Temecula is a city located in southwestern California. The city has a population of over 115,055 people and is growing steadily, the city has grown by 14.94% since the 2010 census. The city is a tourist and resort destination, with the Temecula Valley Wineries, Old Town Temecula, the Temecula Valley Polo Club, the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival, the Temecula Valley International Film Festival, championship golf courses, and resort accommodations for tourists which contribute to the city’s economic profile. It is part of the Greater Los Angeles area. Learn more about the population and demographics of Temecula in this article.
Population
The population of a city can be determined by many factors. The most common way to calculate population is by using the census. A census is a count of all people and households in a given area. The United States conducts a census every 10 years. As mentioned above the population of the city has grown by (14,958) residents since the 2010 census. it is the 58th largest city in California and the 258th largest city in the United States. The average household income in the city is $112,860. The poverty rate is 6.76%. The median rental costs are $1,856 per month. The median house value is $444,800. The median age is 34.8 years.
Area
The city of Temecula, forming the southwestern anchor of the Inland Empire region, is approximately 58 miles (93 km) north of downtown San Diego and 85 miles (137 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is bordered by the city of Murrieta to the north and the Pechanga Resort Casino and San Diego County to the south. The city had a population of 100,097 during the 2010 census and an estimated population of 114,761 as of July 1, 2019. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989. Here are the Best Places to Live in Temecula,
Temecula History
Pre-1800
The area was inhabited by the natives for hundreds of years before their contact with the Spanish missionaries (the people are now generally known as the Luiseños, after the nearby Mission San Luis Rey de Francia). The Pechanga Band of Luiseño believes their ancestors have lived in the Temecula area for more than 10,000 years, though ethnologists think they arrived at a more recent date. In Pechanga history, life on Earth began in the Temecula Valley. They call it “Exva Temeeku”, the place of the union of Sky-father, and Earth-mother (“Tuukumit’pi Tamaayowit”). The Temecula Indians (“Temeekuyam”) lived at “Temeekunga”, or “the place of the sun”. Other popular interpretations of the name, Temecula, include “The sun that shines through the mist” or “Where the sun breaks through the mist”.
In 1797, a Spanish priest named Father Juan Norberto de Santiago visited Temecula. He noted that it was an Indian village and that he saw Lake Elsinore and the Temecula Valley.
1800–1900
The Spanish missionaries established the Mission of San Luis Rey de Francia in 1798. They named the Indians living in the region Sanluiseños, shortened to Luiseños. In the 1820s, the Mission San Antonio de Pala was built.
The Mexican government granted Rancho Temecula to Felix Valdez in 1844. Rancho Pauba was granted to Vicente Moraga in 1844. Rancho Little Temecula was granted to Luiseño Pablo Apis in 1845. The first people to live in the area were Native Americans. They lived there for many years before the Europeans arrived. In 1846, a man named Juan Moreno was given a grant for land in the hills west of Temecula.
The conflict between the native tribes and American settlers increased as the settlers moved into the area. A treaty was signed at the Magee Store in Temecula in 1852, but it was never ratified by the United States Senate. The Luiseños challenged the Mexican land grant claims, as Mexican law said the land was held in trust to be distributed to the local Indian tribes once they became subjects.
They challenged the Apis claim to the Little Temecula Rancho by taking the case to the 1851 California Land Commission. On November 15, 1853, the commission rejected the Luiseño claim; an appeal in 1856 to the district court was found to be in favor of the heirs of Pablo Apis (he had died in late 1853 or early 1854). The Luiseño of Temecula village remained on the south side of Temecula Creek when the Apis grant was acquired by Louis Wolf in 1872; they were evicted in 1875.
A stagecoach line started a local route from Warner Ranch to Colton in 1857 that passed through the Temecula Valley. Within a year, the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line, with a route between St. Louis, Missouri, and San Francisco, stopped at Temecula’s Magee Store. On April 22, 1859, the first inland Southern California post office was established in the town in the Magee Store. This was the second post office in the state, the first being located in San Francisco. The town post office was moved in the ensuing years; its present locations are the seventh and eighth sites occupied. The American Civil War put an end to the Butterfield Overland Stage Service, but stage service continued on the route under other stage companies until the railroad reached Fort Yuma in 1877.
In 1862, a postmaster named Louis Wolf married a woman named Ramona Place. Ramona was mixed-race and half Indian. Author Helen Hunt Jackson spent time with Louis and Ramona Wolf in 1882 and again in 1883. Wolf’s store became an inspiration for Jackson’s fictional “Hartsel’s store” in her 1884 novel, Ramona.
1882 marked the creation of the Pechanga Indian Reservation by the U.S. government, located about 6 miles from downtown. The Santa Fe Railroad’s California Southern Railroad extended the line in 1882, connecting National City with Temecula.
In the 1800s, people used Temecula granite to make fences, hitching posts, curbstones, and building blocks. In the early 1900s, The town became an important shipping point for grain and cattle.
1909
Walter L. Vail, who immigrated to California from Nova Scotia with his parents, bought a ranch in Southern California in the early 1900s. Together with various colleagues, he began acquiring land in Southern California, where he purchased 38,000 acres of Rancho Temecula and Rancho Pauba, along with the northern half of Rancho Little Temecula. Vail was killed by a streetcar in Los Angeles; his son, Mahlon Vail, took over the family ranch. In 1914, financed by Mahlon Vail and local ranchers, the First National Bank of Temecula opened on Front Street. In 1915, the first paved, two-lane county road was built through Temecula.
The Vail Ranch covered over 87,000 acres in 1947. The following year, Vail created a dam to capture Temecula Creek water and created Vail Lake. Through the mid-1960s, the economy of the Temecula Valley centered around the Vail Ranch; the cattle business and agriculture were the stimuli for most business ventures. In 1964, the Vail Ranch was sold to the Kaiser Aetna partnership. A later purchase by the group brought the total area to 97,500 acres, and the area became known as Rancho California. The I-15 corridor between the Greater Los Angeles area and San Diego was completed in the early 1980s, and the subdivision land boom began.
1990–present
The 1990s ushered in major growth to the Temecula Valley. Many families moved from San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County, thanks to the affordable housing prices and the popularity of the wine industry. On October 27, 1999, the Promenade Mall opened in the city. In 2005, the city annexed the master-planned community of Redhawk, increasing its population to 90,000. After a period of rapid population growth and residential construction, the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis and the ensuing United States housing bubble led to the sharp rise in home foreclosures in the Temecula-Murrieta region.
Demographics
Individuals in the city are ethnically diverse. Those who call the city home pride themselves on their range of racial and religious backgrounds. The greatest number of individuals in the city report their ethnicity to be White, followed by Asian.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of the city was:
- White: 68.04%
- Other race: 9.92%
- Asian: 9.16%
- Two or more races: 7.16%
- Black or African American: 4.56%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.60%
- Native American: 0.56%
Economy
The city’s Economy is strong compared to other areas of Riverside County. The unemployment rate in Temecula is 3.6% as of Jan 21, 2022, compared to the US average of 3.9% as of December 2021. the city’s job market has seen 2.2% annual growth over the past 12 months. Job growth into the future was estimated to hit 39.6%, which is higher than the national norm of 33.5%. The city had 3.0 Million visitors visit the city in 2021 and they spent a combined $1.1 billion.
Tourism is the mainstay of city’s economy. The city is home to several wineries and vineyards, and its climate and scenery make it a popular destination for visitors from all over Southern California. Agriculture is also an important part of the local economy, with crops such as avocados, lemons, and oranges being grown in the area. Light manufacturing is also a significant contributor to the local economy.
Education
The Public Schools in Temecula are highly rated and include a few of the following: Great Oak High School Vista Murrieta High School Temecula Preparatory Temecula Luiseno Elementary School Murrieta Valley High School
The city has a fairly high level of education in comparison to the national average in most cities (21.84%): 34.03% of adults in Temecula have a bachelor’s degree or more education.
Conclusion: Temecula is a growing city with a lot to offer its residents. Nearby areas include San Clemente Fallbrook Oceanside Escondido Encinitas Ramona Julian Murrieta Transportation & Accessibility Temecula is right in the middle of everything,