Redlands

History

The area of Redlands was territory that historically was occupied by the Morongo and Aguas Calientes tribes of Cahuilla people. Explorations such as those of Pedro Fages and Francisco Garcés sought to extend Catholic influence to the indigenous people and the dominion of the Spanish crown into the area in the 1770s. The Tongva village of Kaawchama, located just to the west of present-day Redlands, was visited by Fr. Francisco Dumetz in 1810, and was the reason the site was chosen for a mission outpost. Dumetz reached the village on May 20, the feast day of Saint Bernardino of Siena, and thus named the region the San Bernardino Valley. The Franciscan friars from Mission San Gabriel established the San Bernardino Estancia in 1819 and embarked on the usual program of training the native tribes to raise crops and mandating permanent settlements. By 1820, a ditch, known as a zanja, was dug by conscripted native labor for the friars from Mill Creek to the Estancia. In 1822, word of the Mexican triumph in the War of Independence reached the inland area, and lands previously claimed by Spain passed to the custody of the newly established Mexican government. In 1842, the Lugo family bought the Rancho San Bernardino Mexican land grant and this became the first fixed settler civilization in the area. The current northwest area of Redlands, that astrides the Santa Ana River, was founded as Lugonia. The region was part of Alta California, a Mexican federal province until 1848, when it became part of the United States after the Mexican-American War. By 1850, California as a US state was established. The area received its first Anglo inhabitants in the form of several hundred Mormon pioneers, who purchased the entire Rancho San Bernardino, founded nearby San Bernardino, and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.72%) is water. The data below were compiled from 1898 through 2015, accessed via the Western Regional Climate Center.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  20,252
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  16,475
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  15,064
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  14,641
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,743
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  12,825
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  12,612
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  11,702

Largest nearby schools

• Sage Oak Charter
  Other · Redlands · 3,048 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Redlands Senior High
  High · Redlands · 2,232 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• Citrus Valley High
  High · Redlands · 2,150 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Indian Springs High
  High · San Bernardino · 1,901 students · 22.9:1 ratio
• Redlands East Valley High
  High · Redlands · 1,853 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Colton High
  High · Colton · 1,800 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• Grand Terrace High Sch at the Ray Abril Jr. Edal Complex
  High · Grand Terrace · 1,726 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• San Gorgonio High
  High · San Bernardino · 1,542 students · 20:1 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 3.08 — 2026-10-01
  20 km ESE of Anza, CA