Jurupa Valley

History

The area was first inhabited by the Gabrielino and Serrano tribes. Although no geographic feature or town was officially named Jurupa Valley prior to the establishment of the city in 2011, the term is known to have been used as early as 1887 when referring to lands along the northeast side of the Santa Ana River opposite the city of Riverside. The name "Jurupa" was derived from the 1838 Mexican land grant Rancho Jurupa, which the Jurupa Valley area had been part of. The rancho, in turn, derived its name from a previous Jurupa rancho operated by the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, until the mission was disbanded through the Mexican Secularization Act of 1833. Both Serrano and Gabrieleño peoples lived in the area. The Gabrieleño referred to the village as Jurungna or Hurungna. The exact meaning of the word "jurupa" is disputed. The 1890 book, An Illustrated History of Southern California, states that the word was a greeting, meaning ″peace and friendship″, used by the Native Americans when the first Catholic priest visited the area. In 1902, Father Juan Caballeria, in his History of San Bernardino Valley; From the Padres to the Pioneer, states that the word was derived from jurumpa, meaning watering place. Later linguistic studies concluded that the name likely refers to juru, Artemisia californica (California sagebrush), common in the area. On June 2, 1992, under measures E, F, and G, the first effort to form a city was voted down by the electorate. Measure E, whether or not to incorporate Jurupa and Mira Loma, lost 76% to 24%. Measure F, whether to vote city council members by district or at large, if incorporation passed, was 69% district, and 31% at large. Measure G, the selection of a city name, had the following results: Jurupa 40%, Rancho Jurupa 23%, West…

Geography

Jurupa Valley is located north and west of the Santa Ana River across from Riverside, California, south of the Riverside–San Bernardino county line, and east of Interstate 15. It includes the nine distinct neighborhoods, or communities, of Belltown, Crestmore Heights, Glen Avon, Indian Hills, Jurupa Hills, Pedley, Rubidoux, Sunnyslope, and Mira Loma.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  15,979
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  12,137
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  11,819
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,582
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  11,493
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  10,840
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,406
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  9,334

Largest nearby schools

• Eleanor Roosevelt High
  High · Eastvale · 4,566 students · 25.8:1 ratio
• Polytechnic High
  High · Riverside · 2,660 students · 25.8:1 ratio
• Patriot High
  High · Jurupa Valley · 2,532 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Ramona High
  High · Riverside · 2,220 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• John W. North High
  High · Riverside · 2,173 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• Norco High
  High · Norco · 2,070 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Norte Vista High
  High · Riverside · 1,971 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Arlington High
  High · Riverside · 1,957 students · 24.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.77 — 2026-10-15
  3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA
• M 2.71 — 2026-10-11
  4 km E of San Jacinto, CA
• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-10-08
  2 km WNW of Fontana, CA
• M 2.6 — 2026-10-06
  4 km NNW of Big Bear City, CA
• M 2.51 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA