Inland Empire
A metro area which can be found near the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, the Inland Empire includes the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside, according to the Census Bureau of the US. Some of the areas from the two counties I just mentioned believe that they’re not part of the Inland Empire and that’s the case with Temecula, Coachella and Victor Valleys. The area which is defined by the Census Bureau as being part of the Inland Empire has a total area of more than 27,000 sq. miles, with a total number of inhabitants of 4 million. This is the third biggest metro area from California and it ranks on the 14th place in the entire US.
This name appeared in an informal way, when people tried to make the distinction between the South California coastal regions and the inland part. When it comes to land areas, the Inland Empire is the biggest of the three South California regions.
During the 1800’s, this region was very big on agriculture and that included making wine, dairy and growing citrus. The agriculture part declined during the 20th century. Starting from the 1970’s, the population in the area grew rapidly and that meant that the development in the area took a more industrial, commercial and residential approach, with a decline in agriculture.
The boundaries between Inland Empire and Los Angeles are formed by the hills of San Jose, which split the Pomona Valley from San Gabriel Valley. The mountains of Santa Ana are dividers between the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and the Orange County on the other side, as they go from south to north. The mountains of Santa Rosa are the ones which divide the San Diego and Riverside Counties.
In the Inland Empire, there are a number of developed areas, including Coachella Valley, Menifee Valley, Chino Valley, Perris Valley, Temecula Valley, Cucamonga Valley and Victor Valley.