCR-TV, broadcasts directly to the Inland Empire. The other channels broadcast to the greater Southern California market. FCC reglations prevent the Inland Empire from having a major network broadcast channel. Thus the Inland Empire's source for most of its television comes from Los Angeles. The southern section of the Inland Empire may have San Diego television as their main source. In some areas just east of Yucaipa primary television coverage is from the Palm Springs market.
Valleys in the Inland Empire
★
Antelope Valley
★
Chino Valley
★
Coachella Valley
★
Cucamonga Valley
★
Menifee Valley
★
Murrieta Valley
★
Perris Valley
★
Pomona Valley
★
San Bernardino Valley
★
Temecula Valley
★
Victor Valley
Incorporated cities in the Inland Empire (date of incorporation in parenthesis)
Unincorporated communities or Census Designated Places in the Inland Empire
Freeways serving the Inland Empire
Trivia
★ Some residents call the area "'The 909'" (after the region's primary telephone
area code,
909). This term has been picked up on popular radio and television programs such as ''
The O.C.'' (which centers on a character originally from
Chino who relocates to wealthy
Newport Beach). In
2004 because of growing demand for telephone numbers most of Riverside County was granted a new area code,
951.
★ The Inland Empire has also recently become the center of a new movement within
hip hop music. Local artists such as
Suga Free,
Hot 16,
Sly Boogy,
Thief Sicario,
40 Glocc,
Payaso,
Lighter Shade of Brown,
Homeless Records, Dolphinbrain and Mizz Guided (the self-proclaimed "Queen of the IE") have brought about much attention to the growing rap community in and around the area, some rock journalists dubbing it a new genre (similar to
Dirty South) -- "
Cali 909".
★ The region is not as monolithic as it may sound. Originally, the region was all part of Los Angeles County, until 1853, when San Bernardino County was formed. Rivalries between Colton, Redlands, Riverside and San Bernardino over the location of the County seat in the 1890s caused Riverside County to split off and form its own county. Riverside and San Bernardino formed their own communities, each with their own newspapers. While Ontario and the west-end developed their own communities, Ontario and San Bernardino had more interaction because San Bernardino was still the county seat of San Bernardino county.
★ The
David Lynch film
Inland Empire (film) is named after the region
[1].
References
1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1 2000 to July 1 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01)
2.
3. http://www.city-data.com/city/San-Bernardino-California.html
4. Radio and Records: Ratings
External links
★
Cal State San Bernardino
★
The University of California, Riverside
★
University of La Verne College of Law
★
The San Bernardino Sun
★
The Redlands Daily Facts
★
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
★
The Riverside Press-Enterprise
★
"'Inland' for sure, 'Empire' maybe, but where's the boundary?" Los Angeles Times, November 27 2006
★
Southern California's Inland Empire Economic Partnership
★
Inland Empire Directory and Press Releases
★
The Orange Empire of Southern California
★
Inland Library System
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