Inland Empire: Difference between revisions
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While the [[crime index]] in Riverside and Ontario tends slightly over the national average, [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] has a crime index consistently near or over twice that of the national average.<ref>{{cite web | title= San Bernardino, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/San-Bernardino-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Riverside, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Riverside-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Ontario, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Ontario-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Rogers | first= Robert | title= Experts advise SB leaders on parolees | url=http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_7573553?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com | date=November 27, 2007 | publisher= [[San Bernardino County Sun]] | accessdate=2007-11-27}}</ref> |
While the [[crime index]] in Riverside and Ontario tends slightly over the national average, [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] has a crime index consistently near or over twice that of the national average.<ref>{{cite web | title= San Bernardino, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/San-Bernardino-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Riverside, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Riverside-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Ontario, California, Detailed Profile | url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Ontario-California.html | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Rogers | first= Robert | title= Experts advise SB leaders on parolees | url=http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_7573553?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com | date=November 27, 2007 | publisher= [[San Bernardino County Sun]] | accessdate=2007-11-27}}</ref> |
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Latino gangs have been active in the region since the area's citrus days while a continual migration of African American gangs from LA has flowed into the area since the [[Watts Riots]].<ref name= "History">{{cite news | title= History timeline of the Inland Empire, California | url= http://www.sbsun.com/empireday_3/ci_7323066 | publisher= [[San Bernardino County Sun]] | date= [[October 30]], [[2007]] | accessdate= 2007-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Matthews | first=Will |title=Roots of youth violence |url=http://lang.dailybulletin.com/socal/gangs/articles/ivdbp1_main.asp | publisher=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]] | date= [[September 26]], [[2004]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref> Today, the number of gangs with roots outside the area far exceeds the number of local gangs active in the IE, which is easily notable as gang members frequently identify themselves with [[tattoo]]s bearing their home turf and affiliations.<ref>{{cite news | last=Woods | first=Wes II |title=New gangs move into I.E. |url=http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_7307838 | publisher=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Muckenfuss | first=Mark |title=Marked Men | url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_tattoo22.2950771.html | publisher=[[Press Enterprise (California)|Press Enterprise]] | date= [[November 22]], [[2007]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref> The increased diversity in the region between 1990 and 2000 is also associated with a 20% increase in [[hate crime]] in the same period, mostly ascribed to increased gang activity.<ref name= "SPLC">{{cite journal | last=Holthouse | first=David | title=California Conflict | url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=956 | journal= Intelligence Report| publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] | date= Fall, 2005 | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Silva | first=David | title=War on Hate, Brian Levin and the changing face of extremist groups in the IE | url= http://www.ieweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=581&menu=Story | publisher=Inland Empire Weekly | date=2007-05-03 | accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> According to data from the FBI's [[Uniform Crime Reports|Uniform Crime Reporting]] program, taken together, [[Riverside County, California|Riverside]] and [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]] counties showed a total of 51,237 crimes reported to county police/sheriffs in 2006; this combined total exceeded the totals for all other California counties—considered individually—except for [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento]].<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_10_ca.html Table 10 (California) - Crime in the United States 2006<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
Latino gangs have been active in the region since the area's citrus days while a continual migration of African American gangs from LA has flowed into the area since the [[Watts Riots]].<ref name= "History">{{cite news | title= History timeline of the Inland Empire, California | url= http://www.sbsun.com/empireday_3/ci_7323066 | publisher= [[San Bernardino County Sun]] | date= [[October 30]], [[2007]] | accessdate= 2007-11-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Matthews | first=Will |title=Roots of youth violence |url=http://lang.dailybulletin.com/socal/gangs/articles/ivdbp1_main.asp | publisher=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]] | date= [[September 26]], [[2004]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref> Today, the number of gangs with roots outside the area far exceeds the number of local gangs active in the IE, which is easily notable as gang members frequently identify themselves with [[tattoo]]s bearing their home turf and affiliations.<ref>{{cite news | last=Woods | first=Wes II |title=New gangs move into I.E. |url=http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_7307838 | publisher=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Muckenfuss | first=Mark |title=Marked Men | url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_tattoo22.2950771.html | publisher=[[Press Enterprise (California)|Press Enterprise]] | date= [[November 22]], [[2007]] | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref> The increased diversity in the region between 1990 and 2000 is also associated with a 20% increase in [[hate crime]] in the same period, mostly ascribed to increased gang activity.<ref name= "SPLC">{{cite journal | last=Holthouse | first=David | title=California Conflict | url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=956 | journal= Intelligence Report| publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] | date= Fall, 2005 | accessdate= 2007-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Silva | first=David | title=War on Hate, Brian Levin and the changing face of extremist groups in the IE | url= http://www.ieweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=581&menu=Story | publisher=Inland Empire Weekly | date=2007-05-03 | accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> According to data from the FBI's [[Uniform Crime Reports|Uniform Crime Reporting]] program, taken together, [[Riverside County, California|Riverside]] and [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]] counties showed a total of 51,237 crimes reported to county police/sheriffs (but not to city or other agencies) in 2006; this combined total exceeded the totals for all other California counties—considered individually—except for [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]] and [[Sacramento County, California|Sacramento]].<ref>[http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_10_ca.html Table 10 (California) - Crime in the United States 2006<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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<!-- (Find a good home for this!) [[Joan Didion]] brought some infamy to Inland Empire crime when she wrote about a famous homicide in the essay "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream." The piece is featured in her collection of essays [[Slouching Towards Bethlehem]] from the late 1960s. The essay offers colorful descriptions of the Alta Loma area of [[Rancho Cucamonga, California]], Santa Ana winds and the San Bernardino courthouse. --> |
<!-- (Find a good home for this!) [[Joan Didion]] brought some infamy to Inland Empire crime when she wrote about a famous homicide in the essay "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream." The piece is featured in her collection of essays [[Slouching Towards Bethlehem]] from the late 1960s. The essay offers colorful descriptions of the Alta Loma area of [[Rancho Cucamonga, California]], Santa Ana winds and the San Bernardino courthouse. --> |
Revision as of 17:48, 4 May 2008
Inland Empire | |
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Population | CSA - 17,775,984 [1] MSA - 4,026,135[2] |
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California mainly 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 other 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 (60 km) 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 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 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, La Verne, and Claremont, are usually 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. Towards inland the climate gets colder in the winter and hotter in the summer.
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,[2] the Inland Empire is the 14th largest metropolitan area in the United States.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/SanBernardino-1852.jpg/220px-SanBernardino-1852.jpg)
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 entire landmass of Southern California was subdivided according to the San Bernardino Meridian, which was first plotted as part of the Public Land Survey System in November 1852, by Col. Henry Washington. Base Line road, a major thoroughfare, today runs from Highland to San Dimas, intermittently along the absolute baseline coordinates plotted by Col. Washington.[3]
San Bernardino County was first formed out of parts of Los Angeles County on April 26, 1853. While the partition once included what is today most of Riverside County, the region is not as monolithic as it may sound. Rivalries between Colton, Redlands, Riverside and San Bernardino over the location of the county seat in the 1890s caused each of them to form their own civic communities, each with their own newspapers. On August 14, 1893 the Senate allowed Riverside County to form out of land previously in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, after rejecting a bill for Pomona to split from LA County and become the seat of what would have been called San Antonio County.[4]
The arrival of railroads and the importation of navel and Valencia orange trees in the 1870s touched off explosive growth, with the area quickly becoming a major center for citrus production.[5] [6][7] 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. Still, the region endured as the key part of the Southern California "Citrus belt" until the end of World War II, when a new generation of real-estate developers bulldozed acres of agricultural land to build suburbs.[5] The precursor to the San Bernardino Freeway, the Ramona Expressway, was built in 1944, and further development of the freeway system facilitated the expansion of suburbs and human migration throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California.
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Sb_2004_dt_snowskyline_003a.jpg/220px-Sb_2004_dt_snowskyline_003a.jpg)
Unlike most metropolitan areas that have grown up around a central city, the Inland Empire is composed of many small and medium sized cities and unincorporated communities that together form the 14th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Los Angeles County and Orange County border the Inland Empire to the West; Inyo and Kern to the North, San Diego and Imperial County to the South and the States of Arizona and Nevada to the East. The Inland Empire stretches from the Pomona Valley through the San Bernardino Valley, encompassing the San Bernardino Mountains and the high and low deserts to the Nevada and Arizona state lines. Suburban sprawl, centering around the cities of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario, spreads out to form a unified whole with the Greater Los Angeles area, with further development encroaching past the mountains into the outlying desert areas. The San Bernardino valley floor houses roughly over 80% of the total human population in the IE.[8]
Elevations range from 11,502 feet (3,506 metres) at the top of the San Gorgonio Mountain to 282 ft (86 m) below sea level at the bottom of Death Valley in the Mojave Desert. The San Bernardino mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest and the resort communities of Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, and Running Springs. The Santa Ana River extends from Mt. San Gorgonio for nearly 100 miles (160 km) through San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties before it eventually spills into the Pacific Ocean at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. While temperatures are generally cool to cold in the mountains, it can get hot in the valleys. In the desert resort of Palm Springs, near Joshua Tree National Park, summer temperatures can reach well over 110 degrees.
The developed area of the IE consists of the following valleys: Chino Valley, Coachella Valley, Cucamonga Valley, Menifee Valley, Murrieta Valley, Perris Valley, Pomona Valley, San Bernardino Valley (Largest valley in the Inland Empire), Temecula Valley, and Victor Valley. The Inland Empire is popular for recreational activities such as skiing the San Bernardinos or staying overnight at Riverside's Mission Inn. In Southwestern Riverside County, Lake Elsinore is popular among boating enthusiasts.
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. 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.
Economics
Housing
Since the 1950s, 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 there are generally less expensive than comparable homes in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, however, still generally more expensive than the rest of the nation. 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 shopping centers, industrial warehouses, etc. This continuous development, due to the various interests involved, has become seemingly unplanned and uncontrolled suburban sprawl.[9]
Retail
Retailing in the area has increased to keep abreast with the rapidly growing suburban population. The region is home to several large upscale shopping malls, including the Montclair Plaza in Montclair, the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside, Ontario Mills in Ontario, Dos Lagos in Corona, Promenade Mall in Temecula, Moreno Valley Mall in Moreno Valley, Victoria Gardens Mall in Rancho Cucamonga and the Inland Center mall in San Bernardino, California. In fiscal year 2006, retail sales in San Bernardino County grew by 11.9% to $31.2 billion, while sales in Riverside County were up 11.3% to $29.6 billion.[10]
Industry
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Boxcars%2C_Rialto%2C_California%2C_Sunset.jpg/220px-Boxcars%2C_Rialto%2C_California%2C_Sunset.jpg)
Inexpensive land prices (compared to Los Angeles and Orange Counties), a large supply of vacant land, and a transport network where many highways and railroads intersect have made the Inland Empire a major shipping hub. Some of the nation's largest manufacturing 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. Whirlpool Corporation recently leased a 1,700,000-square-foot (160,000 m2) distribution center in Perris that is larger than 31 football fields and one of the biggest warehouses in the country.[11] These centers operate as part of the system 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. More than 80% percent of the state's imported cargo is shipped through the Los Angeles/Inland Empire Corridor.[12] Three major airports service the area, the San Bernardino International Airport, Palm Springs International Airport, and the LA/Ontario International Airport.
While urbanization continues to cut into agricultural lands, the Inland Empire still produces substantial crops, from grapefruit in the Coachella Valley to milk in Chino. Although 10,000 acres (40 km2) of irrigated land was lost between 2002 and 2004, agriculture still brought in more than $1.6 billion in revenues to the two-county region in 2006.[6]
Environmental quality
![]() | |
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. Note how the street that 'faded' into the smoggy haze and the Santa Ana Mountains that were completely obscured in the image to the left are now visible. |
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.[13] The solution to 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.[14]
Air pollution
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).[15] 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.
Water pollution
Water pollution has also been found in the Santa Ana River and Cajon wash, and pollutants from the March Air Reserve Base and Stringfellow Acid Pits have contaminated much of the groundwater in Riverside County.[8] In 1997, perchlorate, a chemical used to produce explosives, was discovered to be seeping into the groundwater under Rialto in a plume that continues to grow. In 2007, the Rialto City council petitioned the EPA for Superfund status to clean up the origin site. The sites comprising March Air Reserve Base, Norton Air Force Base and the Stringfellow Acid Pits have already been classified as EPA Superfund toxic waste sites.[16]
Traffic congestion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/I-10m_215_Interchange_traffic%2C_San_Bernardino%2C_CA.jpg/220px-I-10m_215_Interchange_traffic%2C_San_Bernardino%2C_CA.jpg)
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, State Route 210 (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. Forbes Magazine recently ranked the area first in its list of America's most unhealthy commutes, beating out every other major metropolitan area in the county, as Inland area drivers breathe the unhealthiest air and have the highest rate of fatal auto accidents per capita.[17]
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. In addition, according to the 2000 Census, it is the fastest growing area in the state. Between 1990 and 2000, Riverside and San Bernardino counties added 700,000 to their population totals, an increase of 26%.[18] 1.60 million of the IE's 3.71 million residents as of 2004 were White (43.2%), slightly more than the 1.56 million who culturally classified themselves as Hispanic (42.0%). African Americans were the next largest group at 267,479 (7.2%). They were followed by Asian Americans at 188,736 (5.1%). All other groups represented 93,759 people (2.5%). From 1990-2004, the Inland Empire's White population declined slightly by 20,470 (-1.8%), while the number of Blacks grew by 97,064 (8.7%), Asians grew by 93,864 (8.4%) and Hispanics grew 881,307 (78.7%).[19]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2006, 33.1% of people in the San Bernardino-Ontario area were overweight, and 30.8% were obese. Forbes Magazine ranks the area as the fourth fattest in the country.[20]
A substantial majority of residents (76.6%), last comparatively surveyed in 2001, rated their respective counties as good places to live. Over 81% of Riverside County residents indicated that their county is a very good or fairly good place to live, while about 72% of residents in San Bernardino County felt the same way. Survey respondents cited "nice living area," "good climate," and "affordable housing" as the top positive factors in assessing their respective communities. Smog was by far the most important negative factor affecting respondents’ ratings in both counties, while traffic was the 2nd highest concern in Riverside County and crime the 2nd highest concern among San Bernardino County residents.[21]
Politics
While the region as a whole has traditionally leaned more Republican than the rest of California, newer residents are less likely to identify with the Republican party than longer-term residents (36 percent to 42 percent), and the total number of residents identifying with the Democrats (34%) now slightly edges over the number identifying with the Republican party (33%). However, voting rates are lower than in the rest of the state, and as the population grows there is also a trend away from civic engagement entirely. Among more recent residents, only 19% belong to civic organizations and 9% have served as a volunteer in a community organization. By contrast, 28% of long-term residents belong to community organizations and 15% have volunteered. Whites and African Americans have the highest participation rates for nearly every type of political activity, while Latinos and Asian Americans lag significantly behind other groups in terms of volunteerism and organizational membership. However, the 2006 immigration protests have significantly boosted political participation among Latinos, with nearly one in seven participating in demonstrations and marches that year.[22]
Religion
78% of Inland residents view themselves as Christians. 39% identify as Catholic, 14% as Protestant, and 25% as some other type of Christian. (36% of total Inland Christians view themselves as "born again.") 1% of the population are Jewish, 6% belong to some other religion, and 14% profess no religion. 27% of Inland residents attend some form of religious service once a week, 14% attend more than once a week, 15% once a month, and 14% only attend services on major religious holidays.[22][23]
Crime
While the crime index in Riverside and Ontario tends slightly over the national average, San Bernardino has a crime index consistently near or over twice that of the national average.[24][25][26][27]
Latino gangs have been active in the region since the area's citrus days while a continual migration of African American gangs from LA has flowed into the area since the Watts Riots.[4][28] Today, the number of gangs with roots outside the area far exceeds the number of local gangs active in the IE, which is easily notable as gang members frequently identify themselves with tattoos bearing their home turf and affiliations.[29][30] The increased diversity in the region between 1990 and 2000 is also associated with a 20% increase in hate crime in the same period, mostly ascribed to increased gang activity.[31][32] According to data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, taken together, Riverside and San Bernardino counties showed a total of 51,237 crimes reported to county police/sheriffs (but not to city or other agencies) in 2006; this combined total exceeded the totals for all other California counties—considered individually—except for Los Angeles and Sacramento.[33]
Education
There is a trend of lower educational attainment in the IE, which starts early. Only 37% of 3- and 4-year olds in the region are enrolled in pre-school, with only one school in the region for every 343 children, as compared to 48% enrollment in San Diego County. 35% of the IE's ninth graders do not graduate from high school, and only 37% of its college age residents enroll in a post-secondary education program of some sort. Only 24% of the IE's adult residents have attained a college degree or better. 25% do not possess a high school diploma.[18] According to CSUSB President Al Karnig, "We have a very low college attendance rate that is scantly above half of what the average is in other states. We have only have about 20 percent college graduates in the Inland Empire while the average in other states is 38 percent."[34][35] 21 inland area high schools rank in the top 100 in California for producing dropouts.[36]
Of Inland residents 25 years and over in 2004, Asians were the best educated. 44.4% had bachelor’s or higher degrees, and nearly 70% had at least attended college. Among Whites, 22.8% had 4-year degrees or higher, and 60.8% at least attended college. In the African American community, the number with bachelor’s or higher degree was 21.3%, and 65.2% had either a community college degree or had attended college. Only 6.9% of Hispanic adults had a 4-year or higher degree, and only 30.2% attended college at all.[19]
Among students transferring from Inland community colleges to private schools in 2004-05, the most frequent choice was the University of Phoenix.[37]
Employment
While the Inland Empire led the state in job-growth with 275,000 new jobs between 1990 and 2000, most are in comparatively low-tech fields. San Bernardino and Riverside counties are primarily host to service and manufacturing- or warehousing-oriented industries. Food and administrative services employ the most people in the Inland Empire, while for the state of California, the top industries are in administrative services and professional, scientific and hi-tech-oriented fields. 79.8% of the IE's job growth from 1990-2003 was in service-sector jobs.[38] Low-wage industries are abundant in the IE, and the high-tech and professional industries that are in the area actually pay more in other regions of California. As many as one-third of working adults commute out of the 27,000-square-mile (70,000 km2) region to find work, the highest proportion of any area in the country. Adding to gridlock, less than 5% of the IE's 1,249,224 working-age residents use public transportation to get to work each day. 14.5% carpool, while 79.7% typically drive alone to work in their cars.[18] The region has an unemployment rate of 6.1%, while overall jobless claims in California are at 5.4 percent and 4.4 percent nationally.[39]
Culture
While not widely known as a cultural mecca, various locations in the Inland Empire provide venues for cultural performances and entertainment. The Hyundai Pavilion in Devore is the nation's largest outdoor amphitheater. Ontario Mills draws more visitors annually than Disneyland, and San Bernardino's "Route 66 Rendezvous," an annual street fair and classic car show, draws a half-million people from around the world.[40]
Cuisine
The Mission Inn and Mario's Place in Riverside are known for great cuisine. The Sycamore Inn and the Magic Lamp Inn are well known historic restaurants in Rancho Cucamonga. San Bernardino's hilltop Castaway Inn is also renowned as one of the IE's best restaurants.[41]
Music
Established bands from the IE include Alien Ant Farm, The Bellrays and the Voodoo Glow Skulls, from Riverside, and Cracker from Redlands. House music pioneer DJ Lynnwood got his start at the age of ten spinning records at KUOR in Redlands. Local hip-hop artists such as Saint Dog, Suga Free, Miah Lanski, Sly Boogy, Lighter Shade of Brown, and artists represented by Homeless Records, have brought about much attention to the growing rap community in and around the area, some rock journalists dubbing it a new genre, "Cali 909." A number of artists associated with the Palm Desert Scene have also forged a new genre, "Desert rock." A Danish record label, Musikministeriet, recently opened up an office in Redlands in hopes of further cultivating the IE music scene.[42]
Frank Zappa lived in the Pomona Valley area and owned a restaurant in Upland on Foothill Boulevard during the early 1960s where he played shows on a makeshift stage for college crowds.
From the late 80s until the late 90s, many up-and-coming musical acts, such as Rage Against the Machine, Blink-182 and No Doubt cut their teeth playing venues in Riverside.[43] However, these historic venues (Spanky's Cafe, the Barn at UCR, and the De Anza Theatre) have since been closed and converted to other purposes. Emerging music venues in the IE include the Showcase Theatre in Corona, Red Planet Records in Riverside, the Vault in Redlands, the Buffalo Inn in Upland, the Twins Club in Rancho Cucamonga, the Press Restaurant in Claremont, and the Glass House in Pomona.[44]. The List of bands from Inland Empire has artists and musicians that are from the Inland Empire.
Performing arts
Orchestras in the IE include the Redlands Symphony, which performs at the University of Redlands, the Riverside County Philharmonic, which performs at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, the San Bernardino Symphony, which performs at the California Theatre, and the Victor Valley Symphony, which performs at Victor Valley College Theatrical Arts International is housed at the California Theatre as well. With the largest subscriber base in the Inland Empire, Theatrical Arts International presents the largest caliber tours available including such blockbusters as "Cats," "Mamma Mia," And "Miss Saigon."
Sports
Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|
Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino | CaL, Baseball | Arrowhead Credit Union Park | 1941 | 5 |
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes | CaL, Baseball | The Epicenter | 1993 | 1 |
Ontario Reign | ECHL, Ice hockey | Citizens Business Bank Arena | 2008 | 0 |
Media
Newspapers
The Inland Empire is served by three major local newspapers. The San Bernardino County Sun, which serves primary the San Bernardino Valley region, and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, which serves the Pomona Valley, are both part of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group owned by MediaNews Group. The Riverside-based Press-Enterprise also has a few editions over the area. For the High Desert, The Daily Press is the local newspaper. Palm Springs and the greater Coachella Valley are served by The Desert Sun. There is also an Inland Empire edition of the Los Angeles Times. The Westside Story Newspaper is a local San Bernardino paper published by Mr. Wallace Allen. It provides literature for and about the African-American community.
Radio
The Inland Empire is ranked 25th (April 2007) in the national radio market.[45] San Bernardino classic hits 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 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. UC Riverside's KUCR is the IE's most popular college radio station, although KSPC Claremont 88.7 FM (based at the Claremont Colleges) provides a station for independent music fans. The newest radio station is [Hot Spot Radio][1]
Television
While the Inland Empire has television channels licensed to their cities, only two channels, PBS member station KVCR-TV & Inland Hot Spot TV[KIHS-TV], broadcasts directly to the Inland Empire. The other channels broadcast to the greater Southern California market. FCC regulations 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.
Film
While there are no large film production companies or studios based in the Inland Empire, on-location shoots accounted for a total economic impact of $65.2 million in the two-county region in 2006.[46] From 1994 to 2005, filming accounted for over a billion dollars ($1,228,977,456) in total revenues spent in the area. Some famous films shot in the Inland Empire include Executive Decision, U-Turn, Erin Brokovich, and The Fast and the Furious.[47]
While the David Lynch film Inland Empire is named after the region, no scenes were actually shot in the Inland Empire.[48]
Incorporated cities
Riverside County Cities |
Year Incorporated |
Population, 2007[10] |
Median Income, 2006[10] |
---|---|---|---|
Banning | 1913 | 28,272 | $41,268 |
Beaumont | 1912 | 28,250 | $39,553 |
Blythe | 1916 | 22,178 | $45,302 |
Calimesa | 1990 | 7,415 | $47,406 |
Canyon Lake | 1990 | 10,939 | $70,106 |
Cathedral City | 1981 | 51,081 | $50,654 |
Corona | 1896 | 144,661 | $72,162 |
Coachella | 1946 | 35,207 | $33,402 |
Desert Hot Springs | 1963 | 22,011 | $33,263 |
Hemet | 1910 | 69,544 | $31,749 |
Indian Wells | 1967 | 4,865 | $120,074 |
Indio | 1930 | 71,654 | $45,143 |
Lake Elsinore | 1888 | 40,985 | $54,595 |
La Quinta | 1982 | 38,340 | $71,127 |
Moreno Valley | 1984 | 174,565 | $52,426 |
Murrieta | 1991 | 92,933 | $75,102 |
Norco | 1964 | 27,262 | $62,652 |
Palm Desert | 1973 | 49,539 | $61,789 |
Palm Springs | 1938 | 46,437 | $46,399 |
Perris | 1911 | 47,139 | $35,338 |
Rancho Mirage | 1973 | 16,672 | $78,434 |
Riverside | 1883 | 287,820 | $52,023 |
San Jacinto | 1888 | 31,066 | $39,235 |
Temecula | 1989 | 93,923 | $71,754 |
San Bernardino County Cities |
Year Incorporated |
Population, 2007[10] |
Median Income, 2006[10] |
---|---|---|---|
Adelanto | 1970 | 27,139 | $41,444 |
Apple Valley | 1988 | 70,297 | $46,751 |
Barstow | 1947 | 23,943 | $44,737 |
Big Bear Lake | 1981 | 6,207 | $43,983 |
Chino | 1910 | 81,224 | $70,994 |
Chino Hills | 1991 | 78,668 | $100,394 |
Colton | 1887 | 51,797 | $45,911 |
Fontana | 1952 | 181,640 | $60,722 |
Grand Terrace | 1978 | 12,380 | $69,806 |
Hesperia | 1988 | 85,876 | $43,018 |
Highland | 1987 | 52,186 | $53,917 |
Loma Linda | 1970 | 22,451 | $49,211 |
Montclair | 1956 | 36,622 | $52,768 |
Needles | 1913 | 5,759 | $35,338 |
Ontario | 1891 | 172,701 | $56,688 |
Rancho Cucamonga | 1977 | 172,331 | $75,429 |
Redlands | 1888 | 71,375 | $63,463 |
Rialto | 1911 | 99,064 | $45,759 |
San Bernardino | 1854 | 205,010 | $36,676 |
Twentynine Palms | 1987 | 24,830 | $36,471 |
Upland | 1906 | 75,169 | $64,894 |
Victorville | 1962 | 102,538 | $50,531 |
Yucaipa | 1989 | 51,784 | $50,529 |
Yucca Valley | 1991 | 21,044 | $38,092 |
Los Angeles County Cities |
Year Incorporated |
Population | Median Income |
---|---|---|---|
Claremont | 1887 | 33,999 | $81,129 |
Diamond Bar | 1989 | 56,287 | $83,614 |
La Verne | 1906 | 31,638 | $61,326 |
Pomona | 1889 | 165,695 | $40,502 |
San Dimas | 1960 | 34,980 | $62,885 |
Unincorporated communities
Freeways
(State Route 2)
San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10)
Mojave Freeway/Barstow Freeway/Ontario Freeway/Corona Freeway/Temecula Valley Freeway/Escondido Freeway (Interstate 15)
(State Route 18)
(State Route 30)
(State Route 38)
Needles Freeway (Interstate 40)
(State Route 58)
Pomona Freeway/Moreno Valley Freeway (State Route 60)
(State Route 62)
(State Route 66)
Corona Expressway/Chino Valley Freeway (State Route 71)
(State Route 74)
(State Route 79)
(State Route 78)
(State Route 83)
(State Route 86)
(State Route 86S)
Riverside Freeway (State Route 91)
(U.S. Route 95)
(State Route 111)
(State Route 127)
(State Route 138)
(State Route 142)
(State Route 173)
(State Route 177)
(State Route 178)
(State Route 189)
(State Route 195)
Foothill Freeway (State Route 210)
Barstow Freeway/San Bernardino Freeway/Moreno Valley Freeway/Escondido Freeway (Interstate 215)
(State Route 243)
(State Route 247)
(State Route 259)
(State Route 330)
(State Route 371)
(U.S. Route 395)
(County Route R2)
(County Route R3)
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(help) - ^ Pitchford, Phil (November 28, 2007). "$1.7 billion allotted to five-county region for highway, rail projects". Press Enterprise. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
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(help) - ^ Supryia, Ray (2006), Plagued by Pollution: Unsafe Levels of Soot Pollution in 2004 (PDF), Los Angeles: Environment California Research & Policy Center, retrieved 2007-12-16
- ^ Pesick, Jason (2007-12-04). "Rialto seeks Superfund designation for perchlorate". Press Enterprise. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
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(help) - ^ Edwards, Andrew (November 29, 2007). "I.E. sees heavy growth - in fatness". San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
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(help) - ^ Bockman, Shell; Neiman, Max; Sirotnik, Barbara (2001), 2001 Inland Empire Annual Survey (PDF), San Bernardino: Inland Empire Research Consortium, retrieved 2007-12-17
- ^ a b Ramakrishnan, Karthick (July, 2007), Survey of Civil and Political Engagement in the Inland Empire (PDF), Riverside: Department of Political Science, University of California, Riverside, retrieved 2007-11-27
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- ^ Matthews, Will (September 26, 2004). "Roots of youth violence". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
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(help) - ^ Woods, Wes II. "New gangs move into I.E." Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
- ^ Muckenfuss, Mark (November 22, 2007). "Marked Men". Press Enterprise. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
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(help) - ^ Holthouse, David (Fall, 2005). "California Conflict". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
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(help) - ^ Silva, David (2007-05-03). "War on Hate, Brian Levin and the changing face of extremist groups in the IE". Inland Empire Weekly. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ Table 10 (California) - Crime in the United States 2006
- ^ Kennedy-Ross, Selicia (October 17, 2007). "What's in the future for I. E. universities?". San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
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(help) - ^ An, Caroline (November 10, 2006). "Inland Empire college-going rate among California's lowest". San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
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Parsavand, Shirin (February 21, 2008), "21 Inland schools rank in top 100 for dropouts", Press Enterprise, retrieved 2008-02-21
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- ^ Husing, John (January, 2004). "New Data provide detailed look at Inland Empire's Looming Strengths & Difficulties" (PDF). Inland Empire Quarterly Economic Report. 16 (1). Redlands: Economics & Politics, Inc. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
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(help) - ^ Davis, Sherri (January, 2007). "Economic Impact Report" (PDF). Film Inland Empire News. 2 (1). Riverside: Inland Empire Film Commission. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
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(help) - ^ David Lynch's Inland Empire