Riverside County California real estate

Riverside County website

Riverside County is the fourth largest county in the state of California. The county stretches 200 miles across and comprising over 7,200 square miles of fertile river valleys, low deserts, mountains, foothills and rolling plains. Riverside County shares borders with Los Angeles, Imperial, Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino Counties. The area extends from within 14 miles of the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River.

The county of Riverside took its name from the city that now resides within county boundries. The county of Riverside was formed in 1893 from a small portion of San Bernardino County and a larger part of San Diego County.         

Although the county marks its beginnings in 1893, the land was occupied long before Europeans entered the areas, by several Native American groups including the Serranos, the Luisenos, the Cupenos, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuillas. One of the first Spaniards traveled through the area was Juan Bautista de Anza who led an overland expedition in 1774.

In May 1893, voters living within an area carved from San Bernardino County and San Diego County, approved formation of Riverside County. The County's early years were linked to the agriculture industry, but commerce, construction, manufacturing, transportation, and tourism soon took hold and began contributing substantially to the region's growth.

In recent years there has been a dramatic population growth in Riverside County. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of residents grew by over 76%, which made Riverside the fastest-growing County in California. By 1992, the County was home to over 1.3 million residents, which is more than the entire population of 13 states, among them Maine, Nevada, Hawaii, and New Hampshire. Since then the area has continued to grow and shows no signs of slowing down in the future.