Banning

History

Initially named Moore City, by Ransom B. Moore, within only a few months the town was renamed for Phineas Banning, "Father of the Port of Los Angeles", who had pastured sheep in the San Gorgonio Pass area, and operated a stagecoach that ran through the Pass. The area, up to the mid-19th century, was inhabited by the Cahuilla people, though the region around Banning was originally Maringayam (Serrano); the Cahuilla expansion into the pass occurred only late in recent, documented history. In 1824, the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel established the Rancho San Gorgonio in the pass. The first Anglo to settle in the area was Dr. Isaac Smith in 1853. In 1863, a smallpox epidemic further diminished the Cahuilla. The Indian reservations for the Cahuilla were established in 1877. The settlement that was to become Banning developed in coincidence with the start of the Colorado River Gold Rush. The Bradshaw Trail, which passed through the area in 1862, was a wagon road to the gold boomtowns of the Arizona Territory. Gilman's Ranch, north of downtown, served as a station for the stagecoach lines on this road. The railroad followed, passing through the town in 1876. The Southern Pacific (later purchased by Union Pacific) railroad was a major contributor to the area's growth. U.S. Route 99 was built in 1923, followed by U.S. Route 60/70 in 1936, and subsequently Interstate 10. Banning borders the Morongo Indian Reservation, home to the Morongo Band of Cahuilla (Mission) Indians. Relations with reservation residents have been strained by disputes over water rights. Dorothy Ramon's book Always Believe (published 2000) depicts a Maringayam's views on Banning and reservation life. Prior to the name Banning, the settlement was called Moore City. Ransom B. Moore operated a large cattle…

Geography

Banning is located at (33.931729, -116.897557). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Banning's elevation is approximately above sea level, which gives it a cooler climate in contrast to the county seat of Riverside at above sea level and the Coachella Valley of the Colorado Desert to the east. Banning is traversed by the San Andreas Fault which created the pass in which the city is situated. Banning is west of Palm Springs and east of Los Angeles. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Banning has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,762
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  5,978
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,798
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  5,319
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,720
• Nuttall's Woodpecker

  Dryobates nuttallii (Gambel, 1843) · Aves
  4,515
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,496
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  4,379

Largest nearby schools

• Mission Vista Academy
  Other · Beaumont · 4,794 students · 30.5:1 ratio
• Beaumont Senior High
  High · Beaumont · 3,328 students · 26.6:1 ratio
• San Gorgonio Middle
  Middle · Beaumont · 1,215 students · 22.1:1 ratio
• Banning High
  High · Banning · 1,146 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Summerwind Trails
  Elementary · Calimesa · 1,057 students · 23.5:1 ratio
• Nicolet Middle
  Middle · Banning · 975 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• Mountain View Middle
  Middle · Beaumont · 935 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Starlight Elementary
  Elementary · Beaumont · 907 students · 24.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.67 — 2026-09-08
  39 km NE of Big Bear City, CA
• M 3.2 — 2026-09-02
  6 km SE of Ontario, CA
• M 2.91 — 2026-08-31
  22 km SSW of La Quinta, CA
• M 3.64 — 2026-08-19
  14 km N of Warner Springs, CA
• M 2.78 — 2026-08-16
  6 km SE of Ontario, CA
• M 3.04 — 2026-08-12
  10 km WSW of Corona, CA