Hemet, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hemet, California
settlement_type = City


imagesize =
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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location in Riverside County and the state of California


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_name2 = Riverside
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Marc Searl
established_date =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 66.4
area_total_sq_mi = 25.6
area_land_km2 = 66.4
area_land_sq_mi = 25.6
area_water_km2 = 0
area_water_sq_mi = 0
elevation_ft = 1594
elevation_m = 486
population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =
population_total = 70288
population_metro =
population_density_km2 = 885.7
population_density_sq_mi = 2297.3
timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
latd = 33 |latm = 44 |lats = 31 |latNS = N
longd = 116 |longm = 58 |longs = 59 |longEW = W
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 92543-92546
area_code = 951
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-33182
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1652718
footnotes =
website =

Hemet is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 58,812 at the 2000 census. Each year, the city stages "Ramona," formerly known as "The Ramona Pageant," the world's largest outdoor play, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's novel "Ramona".

"Hemet Valley Medical Center" is a General Acute Care Hospital in Hemet with Basic Emergency Services as of 2005. [California Department of Health Services] Since the early 1970s, Hemet has produced several United States shuffleboard champions, including Richard Sisk, Scott McCegran, and Lee Osuch.Fact|date=August 2008

Geography

Hemet is located at coor dms|33|44|31|N|116|58|59|W|city (33.742001, -116.983068)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.6 square miles (66.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 58,812 people, 25,252 households, and 15,176 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,294.0 people per square mile (885.6/km²). There were 29,401 housing units at an average density of 1,146.8/sq mi (442.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.49% White, 2.60% Black or African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 10.58% from other races, and 3.51% from two or more races. 23.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.3% were of German, 10.9% English, 7.8% Irish and 6.9% American ancestry.

There were 25,252 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 33.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,839, and the median income for a family was $33,579. Males had a median income of $30,771 versus $24,048 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,226. About 12.4% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Hemet is located in the 37th Senate District, represented by Republican Jim Battin, and in the 65th Assembly District, represented by Republican Paul Cook. Federally, Hemet is located in California's 45th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +3 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2008-02-10] and is represented by Republican Mary Bono Mack.

History

The Cahuilla tribe were the initial inhabitants of the Hemet area. During the early 1800s, the land was used for cattle ranching by Mission San Luis Rey, which named the area "Rancho San Jacinto". In 1842 the land was obtained by José Antonio Estudillo. In 1887, during the first major Southern California land boom, W.F. Whittier and E.L. Mayberry founded the Lake Hemet Water Company, the Hemet Land Company, and the city of Hemet. In 1895, the Hemet Dam was completed on the San Jacinto River, creating Lake Hemet and providing a reliable water supply to the San Jacinto Valley. This water system was a major contribution to the valley's development as an agricultural area. The area's original inhabitants, the Soboba Cahuilla were moved to the Indian reservation near San Jacinto.The City of Hemet was incorporated in January 1910. Served by a railroad spur from Riverside, the city became a trading center for the San Jacinto Valley's agriculture, which included citrus, apricots, peaches, olives and walnuts. The city has long hosted the Agricultural District Farmer's Fair of Riverside County, which began in 1936 as the Hemet Turkey Show, now located in Perris. During World War II, the city hosted the Ryan School of Aeronautics, which trained about 6,000 fliers for the Army Air Force between 1940 and 1944. Hemet-Ryan Airport exists today at the site of the flight school. In 1950, Hemet was home to 10,000 people, joined Corona as the third largest city in the Riverside area.

In the 1960s, large-scale residential development began, mostly in the form of mobile home parks and retirement communities, giving Hemet a reputation as a working-class retirement area. In the 1980s, subdivisions of single-family homes began to sprout up from former ranchland, with "big-box" retail following. After a roughly decade-long lull in development following the major economic downturn of the early 1990s, housing starts in the city skyrocketed in the early 2000s. The area's affordability, its proximity to employment centers such as Corona, Riverside and San Bernardino, and its relatively rural character have made it an attractive destination for working-class families priced out of other areas of Southern California.

Transportation

Air service is provided by Hemet-Ryan Airport. Bus transportation provided by the Riverside Transportation Authority (RTA).

ister cities

*flagicon|Australia Cootamundra, Australia
*flagicon|Denmark Ebeltoft, Denmark
*flagicon|Japan Kushimoto, Japan
*flagicon|Japan Marumori, Japan

Notable people

*Todd Johnson, professional long-boarder.
*Sid Jordan, actor.
*James Lafferty, actor and athlete ("One Tree Hill")
*Jeff Van Gundy, former Houston Rockets head coach
*Billy Volek, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers

ee also

*Hemet Public Library

References

External links

* [http://www.cityofhemet.org/index.htm Official website]