Menifee

History

In the 18th century, the area fell under Spanish rule and was ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican–American War. Farming, which began in the mid-19th century, was concentrated in the Menifee area. Mining began in the early 1880s with the discovery of a significant quartz lode by miner Luther Menifee Wilson, from whom Menifee derived its name. Wilson discovered a gold-bearing quartz ledge near present-day Holland and Murrieta roads in 1883, and filed a claim with the San Diego County Recorder's office for this new "Menifee" mine. At the time, the area was referred to as the Menifee Valley. Early development of the Menifee area began with Sun City in the early 1960s, conceptualized as an active retirement community by Del Webb, a building contractor from Phoenix, Arizona. Webb also developed Sun City, Arizona, under the same concept. Sun City is located in the northwestern part of Menifee and features a mix of residential and commercial activity. The Menifee area later grew during the late 1980s and early 1990s as a master-planned community. However, a lack of resources such as industry-oriented occupations and high-density retail and commercial businesses caused many residents to drive to cities such as Temecula or Murrieta to shop, dine, or work. In recent years, however, there has been substantial growth in Menifee, attracting many new residents from all areas of Southern California such as San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, as well as other parts of the Inland Empire. On June 3, 2008, the residents of the communities encompassing the Menifee area voted to incorporate together to form Riverside County's 26th city. The City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008.

Geography

The city of Menifee is bordered on the north, west, south and east by the cities of Perris, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, and the community of Winchester. The city center of Menifee lies at the intersection of Newport Road and Interstate 215. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 46.6 square miles (120.7 km2), 99.70% of it land, and 0.30% of it water. The Menifee Hills are a ridge approximately 2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, with a high point of 2,141 ft. Bell Mountain is a 1,848 ft mountain located in Menifee. Menifee has mild winters and hot dry summers. * The highest recorded temperature was on June 20, 2016. * On average, the coldest month is December. * The lowest recorded temperature was on January 1, 1976. * The maximum average precipitation occurs in February. Menifee has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical (Köppen climate classification Csa). Menifee enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 263 sunshine days and only 35 days with measurable precipitation annually of 12.51 inches of rainfall. The period of April through October is hot and dry with average high temperatures of and lows of , though in the summer, temperatures can easily exceed 105 °F. The period of November through March is somewhat rainy, as shown in the adjacent table. At times, during the winter, large dust storms may form due to the large mass of humidity and low, flat land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,972
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,753
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,374
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  4,125
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  3,938
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  3,938
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  3,455
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,269

Largest nearby schools

• Vista Murrieta High
  High · Murrieta · 3,493 students · 24.6:1 ratio
• Paloma Valley High
  High · Menifee · 2,761 students · 24.4:1 ratio
• Heritage High
  High · Romoland · 2,428 students · 22.9:1 ratio
• Perris High
  High · Perris · 2,243 students · 24.4:1 ratio
• Murrieta Valley High
  High · Murrieta · 2,230 students · 23.5:1 ratio
• Murrieta Mesa High
  High · Murrieta · 2,178 students · 22.9:1 ratio
• Temescal Canyon High
  High · Lake Elsinore · 2,176 students · 25:1 ratio
• Elsinore High
  High · Wildomar · 2,122 students · 25:1 ratio

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