Temecula, California

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Country	United States of America
Temecula, California

Motto: Where you want to be...
State	California
County	Riverside County
Founded	1859
Incorporated	December 1, 1989
Government
- Mayor	Chuck Washington
Area
- City	26.3 sq mi (68.1 km²)
Elevation	1,175 ft (358.14 m)
Population (2006)
- City	93,923
Time zone	PST (UTC8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC7)
Website: City of Temecula

Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 57,716 at the 2000 census. The current population as of January 2006 has skyrocketed to 93,923. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989.

Temecula is bordered by Murrieta on the northwest and the Pechanga Indian Reservation on the south, with unincorporated areas of Riverside County on all of its other borders. It is served by the I-15 Temecula Valley Freeway and I-215, along with highway 79.

With neighboring Murrieta, Temecula forms the southwestern anchor of the Inland Empire region. It is almost equidistant to San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange counties and many consider it a suburb of the latter. Temecula is also home to many military families from nearby MCB Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, March Air Reserve Base and the Navy bases in San Diego.

[edit] Temecula's Population History

1980......1,783*
1990.....27,099
2000.....57,716
2005.....90,000
2006.....93,923

Recent estimates put the city's population over 100,000.

*Population figures taken prior to incorporation

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-1800

The area was inhabited by the Temecula native people for many hundreds of years before their first meeting with the Spanish missionaries (the people are now generally known as the "Luiseños", after the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia), but they lost an estimated 40% of their population due to introduced epidemics in the last few years of the 18th century. [1]

The name Temecula comes from the Luiseño word Temecunga - roughly, "place of the sun". It was the Spanish who transcribed the word as "Temecula". According to the city website, "Temecula is the only city in California to still retain its original Indian name".

The first recorded Spanish visit, in October of 1797, was that of Franciscan padre, Father Juan Norberto de Santiago, who was searching for a new mission site. He visited what is now Lake Elsinore, and eventually visited much of the rest of the Temecula Valley.

[edit] 1800-1900

Little is known about Temecula during the early 1800s because so many records were destroyed in the fire that followed the great San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

In the 1820s, the Mission San Antonio de Pala was built, and a serious attempt to Christianize the local natives was begun.

In 1845, during the disintegration of Mexico's hold on California, the Temecula Ranch was granted to Felix Valdez. The Luiseño and Cahuilla tribes were involved, rather bloodily, in the local battles of the Mexican-American War during the following years.

One of the most often told stories of Temeculas early days is of the Temecula Massacre in a nearby canyon that took place in January, 1847. The canyon is just below the present site of the Vail Lake Dam and was the scene of the bloodiest battle of the Mexican War. The Luiseño Indians captured 11 Mexican soldiers, who had stolen some of the tribe's horses. The tribal council decided to execute the horse thieves at a place now known as Warner Springs. The event came to be known as the Pauma Massacre. A Mexican contingency, led by José del Carmen Lugo, was soon dispatched to run them down and avenge the deaths.

The Temeculans, who were now on the run, went into the canyon hoping to ambush their pursuers. The tables were turned on them, by the Mexicans who enlisted the aid of the nearby Cahuilla Indians, who had been itching to settle the score with the Temeculans over some previous skirmishes between the two tribes.

The Mexicans, feigning weariness and illness, lured the Temeculans out of the canyon and into the hands of the Cahuillas who promptly slaughtered them. Several days later the dead Temeculans were buried in a common grave, the mound of which is still visible from Highway 79.

Shortly after the Massacre, the Mormon Battalion entered the Temecula Valley. The Luiseño Indians asked the Mormons to guard them as they buried their dead. The Battalion passed through Temecula, then headed south to San Diego.

As white American settlers began to move into California in the aftermath of the war, friction with the native tribes increased. At last a "Treaty with the San Louis Rey, Etc., 1852.", negotiated in good faith by both sides, was signed in the Magee Store in Temecula in 1852. Unfortunately, it was never ratified by the American Congress. [2]

Temecula had its share of experiences with desperadoes. Early in 1857, Juan Flores, the leader of a gang of outlaws, killed a storekeeper in San Juan Capistrano and then again in Temecula. With the help of Manuelito Chapalac, he hid out near Santiago Peak where he and his remaining followers, who by that time had also killed the Los Angeles County Sheriff, were captured by posses from El Monte and San Diego. He later escaped, triggering the greatest manhunt ever conducted in California. Flores was finally recaptured in Simi Pass north of Los Angeles. On February 21, 1857, the Los Angeles jailer surrendered him to a mob and he was hanged on a street of the town.

On the night of September 18, 1858, the first of the Butterfield Overland stagecoach line, which was to run between St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco, pulled up in front of the Magee Store. A previous stage line had started running between the trading post on Warner Ranch and Colton and the first stage to ever enter the Temecula Valley arrived from Warner Ranch on October 27, 1857. With the arrival of the stages also came the beginning of change in the Valley. Stagecoaches were synonymous with holdups and sure enough a stage was held up and robbed near Temecula. The stage driver was slain when he refused to give up the strong box.

The stages brought new settlers to the area and mail became an important link with the rest of the country. On April 22, 1859, the first inland Southern California post office was established in Temecula in the Magee Store.

This was the second post office in the state, the first being located in San Francisco. The Temecula post office was destined for a number of moves over the ensuing years; its present locations are the seventh and eighth sites it has occupied.

While the United States mail delivery in Temecula was being transformed from stagecoaches to military couriers and from saddle pouches to wagons, other phases of history were also transpiring. Born of discontent bred by the Civil War, in the late 1860s, a great migration reached Temecula Valley. The Civil War put an end to the great Butterfield Overland Stage Service and transportation once again became a problem.

In 1882, the Pechanga Indian Reservation of approximately 4,000 acres (16 km²) was formed by executive order and formally created some eight miles from downtown Temecula.

On January 23, 1882, the California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railroad, completed construction of the section from National City (south of San Diego) to Temecula and the valleys silence was broken by the whistle of a locomotive. Regular service was started between National City and Temecula two months later and local residents had good access to San Diego. A minor business boom began in Temecula with the advent of rail service and several new stores were built and started to garner trade. In 1883 the line was extended to San Bernardino. In the late 1880s, a series of floods washed out the tracks and the section of the railroad through the canyon was finally abandoned. The old Temecula station wound up as a barn and was later demolished.

American writer Helen Hunt Jackson visited Temecula in 1882–83, and much of the action of her best-known novel, Ramona, takes place in and around the Temecula Valley.

The stone age was revived in the 1890s with the operation of granite stone quarries. Temecula granite was shaped into fence and hitching posts, curb stones, courthouse steps, and building blocks. Many of the fence posts and curb stones can still be seen in Temecula, Riverside, and San Francisco.

At the turn of the century Temecula gained a place of importance as a shipping point for grain and cattle. During this period the cowboys ruled the roost and the great cattle drives from the back country took place. Temecula had become a cow town.

[edit] 1900-1989

Temecula, 1909.

In 1904 Walter L. Vail, who had come to the United States with his parents from Nova Scotia, migrated to California and with various partners began buying vast areas of land in Southern California. Vail was already a cattle rancher on a grand scale before he started buying ranch land in the Temecula Valley in 1905, buying large tracts beginning with 38,000 acres (154 km²) of Temecula and Pauba Ranchos, along with the northern half of the Little Temecula Ranch. Vail was run over and killed by a street car in Los Angeles in 1906; 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.

Temecula had its share of excitement in the late 1920s and 30s. There were murders, a bank robbery, a flood, and visits by Hollywood celebrities. Prize fighters Jack Dempsey and Jack Sharkey worked out in a makeshift ring on the second floor of the old Welty building at Front and Main Streets over the Blind Pig Saloon and some moon-shining was conducted in the surrounding hills.

By 1947, the Vail Ranch contained just over 87,500 acres (354 km²). For years the Vail family had dreamed of building a dam to catch the Temecula Creek water which ran its course to the Pacific Ocean. In 1948, at a cost of more than $1 million, the dam was completed and created Vail Lake.

Through the mid-1960's the economy of the Temecula Valley centered around the Vail Ranch; the cattle business and agriculture were the stimuli for most business ventures. During that period, the clientele of the Swing Inn, the Long Branch Saloon and the Stables Bar seemed to be confined to ranchers, cowboys, and Indians. While the Old West lifestyle continued here, the outside world was evolving dramatically.

On December 4, 1964, the Vail Ranch was sold to Kaiser Development Company and launched the transformation of the Temecula Valley. A later purchase by the group brought the total area to 97,500 acres (395 km²) a spread of land two and a half times the size of the city and county of San Francisco.

The last years of the 1960s and early 70's witnessed the beginnings of dramatic change in the Temecula Valley. Engineers, contractors, heavy-equipment operators and real estate agents quickly edged out the cowboys and Indians as the main customers at the local establishments. Pickup trucks towing horse trailers, trucks hauling cattle and tractors rigged with farm implements were replaced by cement mixers, lumber trucks and industrial grading equipment. Sales activity switched from cattle, hay and grain to subdivided real estate land.

The Kaiser Land Development Company marketed the valley's attractions actively. Soon, the area became known as Rancho California. Many land sales were accomplished by means of limited partnership syndications, which helped to spread awareness of the area.

One side effect of this high-profile development was a second tier real estate boom in land suitable for avocado groves and grape vineyards on the east side of the valley. The value of plantable land skyrocketed.

The late '70s brought changes to some of the original Old West sites. The Long Branch Saloon was converted into a meeting house, while the Stables Bar became the site for retail stores. Although the Swing Inn remains, new restaurants began to open.

The I-15 corridor between Los Angeles County and San Diego was completed in the early 1980s and the subdivision land boom began. When Rancho California incorporated in December, 1989, the citizens voted to officially name their city "Temecula".

[edit] 1990-Present

The 1990s brought rapid growth to the Temecula Valley. Many families began to move to the area from San Diego and Orange County drawn by the affordable housing prices. However, as the years have progressed, the housing has become more expensive and the area has become primarily middle to upper-middle class.

In 1999, The Promenade Mall opened in Temecula on land that had once been used for farming and grazing. The mall made Temecula a regional center for shopping and dining.

In 2005, Temecula expanded by annexing the neighboring planned community known as Redhawk. The annexation brought the rapidly growing population to 90,000. Due to the rapid growth of the city, Temecula has experienced severe traffic conditions in the area.

2006, brought news that a waterpark, Splash Canyon Waterpark-Temecula was going to be constructed in the city, next to the I-15 Temecula freeway.

[edit] Wineries

Temecula is the site of one of the oldest wineries in California, and the Temecula Valley continues to be a small but significant wine production center, supporting nineteen wineries as of 2004. Its wines are generally less known than those from better-known California wine districts such as Santa Ynez and the Napa Valley. The hotter climate is particularly well-suited to grapes such as the Rhone varietals, Cabernet and Zinfandel, and less well-suited to growing cooler climate varietals, such as Pinot Noir.

Andallusia Vineyard & Winery
Alex's Red Barn Winery
Baily Vineyard & Winery
Bella Vista Cilurzo Vineyard & Winery
Callaway Vineyard & Winery
Churon Winery
Falkner Winery
Filsinger Vineyards & Winery
Hart Winery
Keyways Vineyard & Winery
Leonesse Cellars
Maurice Car'rie Winery
Miramonte Winery
Mount Palomar Winery
Oak Mountain Winery
Palumbo Family Vineyards & Winery
Ponte Family Estate Winery
South Coast Winery
Stuart Cellars Winery
Thornton Winery
Van Roekel Vineyards & Winery
Wiens Family Cellars
Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard

[edit] Tourism

Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival

Temecula is well known for its hot air balloon rides and tours, floating over wineries and desert terrain. The image of colorful hot air balloons is used throughout the Temecula Valley as a quickly recognizable symbol of the city.

[edit] Golf

Although the area is not as well known as Palm Springs, the warm desert climate attracts tourists year-round, especially golfers who can use one of the nine local golf courses including Redhawk, Temecula Creek Inn, Temeku Hills, Cross Creek, Pala Mesa and the SCGA Members course.

[edit] Old Town Temecula

A collection of historic 1890s buildings, antique stores, shopping and restaurants, Old Town Temecula is also home to such events as car shows, western days and summer entertainment. Over 600 antique dealers do business in the district.

One of the most interesting attractions in the heart of Old Town Temecula is the innovative Imagination Workshop, Temecula's Children's Museum. The 7500 square foot home of Professor Phineas T. Pennypickle is cluttered with hands-on inventions, gadgets, experiments...and kids won't even know they're learning as they play! The Imagination Workshop has already won a THEA award from the Themed Entertainment Association, representing creators of compelling places and experiences, and two awards from the California Park and Recreation Society. More information can be found at www.pennypickles.org [3]

Every Thursday, Old Town also plays host to the Thursday Night Market Place. Here, local farmers sell products that they grow themselves. Artists show their craft, Old Town merchants showcase their wares as well as local foods. More information can be found at www.oldtowntemecula.biz [4] Lee Stout, Founder lee.stout@oldtowntemecula.biz

Old Town is also home to the Temecula Museum which features exhibits about the local band of Native Americans and the local natural history and city development.

[edit] Pechanga Resort and Casino

In 2001, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians built the $262 million Pechanga Resort & Casino complex. Linked together in an architectural design that subtly highlights the tribe's Luiseño culture, the facility includes: an 85,000-square foot casino, 1,200-seat bingo hall, 515,000 square-foot, 13-story, 522-room hotel and 38,800 square-foot convention center, 1,200-seat showroom, 200-seat cabaret lounge, and seven restaurants. The new casino also features 2,000 slot machines, 60 card tables and 15 poker tables.

In 2004, they began and completed construction of a new gaming area, which bosts almost 400 thousand square feet, including a new nightclub, Silk, and the Round Bar. Silk has a capacity of 1600 people and bosts 5 bars inside the club. The Round Bar features California's largest glass structure. The new poker room features 60 tables of play, including no limit poker. Also included are about 60 new card tables. The new casino also features a new sportsbar and restaurant, Kelseys, and five new eateries at the Festival of Foods.

Pechanga Resort and Casino is Temecula Valley's number one employer, with about 7,500 people employed.

The venue also attracts big name performances. Pechanga has played host to the musical Chicago, singer and actress Liza Minnelli, and comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld among countless others.

The resort attracts gamblers and tourists from all over California and the U.S.

[edit] The Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival

Filmmakers and musicians from across America and around the globe have come to Temecula every September since 1995 to participate and enjoy in the celebration of film and music.

Attendance has grown from 600 in 1995 to 10,000 in 2004. Media coverage is extensive and global, boasting of over 15,000,000 media impressions worldwide. Over 700 films have been screened from more than 20 countries since 1995.

Lifetime and Career Achievement Award honorees include distinguished film and music icons of past and present such as Howard W. Koch, Robert Wise, Carl Reiner, Karl Malden, Shirley Jones, Michael York, Ray Charles, Rita Coolidge, Marsha Mason, Robert Stack, Gale Ann Hurd, William Shatner, Patty Duke, Billy Preston, Sam Grogg, Julie Corman, Etta James, John Spencer, Diane Ladd, Penelope Spheeris, Howard Suber, AC Lyles, Louis Gossett, Jr, Lou Rawls, Jonathan Lynn, Dr. Elizabeth Daley, Gina Gershon, Trevor Rabin, Michael Childers, Dionne Warwick, and most recently Hector Elizondo and Dennis Haysbert.

The festival is open to US and Foreign films in five categories: Full Length Features, Shorts, Documentaries, Animation and Student Films.

The music competition component of TVIFF is designed to showcase the music vision and artistic wizardry of talented individuals and groups from across America and the world. Entries for all genres of music, from rock, jazz and pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Country, Folk, and World are accepted.

The festival's social calendar starts with Opening Night Festivities, followed by daily & nightly filmmaker/musician receptions, industry workshops, a Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards Black Tie Gala, a Sunday morning Hot Air Balloon Ride, a Closing Night Wrap party and Best of Fest special screening presentations and much more.

[edit] Sister cities

Temecula maintains international relations with two cities, Leidschendam-Voorburg in the Netherlands and Nakayama, Tottori in Japan.

Margarita Middle School is the sister school to Nakayama, Japan. The three high schools, Temecula Vally, Great Oak, and Chaparral swich off sending students to the Netherlands while they all share hosting. The Dutch students come during October and the American students go during Spring Break. Margarita Middle sends a delegation every other year during Spring Break, while Nakayama sends a delegation every year during the summer. The sister cities celebrated their 13th year of cooperation this year.

The city recently dedicated a Japanese Garden at the centrally located Temecula Duck Pond to honor the 10th anniversary of the city's relationship with sister city Nakayama.

The Temecula Duck Pond is also home to an art piece entitled Singing in the Rain. It was commissioned by the city of Leidschendam-Voorburg as a gift to the city to commemorate the resilient American spirit in the aftermath of 9/11. The piece depicts a mother and her children bravely pedalling a bicycle into the strong headwinds of a storm. The statue stands as a lasting tribute to the strength and courage of those who refuse to be broken by brutality and terrorism.

[edit] Trivia

Temecula was the setting of a 1996 made-for-TV movie of couples visit the area's wine country, entitled A Weekend in the Country directed by Martin Bergmann and co-written by Bergmann and Rita Rudner, with actors Rita Rudner, Christine Lahti, Jack Lemmon, Dudley Moore, Richard Lewis and Betty White.

In 1991, Pepsi playpark opened in old town Temecula, one of hundreds of children's playgrounds sponsored by the food corporation.

In demographics, Temecula has one of the largest Native American populations in Southern California, mostly members of the Pechanga (Luiseno) and Temecula (Serrano) tribes.

Cable network Outdoor Channel is headquartered in Temecula

Temecula was mentioned on the television show "24" (Season 6, Episode 15 "8:00pm-9:00pm"). The original airdate of the episode was March 26, 2007. In the episode, Bill Buchanan mentions that Nadia Yassir was to be "moved to a holding facility in Temecula".

[edit] Temecula Valley Unified School District

Main article: Temecula Valley Unified School District

The Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) has schools in Temecula, Murrieta and Winchester, California. The general boundaries extend north to Baxter Road in French Valley, south to the Riverside County line, east to Vail Lake, and west to the Temecula city limit. The district covers approximately 148 square miles.

The district has expanded rapidly in the last few years. In 2004, the district opened its third high school, Great Oak High School, only six years after the opening of its second high school, Chaparral High School.

Approximately 25,000 students (Grades K-12) are currently enrolled in the district. The district offers many programs for students to advance their educational experience.

[edit] Ronald Reagan and Temecula

In a March 1983 speech to the U.S. Olympic Committee, President Ronald Reagan praised a community in Southern California and their "can-do" volunteer spirit: "... There are many similar stories right here in California, the folks in a rather small town, Temecula. They got together and built themselves a sports park, held fundraising barbecues and dinners. And those that didn't have money, volunteered the time and energy. And now the young people of that community have baseball diamonds for Little League and other sports events, just due to what's traditional Americanism... " At the time of the speech, Temecula was six years away from becoming a city and many projects were completed by community leaders and volunteers who provided money, labor and equipment.

Reagan also owned a 771-acre spread in nearby Tenaja where he contemplated building a ranch. He bought the land in 1968 and sold it 11 years later.

On the 22nd anniversary of the speech, in 2005, about 70 city officials, community leaders and residents gathered to formally rename the Rancho California Sports Park, which has served the community for many years with its family friendly sports fields and attractions, after Reagan. Former first lady Nancy Reagan sent a letter thanking the city.

It was recently decided that the city would dedicate a memorial to the 40th president and place the statue in the park. The monument will depict a young family and represent the volunteers who helped build the park. Those figures will be life-size. Reagan will be larger-than-life, a short distance away. He will be smiling as he looks at the family. He will be holding a cowboy hat in one hand and leaning on a shovel in the other.

Construction of the memorial is slated to begin by the 23rd anniversary of the speech in 2006.

[edit] Famous residents

Freestyle motocross rider and founder of Metal Mulisha, Brian Deegan resides here with his family.
Freestyle motocross rider Nate Adams, once lived in Murrieta, but now resides here.
1984 Summer Olympian Ruth Wysocki and her family currently reside here.
Rapper and actor Tyrese once resided in Temecula.
Actress Michelle Rodriguez recently bought a house here.
Pro wrestler and manger Christy Hemme lives here.
Writer Erle Stanley Gardner, wrote over 100 of the Perry Mason novels at his Temecula ranch, "Rancho del Paisano" between 1931 and his death in 1970.
Professional surfer Tim Curran lived here during his teenage years.
Professional martial artist, Pride Fighting Championship welterweight champion, and former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Dan Henderson resides in Temecula.
Professional vert skateboarder Jason Ellis resided here.
Toronto Blue Jays baseball player Reed Johnson was born and resided here.
The pop-punk/emo band Finch is originally from Temecula.
Actor Jack Klugman owned a ranch in Temecula until the early 1990's

[edit] Geography

Temecula is located at 33°30′12″N, 117°7′25″W (33.503295, -117.123687)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.1 km² (26.3 mi²). 68.0 km² (26.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.11%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 57,716 people, 18,293 households, and 15,164 families residing in the city. The population density was 848.6/km² (2,198.3/mi²). There were 19,099 housing units at an average density of 280.8/km² (727.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.93% White, 3.42% African American, 0.86% Native American, 4.73% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 7.41% from other races, and 4.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.01% of the population.

Over 1,000 Native Americans (this may mean tribal members, but includes those whose families were categorized "Spanish" and/or "Mexican" in the late 1800s/early 1900s) live in the Temecula Valley. The wine industry was first founded by the Californios, colonial Spanish settlers planted grapes and vineyards well-suited for the climate, then was adapted by Anglo-American settlers and European immigrants from Italy and France in the early 20th century.^{[citation needed]}

There were 18,293 households out of which 52.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.1% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.45.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. The above average number of young people in Temecula was attriubted to an influx of middle-class families came to buy homes in the 1990s real estate boom. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $76,892 (2003), and the median income for a family was $68,051 (2003). Males had a median income of $47,113 (2000) versus $31,608 (2000) for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,312 (2003). About 5.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Crime

On a rank of 1-371, safest to dangerous, Temecula was voted 116, while neighboring Murrieta was 39 [5]

Temecula crime statistics (2004): [6]

Population: 77,722

Violent crime: 207

Murder and non-negligent man-slaughter: 0

Forcible rape: 15

Robbery: 38

Aggravated assault: 154

Property crime: 2,423

Burglary: 525

Larceny-theft: 1,558

Motor vehicle theft: 340

Arson: 7

As of 2006 there are 12 gangs with only 53 members in Temecula. [7] In neighboring Murrieta there are 38 gangs with 134 members. [8]

There are 341 gangs in all of Riverside County, with nearly 11,000 members. [9] There are 2,100 documented gang members in north San Diego County. [10]