MENIFEE, CA

Menifee is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and part of the Los Angeles Combined Statistical Area. The city is centrally located in the heart of Southern California, in the Menifee Valley. It is almost north of Temecula and just north of Murrieta. Menifee is roughly in size and has an elevation of . The incorporated City of Menifee includes the communities of Sun City, Quail Valley, Paloma Valley, and Romoland.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the Luiseño people, specifically the Pechanga band. 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.

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 new 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.

Climate

Menifee has mild winters and hot dry Summers.

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.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Menifee had a population of 77,519. The population density was 1,663.3 people per square mile (642.2/km²). The racial makeup of Menifee was 55,444 (71.5%) White (54.2% Non-Hispanic White), 3,858 (5.0%) African American, 655 (0.8%) Native American, 3,788 (4.9%) Asian, 296 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 9,642 (12.4%) from other races, and 3,837 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25,551 persons (33.0%).

The 2010 Census reported that 77,331 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 81 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 107 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 27,461 households, out of which 9,729 (35.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,405 (56.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,743 (10.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,324 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,348 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 184 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,591 households (24.0%) were made up of individuals, and 4,153 (15.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82. There were 19,472 families (70.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.35.

The population was spread out, with 20,067 people (25.9%) under the age of 18, 6,460 people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, 18,771 people (24.2%) aged 25 to 44, 17,571 people (22.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,650 people (18.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

There were 30,269 housing units at an average density of 649.5 per square mile (250.8/km²), of which 21,104 (76.9%) were owner-occupied, and 6,357 (23.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 58,330 people (75.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 19,001 people (24.5%) lived in rental housing units.

During 20092013, Menifee had a median household income of $54,903, with 10.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the ten largest employers in the city are:

Government

On June 3, 2008, voters elected to incorporate Menifee as a general law city. The new City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008, and is the 26th city located within Riverside County. It was first governed by a five-member city council consisting of Wallace Edgerton as the mayor; Darcy Kuenzi as the mayor pro-tem; and Fred Twyman, John Vaughn Denver, and Scott Mann as council-members.

In 2009, Edgerton was re-appointed mayor for a second term.

In 2010, Edgerton was re-appointed mayor for a third term. and Fred Twyman was appointed vice mayor (a new terminology). Councilman Scott Mann also lost re-election to Tom Fuhrman and Councilman John Denver renewed his place on the council by winning re-election over two challengers.

In 2011, John Denver was appointed mayor by city council after people asked for a change in leadership at city council meetings. In December 2011, the city council consisted of: John Denver (mayor-elect); Tom Fuhrman (mayor pro tem); and councilmembers Wallace Edgerton, Sue Krisjansson and Darcy Kuenzi.

In November 2012, Scott Mann was elected mayor. Greg August was also elected to the council, while Darcy Kuenzi and Sue Kristjansson lost their council seats, and Edgerton was named deputy mayor.

In November 2014, Scott Mann was re-elected mayor, and Matt Liesemeyer and John Denver were elected and re-elected, respectively, as councilmen. Tom Fuhrman also lost his council seat.

In 2016, Neil Winter was elected mayor, defeating Scott Mann who ran for reelection, but failed to secure a third term. Scott Mann's FPPC violation of using campaign funding for personal funding was believed to have helped challenger Neil Winter to win the election. Mann resigned office early after being formally censured by city council, and Greg August served as acting mayor for 20 days until Winter was sworn in.

On May 19, 2018, Mayor Neil Winter unexpectedly died, due to an apparent heart attack. Councilwoman Lesa Sobek took up mayoral responsibilities as mayor pro tempore following his death. After 60 days, Bill Zimmerman was indirectly elected Mayor of Menifee in a 3-1 decision by the city council, on July 18, 2018.

In November 2020, Zimmerman was re-elected to serve a four-year term as Mayor.

List of Mayors

Menifee initially operated off of indirect elections for its mayors, with city council members appointing the mayor for one year terms. In 2012, Scott Mann became the first directly elected mayor, for a two year term. In 2016, voters approved a measure to increase mayoral terms from two to four years. After Neil Winter's death in 2018, Bill Zimmerman was indirectly elected by the city council to fill the remainder of Winter's term.

Notes

# Light grey background indicates indirect election by city council.

† died in office

Education

Public schools

Elementary and middle school level education in Menifee is provided by the Menifee Union School District and Romoland School District, which serves most of Menifee as well as parts of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar and Murrieta, and the unincorporated community of French Valley. High school students attend school in the Perris Union High School District, which includes Paloma Valley High School and Heritage High School.

Higher education

Menifee is also home to the Menifee Valley Campus of Mt. San Jacinto College, which serves the Temecula, Murrieta and Menifee areas and is known as the fastest-growing community college in California. There, students can take the classes necessary in order to transfer to four-year college institutions. The community college also has an award-winning nursing program for those wanting to become Registered Nurses. The MSJC Nursing Department has pathways from MSJC directly to Loma Linda Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center, Temecula Valley Hospital, and Inland Valley Medical Center. Brandman University, which is part of the Chapman University System, has opened on the MSJC campus to offer Menifee its first four-year college and is accompanied by Grand Canyon University and Bellevue University.

Public safety

As of July 1, 2020, the City of Menifee ended its contract with the Riverside County Sheriff Department and started its own municipal police department. The Menifee Police Department is led by Chief of Police Pat Walsh.

The City of Menifee contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE. There are four fire stations in Menifee and each station has a paramedic engine company, and there is one medic patrol unit out of Fire Station #7 to assist with call volumes, as Station #7 is the 10th-busiest station in the nation. The Menifee Lakes station also has a truck company located there with specialized equipment for large structural fires.

Paramedic services are provided by American Medical Response, which has their South Riverside Headquarters located in Menifee.

Transportation

Roads and highways

The primary routes in Menifee are Interstate 215 and Newport Road/Dominegoni Parkway. Scott Road, McCall Boulevard and Ethanac Road are also primary east–west travel streets in addition to State Route 74, which runs through the northern part of the city; Murrieta, Bradley, Haun, Antelope, and Menifee Roads are the main north–south thoroughfares. Improvements to the interchange at I-215 and Scott Road were completed in 2020. Other road improvements, such as a new interchange at Garbani Road and an overpass at Holland Road, are anticipated in the coming years.

Public transportation

Menifee has bus routes and Dial-A-Ride stops throughout the city to enhance mobility. RTA Routes 27, 40, 61, and 74 directly serve the Menifee area, linking it to other nearby cities including Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Hemet, and San Jacinto. Metrolink serves the area via the 91/Perris Valley Line, which ends at the South Perris Station, just north of the Menifee city limits. Metrolink has proposed an extension along existing railroad tracks through the northeastern corner of the city to Hemet, though it is unknown whether there will be a station in Menifee.

Notable residents