Redlands, California

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For other uses of the term "Redlands", see Redlands.
City of Redlands
Nickname(s): Jewel of the Inland Empire
Location of Redlands in California
Location of Redlands in California
Coordinates: 34°3′17″N 117°10′57″W / 34.05472°N 117.1825°W / 34.05472; -117.1825
Country United States
State California
County San Bernardino
Incorporated (city) 1888
Government
 - Mayor Jon Harrison[1]
Area
 - Total 37.46 sq mi (97.01 km2)
 - Land 37.45 sq mi (96.98 km2)
 - Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.03%
Elevation 1,358 ft (414 m)
Population (2007)[2]
 - Total 69,941
 - Density 1,793.1/sq mi (692.3/km2)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code 92373, 92374 [3]
Area code(s) 909 [4]
FIPS code 06-59962
GNIS feature ID 0252966
Website http://www.ci.redlands.ca.us/

Redlands (pronounced /ˈrɛdlɨndz/) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,591.

Contents

[edit] History

The area now occupied by Redlands was originally part of the territory of the Morongo and Aguas Calientes tribes. After the arrival of Spanish settlers in the 1770s, it became part of the massive Rancho San Bernardino, remaining a dusty patch of grazing land after Mexican independence in 1821. Franciscan friars from San Gabriel came to the San Bernardino valley in 1820, establishing their Asistencia and embarking on the usual program of training the native tribes to raise crops and encouraging permanent settlements. A ditch, known as a zanja, was dug by the natives for the friars from Mill Creek to what is now known as the San Bernardino Asistencia. In 1842, the Lugo family received a grant to a large tract in the area and this became the first fixed civilization. The area northwest of current Redlands, astride the Santa Ana River, would become known as Lugonia. In 1851, the area received its first Anglo inhabitants in the form of several hundred Mormon pioneers, who purchased the entire Rancho San Bernardino, founded nearby San Bernardino, and established a prosperous farming community watered by the many lakes and streams of the San Bernardino Mountains. The Mormon community left wholesale in 1857, recalled to Utah by Brigham Young during the tensions with the federal government that ultimately led to the brief Utah War. Benjamin Barton purchased 1,000 acres (4 km2) from the Latter-day Saints and planted extensive vineyards and built a winery.[5]

"The first settler on the site of the present Redlands is recorded to have erected a hut at the corner of what is now Cajon St. and Cypress Ave.; he was a sheep herder, and the year, 1865," reported Ira L. Swett in "Tractions of the Orange Empire." Lugonia attracted settlers; in 1869, Barry Roberts, followed a year later by the Craw and Glover families. "The first school teacher in Lugonia, George W. Beattie, arrived in 1874—shortly followed by the town's first negro settler, Israel Beal." [6]

[edit] Railroads

In the 1880s, the arrival of the Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads, connecting Southern California to San Francisco and Salt Lake touched off a land boom, with land speculators such as John W. North flooding into the area now known as the Inland Empire. North and others saw the area, with its hot, dry climate and ready access to water supplies, as an ideal center for citrus production. The city of Redlands was soon established by Frank E. Brown, a civil engineer, and E. G. Judson, a New York stock broker, to provide a center (along with North's nearby settlement at Riverside) for the burgeoning citrus industry. They named their city “Redlands” after the color of the adobe soil.[7] So large had the area grown by 1888 that it was decided to incorporate. "A red-letter day in the Annals of Redlands," pronounced Scipio Craig, editor of the The Citrograph newspaper, of the November 26 incorporation.[8][9] The original community of Lugonia was absorbed at this time.

The Redlands Street Railway Company was incorporated on March 22, 1888, acquiring on June 5 a franchise from the San Bernardino County Supervisors dating to December 1887, conveying the right to construct, operate and maintain for a term of 50 years a line of street railways in Redlands, Terracina and vicinity. [10] The initial operations began in June 1889 with a single-track line operating two-mule-team cars, the first street railway company of several to provide service to the growing community. Electrification and new rails replaced the mules in 1899. [11] Most Redlands street railways would pass to the San Bernardino Valley Traction Company in a consolidation on June 3, 1903 [12], and thence to the Pacific Electric on February 8, 1911. [13] Collis P. Huntington of the Southern Pacific gained control of the four-mile-long streetcar line of the Redlands Central Railway Company in 1908. [14]

The arrival of the Pacific Electric Railroad interurban railway of Los Angeles, in the early 20th century, provided a convenient, speedy connection to the fast-growing city and its new port at San Pedro, bringing even greater prosperity to the town and a new role as a vacation destination for wealthy Angelenos. Redlands, was, in fact, the eastern-most point of the "Big Red Car" system. At its peak, the PE operated five individual local routes in Redlands, with trolleys running up to Smiley Heights, and on Orange, Olive, and Citrus Avenues. [15] Pacific Electric interurban service to Redlands was finally abandoned on July 20, 1936, although PE, and later Southern Pacific, which absorbed the Big Red Car system, provided freight service as far as the Sunkist packing plant on San Bernardino Avenue[16] into at least the 1970s. The abandoned Pacific Electric La Quinta trestle over the Santa Ana River still stands today, immediately south of San Bernardino International Airport.

Redlands, California, 1908.
Redlands, California, 1908.

[edit] Redlands peak period

At the turn of the 1900s, Redlands was the "Palm Springs" of the next century, with roses being planted along many city thoroughfares. Some of these plantings would survive as wild thickets into the 1970s, especially adjacent to orange groves where property management was lax. Washingtonian palms were planted along many main avenues. In fact, Redlands was the first city to have center medians with trees or gardens in between roads. So beautifully kept was the area, with the dramatic mountain backdrops, that for several years the Santa Fe Railroad operated excursion trains along the loop that passed through the orange groves of Redlands and Mentone, across the Santa Ana River, and back into San Bernardino via East Highlands, Highlands and Patton, and advertised as the "Kite Route" due to its multi-sided alignment. The trestle over "the Wash" north of Mentone was carried away during a flood in 1938 and never replaced, the line being truncated there. The Southern Pacific branchline from the San Timoteo Canyon to Crafton was abandoned after the packing house business died. A thru-truss bridge over the Zanja (locally pronounced "Zank-ee") exists today, abandoned in place. Burlington Northern Santa Fe, result of the AT&SF-Burlington Northern merger, applied to abandon its San Bernardino-connected branchline east of downtown Redlands in 2007. A move was made by transit activists to have this branch revitalized as part of the Southern California transit districts, but it came to nothing.

The city has been visited by three Presidents, President McKinley was the first in 1901, followed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1903 and President William H. Taft. Local landmarks include the A.K. Smiley Public Library, a Moorish-style library built in 1898, and the Redlands Bowl, built in 1930 and home of the oldest continuously free outdoor concert series in the United States. Located behind the Smiley Library is the Lincoln Shrine, the only memorial honoring the "Great Emancipator", the sixteenth president, west of the Mississippi River. Other famous homes include “America’s Favorite Victorian,” the Morey Mansion, on Terracina Boulevard, and the Kimberly Crest House and Gardens, a home museum featured on the PBS series “America’s Castles.” Named after the family that purchased the house, the owners of Kimberly-Clark (makers of paper goods and Kleenex), it is a beautiful mansion set high on a hill overlooking the whole valley. Redlands is still regarded as the "Jewel of the Inland Empire."[17]

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.5 km² (35.7 mi²). 91.9 km² (35.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.76%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 63,591 people, 23,593 households, and 16,019 families residing in the city. The population density was 692.2/km² (1,793.1/mi²). There were 24,790 housing units at an average density of 269.8/km² (699.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.69% White, 4.31% African American, 0.94% Native American, 5.12% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 11.33% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.1% of the population. The approximate population is 72,008 (as of March 2008).

There were 23,593 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,155, and the median income for a family was $76,254. Males had a median income of $64,408 versus $52,122 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,237. About 2.7% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

The 2008 population estimated by the California Department of Finance was 71,807.[19]

[edit] Government

Post Office, erected in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration.

[edit] Federal

Redlands is located in California's 41st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +9[20] and is represented by Republican Jerry Lewis.

[edit] State

In the state legislature Redlands is located in the 31st Senate District, represented by Republican Robert Dutton, and in the 59th, 63rd and 65th Assembly Districts, represented by Republicans Anthony Adams, Bill Emmerson, and Paul Cook respectively.

[edit] Local

The city uses a Mayor and City-Council system, each serving a four year term.

[edit] Education

[edit] Universities

University of Redlands

[edit] Public education

Redlands Unified School District

Redlands East Valley High School
Redlands High School during October 2007 fires. The sign reads, "Evacuees We 'R' With You!"

[edit] Private education

[edit] Transportation

Redlands, California AT&SF train station, designed 1909 by architect Arthur Brown, Jr.

Coming west from Los Angeles and heading east toward Palm Springs, The I-10 bisects the city in two, right through the middle. A tempestuous political battle occurred in the 1950s when three routes for the new freeway were considered, one north of town through the Lugonia district, the center route through the city, and a southern alignment through San Timoteo Canyon, parallelling the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. The central route was finalized in 1957 and Redlands Mayor Charles Parker cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the new interstate on August 28, 1962. [22] The new State Route 210 or Foothill Freeway ends at The 10 in Redlands, then heads west toward Pasadena and Los Angeles. The San Bernardino line of the Greater Los Angeles regional transportation system called Metrolink has a stop in nearby San Bernardino. The San Bernardino based Omnitrans bus system which handles the bus service for the area serves Redlands.[23]

[edit] Airports

[edit] Economy

  • Five Ten Footwear - Headquarters.
  • Environmental Systems Research Institute - Worldwide Headquarters and Learning Center Campus.
  • La-Z-Boy - Western U.S. Headquarters\Distribution and manufacturing center.
  • Salton Inc. - General Contractors-Industrial Buildings and Warehouses. (George Forman Grills)
  • Hydro Tek Systems – A manufacturer of high pressure washers and industrial cleaning equipment[24]
  • Gill Batteries – Manufacturer of Aviation Batteries, used in everything from General Aviation aircraft to Airliners[25]

[edit] Distribution centers

[edit] Culture

Redlands Bowl

[edit] Museums

  • Redlands Historical Museum, located inside the A.K. Smiley Library on the grounds of Smiley Park in downtown Redlands. The Museum will refurbish the old 1940 City Hall, now used as the Redlands Police Department as their new Museum Center. The Heritage Center holds various Pictures, Pamphlets, Maps, Yearbooks, Newspapers, manuscripts and books all relating to the rise of Redlands as a navel orange producing mecca to the close knit community is has become today.[26]
  • San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM), is a regional museum with exhibits and collections in cultural and natural history. Special exhibits, the Exploration Station live animal discovery center, extensive research collections, and public programs for adults, families, students, and children are all part of the museum experience. The SBCM also runs the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia.[27]

[edit] Historic structures

Kimberly Crest House and Gardens
  • Kimberly Crest House and Gardens, built in 1897 this French château-style home is preserved by the Kimberly-Shirk Association that was formed for that purpose. This three-story chateau is over 7,000 square feet (650 m2) and was originally built for Mrs. Cornelia A. Hill. In 1905 J. Alfred Kimberly (co-founder of Kimberly-Clark) purchased this home for his family. His daughter, Mary Kimberly Shirk, lived in the home until her death in 1979. Before she passed the majority of the grounds were sold to the City of Redlands to become a botanical park, now known as Prospect Park. After her death, the home was left to "the people of Redlands" and the monies from the sale of the park were used to create the Kimberly-Shirk Association that cares for the home and provides tours within.[29]
Edwards Mansion
  • Edwards Mansion, built in 1890 by one of the founders of Redlands, Citrus grower James S. Edwards, this structure was originally used not as a family home but as a boarding house. Mr. Edwards used standard plans and built the house on a small rise on Cajon St. from where the young orange groves he planted could be seen in every direction. Eventually the Edwards family moved into the structure and occupied it continually until 1958 when Mrs. Edwards died. Almost a decade later, Plymouth Village acquired the home and used it for their business offices until it was acquired by the Edwards Mansion complex in 1973 for the large sum of one dollar. The structure was moved to its current location off of the 10 freeway and restored to serve its current purpose as a popular wedding location. [30]
Morey Mansion Inn at 190 Terracina Blvd
  • Morey Mansion, built in 1890 with the proceeds from the sale of Sarah Morey's citrus nursery there is no known architect to this beautiful structure. David and Sarah Morey moved to Redlands in 1882 where David did carpentry work on many of the local structures and the Big Bear dam. Sarah started a citrus nursery using seeds from local growers that became one of the foremost citrus nurseries in the area. She eventually sold it and used 1/2 the proceeds to build their family home. After the Morey family sold the house it was alternatively a bed and breakfast and private residence and now serves both functions. Located on the bluffs overlooking San Timoteo Canyon it is known for its commanding view.[31]
Kendall Place

[edit] City parks

The city of Redlands owns and operates 14 public parks totaling more than 143 acres (0.58 km2):

  • Brookside Park: a 9.2-acre (37,000 m2) neighborhood park with picnic and playground facilities. (Brookside Avenue between Terracina Boulevard and Bellevue Avenue)
  • Caroline Park: a 16.8-acre (68,000 m2) nature park with trails and open space planted with native California plants and a water conservation garden. It houses a large variety of animals. Especially active near sundown. (Sunset Drive and Mariposa Drive)
  • Community Park: an 18.2-acre (74,000 m2) park with lighted baseball fields, tennis courts, picnic and playground facilities. (San Bernardino Avenue and Church Street)
  • Crafton Park: a 7.5-acre (30,000 m2)-neighborhood park with lighted soccer field, picnic and playground facilities. (Wabash Avenue and Independence Avenue)
  • Ed Hales Park: a .7-acre (2,800 m2) downtown park with picnic facilities. (State Street and Fifth Street)
  • Jennie Davis Park: a 5.2-acre (21,000 m2) neighborhood park with picnic and playground facilities. (Redlands Boulevard and New York Street)
  • Ford Park: a 27-acre (110,000 m2) park with two ponds for fishing, lighted tennis courts, picnic and playground facilities. (Redlands Boulevard and Ford Street)
  • Franklin Park: a .6-acre (2,400 m2) natural open space area. (Garden Street and Franklin Avenue)
  • Prospect Park: an 11.4-acre (46,000 m2) natural park with trails and picnic facilities. The park contains the Avice Meeker Sewall Theater, an outdoor amphitheater with seating for 407. (Cajon Street and Highland Avenue)
  • San Timoteo Canyon Nature Preserve: a 40-acre (160,000 m2) natural preserve facility. (San Timoteo Canyon Road and Alessandro Road)
  • Simonds Parkway: a .9-acre (3,600 m2) neighborhood park. (Garden Street and Rossmont Drive)
A.K. Smiley Public Library
Lincoln Shrine
  • Smiley Park: a 9.2-acre (37,000 m2) park at the Redlands Civic Center. This park is home to A.K. Smiley Public Library, a facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, built in 1932, containing the largest collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia west of the Mississippi River; and the Redlands Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater with seating for approximately 4,000 where summer concerts are performed each Tuesday and Friday evening during July and August. (Eureka Street and Vine Street). The Lincoln Shrine is host to the annual Boy Scout Pilgrimage to the Lincoln Shrine.[32]
  • Sylvan Park: a 23.3-acre (94,000 m2) park with softball field, group and individual picnic areas and playground facilities. (Colton Avenue and University Street)
  • Texonia Park: a 10.7-acre (43,000 m2) neighborhood park with lighted softball field, basketball courts, picnic and playground facilities. (Texas Street and Lugonia Avenue)
  • Redlands Sports Park: The 120-acre (0.49 km2) facility includes soccer fields, softball fields, group picnic facilities, playground and recreations elements. (Wabash Avenue and San Bernardino Avenue) by Redlands Municipal Airport

[edit] Local attractions

  • Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom: A theme and water park that is now only in occasional use. The park incorporates Egyptian themes, and includes a Go-Cart raceway, miniature golf, an amphitheater, and a water park. The park has been used in television filming, including a 2006 episode of C.S.I. Las Vegas featuring a rollercoaster accident.

[edit] Religion

First Congregational Church
Redlands Temple of the LDS Church

A variety of religions have a presence in Redlands, including a number of Christian faiths, Judaism, and the Bahá'í Faith, and there is a Redlands Area Interfaith Council.[33]

The Redlands California Temple is the 116th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of four LDS temples in Southern California. It was dedicated on September 14, 2003. The Redlands, California stake encompasses LDS congregations in the cities of Redlands, Highland and Loma Linda.

[edit] Famous residents

[edit] Sister cities

Redlands has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Redlands- City Mayor". http://www.ci.redlands.ca.us/clerk/harrison.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-20. 
  2. ^ "Redlands Detailed Profile". http://www.city-data.com/city/Redlands-California.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-22. 
  3. ^ "USPS - ZIP Code Lookup - Find a ZIP+ 4 Code By City Results". http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/zcl_1_results.jsp?visited=1&pagenumber=0&state=ca&city=Rancho%20Cucamonga. Retrieved on 2007-02-20. 
  4. ^ "Number Administration System - NPA and City/Town Search Results". http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_city_query_step2.do?method=displayData&cityToNpaModel.stateAbbr=CA&cityToNpaModel.city=Rancho%20Cucamonga. Retrieved on 2007-02-20. 
  5. ^ Hinckley, Edith B. (1951). On the Banks of the Zanja: The Story of Redlands. Claremont, California: The Saunders Press. pp. 42. 
  6. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, Redlands The Beautiful, page 61.
  7. ^ About the City of Redlands
  8. ^ Craig, Scipio, "HURRAH! For the City of Redlands ! ! - Incorporation Carried by a Rousing Majority", The Citrograph, Redlands, California, Extra, 27 November 1888, Volume 3, Number -, front page.
  9. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, Redlands The Beautiful, pages 60-61.
  10. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, The Horse Cars of Redlands, page 34.
  11. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, Official Corporate (PE) Histories - The Redlands Street Railway Company, page 35.
  12. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, The Redlands Street Railway Company, page 54.
  13. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 21, Pacific Electric Waxes and Wanes, page 235.
  14. ^ Crump, Spencer, "Ride the Big Red Cars - The Pacific Electric Story", Trans-Anglo Books, a division of Interurban Press, Glendale, California, 1983, Seventh Edition - Summer 1988, Library of Congress card number 77-72017, ISBN 0-87046-047-1, page 65.
  15. ^ Crump, Spencer, "Ride the Big Red Cars - The Pacific Electric Story", Trans-Anglo Books, a division of Interurban Press, Glendale, California, 1983, Seventh Edition - Summer 1988, Library of Congress card number 77-72017, ISBN 0-87046-047-1, page 95.
  16. ^ Swett, Ira L., "Tractions of the Orange Empire", Interurbans Special Number Forty-One, Interurbans Magazine, Los Angeles, California, August 1967, Chapter 7, The Redlands Interurban Line, page 85.
  17. ^ "ESRI: Redlands Brochure (2007) -". http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/redlands_guide.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-01-05. 
  18. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  19. ^ State of California, Department of Finance, E-1 Population Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State with Annual Percent Change — January 1, 2007 and 2008. Sacramento, California, May 2008.
  20. ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. 
  21. ^ Christ the King REDLANDS Pre-K
  22. ^ Moore, Frank Ensor (1995). Redlands Astride the Freeway: The Development of Good Automobile Roads. Redlands, California: Moore Historical Foundation. 
  23. ^ "ESRI: Redlands Brochure (2007) -". http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/redlands_guide.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-01-05. 
  24. ^ Hydro Tek Systems
  25. ^ http://www.gillbatteries.com/ Gill Batteries]
  26. ^ Redlands Historical Museum
  27. ^ San Bernardino County Museum
  28. ^ Redlands Historical Glass Museum
  29. ^ "Kimberly Crest Website". http://www.kimberlycrest.org/aboutus.htm. 
  30. ^ "Edwards Mansion Website". http://www.edwardsmansion.com/history.html. 
  31. ^ "Morey Mansion Website". http://www.moreymansion.com/history.htm. 
  32. ^ LINCOLN MEMORIAL SHRINE - Boy Scout Pilgrimage
  33. ^ See Redlands Detailed Profile, Redlands Worship, and Religious Diversity News.

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