Perris is an old railway city in

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...

, United States, located east-southeast of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and north of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. It is known for Lake Perris, skydiving, the

Southern California Railway Museum The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before movin ...

, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is within the

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...

metropolitan area of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Perris had a population of 78,700 as of the 2020 census.

History

Native Americans inhabited the hills. Gold deposits were found when Spanish and Mexican miners entered the area. The coming of the

California Southern Railroad The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between wha ...

led to the founding of the city around the new depot, on the rail connection between the present-day cities of Barstow and

. The Perris Depot is included in the Library of Congress’ Historic American Buildings Survey. Due to a land title dispute at Pinacate, most of its citizens moved two miles north on the railroad and established Perris in 1885. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the

. The city of Perris was incorporated in 1911. It originally was within

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

but, in 1892, it was transferred to the newly established Riverside County. In 2005, the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

opened the National Archives at Riverside, which is its regional branch for federal documents relating to the Pacific Region (Arizona, southern California, and Clark County, Nevada) in Perris.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.34%) is water.

Climate

Perris has a Mediterranean climate, with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. The climate in this area is described by the Köppen Climate Classification System as "dry-summer subtropical" often referred to as "Mediterranean" and abbreviated as ''Csa''.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Perris had a population of 78,700. The population density was . The racial makeup of Perris was 18.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.2% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 45.8% from other races, and 18.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 75.7% of the population. The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized. There were 19,027 households, out of which 59.0% included children under the age of 18, 55.8% were married-couple households, 7.8% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 22.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 8.6% of households were one person, and 3.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 4.12. There were 16,647

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(87.5% of all households). The age distribution was 31.2% under the age of 18, 11.7% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 21.1% aged 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 29.5years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. There were 19,424 housing units at an average density of , of which 19,027 (98.0%) were occupied. Of these, 65.4% were owner-occupied, and 34.6% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 29.8% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 34.0% spoke only English at home, 62.5% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 0.5% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 1.9% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 70.9% were high school graduates and 11.6% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $82,523, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $24,862. About 9.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Perris had a population of 68,386. The population density was . The racial makeup of Perris was 28,937 (42.3%) White (11.0% Non-Hispanic White), 8,307 (12.1%) African American, 589 (0.9%) Native American, 2,461 (3.6%) Asian, 286 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 24,345 (35.6%) from other races, and 3,461 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 49,079 persons (71.8%). The census reported that 68,146 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 140 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 100 (0.1%) were institutionalized. There were 16,365 households: 10,836 (66.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them; 9,778 (59.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together; 3,128 (19.1%) had a female householder with no husband present; 1,441 (8.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,314 (8.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 120 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,442 households (8.8%) were one person and 383 (2.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.16. There were 14,347 families (87.7% of households); the average family size was 4.32. The age distribution was 25,288 people (37.0%) under the age of 18, 7,951 people (11.6%) aged 18 to 24, 20,088 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 11,711 people (17.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,348 people (4.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 25.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. There were 17,906 housing units at an average density of 568.4 per square mile, of the occupied units 10,854 (66.3%) were owner-occupied and 5,511 (33.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 44,695 people (65.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 23,451 people (34.3%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Perris had a median household income of $46,435, with 28.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Top employers

According to Perris's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

The

is the largest operating museum of its kind on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

. The Southern California Fair has been held at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds since 1987. Southern California Railway Museum 02

The Farmer Boys restaurant chain, which has many locations throughout the

, was started in Perris in 1981. Rock Castle house is set on a hill above town.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Perris is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Perris is in .

Education

The city is served by several school districts. In portions, they are:
Text list
/ref> * The Perris Elementary School District and the Perris Union High School District (the latter also serves Menifee) * The Romoland Elementary School District and Perris UHSD (for grades 9-12) * The Menifee Union School District and Perris UHSD (for grades 9-12) * The Val Verde Unified School District, which also serves the southern part of Moreno Valley. Perris High School of the Perris high school district is the city's first public (grades 9–12) school. Established in 1887, the school was relocated in 1961, and the school's western annex on I-215 and Nuevo Road became a Continuation High School in 1993. Now, there are more high schools in the area, including Citrus Hill and Orange Vista of the Val Verde district. Middle schools include Pinacate, Lakeside, Perris and Tomas Rivera. There are ten elementary (grades K–6) schools.

Infrastructure

Aviation

The nearby, privately owned, Perris Valley Airport (FAA designator: L65) has a runway. Perris has drawn a crowd of

skydivers Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

, amateur and professional, to Perris Valley Skydiving. The area's sudden fame gave Perris the nickname: "the skydiving capital of America". On April 22, 1992, a de Havilland Twin Otter crashed during takeoff at Perris Valley after an engine lost power. The

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

determined that the accident was caused by contaminated fuel obtained from the improper handling of the airfield's fuel tanks and the pilot's improper actions after the power loss, as well as other factors. The aircraft never rose above 50 feet and 14 parachutists and the two pilots were killed.

Highways

Perris is served by Interstate 215 which runs from Murrieta to the south to

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

to the north, and by State Route 74, which serves Lake Elsinore and Orange County to the west, and the San Jacinto and

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

valleys to the east.

Public safety

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department provides police services to the entire Perris Valley area (including the nearby communities of Mead Valley and Glen Valley, and the cities of Canyon Lake and Menifee) from its regional station on 4th Street (in the former headquarters of the now-disbanded Perris Police Department). The city of Perris contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement with

CAL FIRE The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, colloquially known as CAL FIRE, is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various are ...

. The CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department headquarters is located in Perris. The

California State Parks California State Parks is the state park system for the U.S. state of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department under the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State ...

have a dispatch center located in the city as well – Southern Communications Center (SURCOM). Communications Centers operate multi-frequency/channel radio systems, law enforcement telecommunications systems (CLETS), computer terminals, and associated equipment to dispatch law enforcement/emergency response units and coordinate services with field personnel and other agencies.

Commuter Rail

In June 2016, the

91/Perris Valley Line The 91/Perris Valley Line, formerly known as the 91 Line, is a commuter rail route operated by Metrolink that runs from Los Angeles to Perris in Southern California, mostly paralleling State Route 91 between and stations. Operating since M ...

of the Metrolink commuter rail system was extended from Riverside to Perris, connecting it to downtown Los Angeles and the rest of the

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...

megalopolis with two stations. Future expansion to Hemet has also been discussed.

Cemetery

The Perris Valley Cemetery District maintains the Perris Valley Cemetery.

Notable people

Bobbi Althoff Bobbi Althoff (née Heck; born July 31, 1997) is an American podcaster and influencer known for her viral interviews with Drake, Lil Yachty, Offset, and other celebrities. Early life Althoff was born in Moreno Valley and grew up in Perris ...

– podcaster and social media personality * Ricardo Breceda – visual artist *

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

– Hollywood film mogul, owned a horse ranch in Perris * Alfred E. Green – film director, born in Perris * Danny Harris – former Olympic hurdler, silver medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Grew up in Perris and alumnus of Perris High School. * Elmer Rieger – baseball player * Abraham Placito – soccer player

References

External links

* * {{authority control Cities in Riverside County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1885 1885 establishments in California