City of Wildomar | |
|---|---|
 Wildomar City Hall | |
 Flag | |
 Location inRiverside County and the state ofCalifornia | |
  City of Wildomar Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°35′56″N117°16′48″W / 33.59889°N 117.28000°W /33.59889; -117.28000 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Riverside |
| Incorporated | July 1, 2008[1] |
| Named after | William Collier Donald Graham Margaret Collier Graham |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Ashlee DePhillippo |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Carlos Marquez |
| • City council[2] | Bridgette Moore Dustin Nigg Joseph Morabito |
| • City Manager | Chris Mann |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.70 sq mi (61.39 km2) |
| • Land | 23.70 sq mi (61.39 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 1,270 ft (387 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 36,875 |
• Estimate (2024)[6] | 37,736 |
| • Density | 1,556.7/sq mi (601.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 92595 |
| Area code | 951 |
| FIPS code | 06-85446 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1661691,2497148 |
| Website | www |
Wildomar is a city in southwestRiverside County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on July 1, 2008.[1] As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,875. The community has grown quickly during the early 21st century; the population has more than doubled since the2000 census, when the community was still anunincorporatedcensus-designated place.[5]
In the summer of 1880 when, looking down from the peak ofMt. Baldy, Franklin Heald ofPasadena first noticedLake Elsinore,[7] then known asLa Laguna. A few months later, in October, Frank Kimbal of San Diego signed an agreement with theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to build a rail line past the lake fromSan Diego toBarstow, then known as Waterman.[8][better source needed]
The next winter, Heald traveled by buggy to see La Laguna (Lake Elsinore) at the same time work commenced on the rail line from San Diego skirting the lakeshore. The new line was to be known as theCalifornia Southern Railroad. Rails and spikes were brought fromAntwerp,Belgium, and locomotives came from the Eastern Seaboard. The line was completed as far asColton on August 14, 1882. The new train service was destined to bring development to the Wildomar area, then known as the southern portion of theRancho La Laguna.
Heald found that the Rancho La Laguna could be purchased, with the exception of some 500 acres (2.0 km2) owned by the Machado family, from the London and San Francisco Bank for $24,000. On July 3, 1883, Heald paid $1,000 as a down payment on the area. He then brought in William Collier and Donald Graham as partners. On September 24 of that year, the three men purchased the 12,832 acres (51.93 km2) of Rancho La Laguna with an additional payment of $7,000 advanced by William Collier. The remaining debt was paid off shortly thereafter.
The railroad placed a boxcar, known as "Car B", off to the north-west side of the mainline near what is now Clinton Keith Road on January 1, 1884. For a number of years, this served as the railroad depot for the area that was to become Wildomar.
Heavy rains in the winter of 1884 left as much as 60 inches (1,500 mm) washing out the railroad tracks below Temecula as well as along theSan Jacinto River andRailroad Canyon near the shore of Lake Elsinore. Flood damage broke the California Southern Railroad financially. The Santa Fe Railroad came to the rescue. Santa Fe took over the rail line and rebuilt it by the beginning of 1885. The rail line through Wildomar became part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.
In January 1885, Collier, Graham, and Heald made a map of Blocks K, L and M of the Elsinore area, recording the maps with San Diego County in October of that year. In February 1885, Collier and Graham purchased Franklin Heald's one-third interest in the 2,600 acres (11 km2) of unsold land south-east of Corydon Road. Heald took full interest in the unsold land to the north-west of the Corydon Road line.
Collier and Graham made a map of the Wildomar townsite in December 1885, recording it withSan Diego County on November 20, 1886. The nameWildomar was derived by combining the names of the new town's founders,Wil for William Collier,do for Donald Graham, andmar forMargaret Collier Graham, wife of Donald Graham and sister of William Collier.[9]
In 1886 a new school was built, along with a post office and railroad depot. By 1887, Wildomar could boast a large hotel, livery stable, blacksmith shop, numerous stores, a lumber yard, and a park. A Methodist-Episcopalian church was built in 1888 across from the new school just north-west of Central Avenue. In October 1887, Collier and Graham made a map of the Santa Rosa addition to Wildomar, an addition of about 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) purchased from Parker Dear, owner of theRancho Santa Rosa who was attempting to develop a town he calledLinda Rosa further south on the rail-line. This new map was recorded February 10, 1892, in the San Diego County records.
By the start of the 20th century, Wildomar even had its own newspaper,The Transcript.[10] The railroad, however, continued to be plagued bywashouts and within a few years, the rail connection south from Temecula to San Diego were abandoned. With fewer trains, Wildomar's development slowed. Then, in 1935, rail service to Wildomar was abandoned and the rails were pulled up back toPinacate. Wildomar was almost a forgotten community. Then, in the early 1980s, theTemecula Valley Freeway (I-15) was completed, bringing with it a new wave of interest in the area. Once again, Wildomar had begun to grow and experience new prosperity.
The citizens of Wildomar andSedco Hills voted on February 5, 2008, to incorporate. Wildomar became the 25th city in Riverside County on July 1, 2008.[11]
The city was an important place for honey production.[12]
Wildomar is located at33°36′27″N117°15′37″W / 33.60750°N 117.26028°W /33.60750; -117.26028 (33.607460, -117.260193).[16]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 23.7 square miles (61 km2), all of it land.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10,411 | — | |
| 2000 | 14,064 | 35.1% | |
| 2010 | 32,176 | 128.8% | |
| 2020 | 36,875 | 14.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 37,736 | [6] | 2.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Wildomar had a population of 36,875. The population density was 1,556.7 inhabitants per square mile (601.0/km2). The racial makeup was 51.6%White, 3.8%African American, 1.6%Native American, 5.6%Asian, 0.6%Pacific Islander, 19.7% fromother races, and 17.1% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.9% of the population.[18]
The census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.0% were institutionalized.[18]
There were 11,267 households, out of which 40.2% included children under the age of 18, 56.7% were married-couple households, 7.4% werecohabiting couple households, 20.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 15.1% of households were one person, and 7.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.26.[18] There were 8,916families (79.1% of all households).[19]
The age distribution was 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.3% aged 18 to 24, 26.1% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males.[18]
There were 11,724 housing units at an average density of 494.9 units per square mile (191.1 units/km2), of which 11,267 (96.1%) were occupied. Of these, 72.8% were owner-occupied, and 27.2% were occupied by renters.[18]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $95,677, and theper capita income was $34,555. About 12.0% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[20]
The2010 United States census[21] reported that Wildomar had a population of 32,176. The population density was 1,358.3 inhabitants per square mile (524.4/km2). The racial makeup of Wildomar was 22,372 (69.5%)White (53.6% Non-Hispanic White),[22] 1,065 (3.3%)African American, 376 (1.2%)Native American, 1,454 (4.5%)Asian, 69 (0.2%)Pacific Islander, 5,124 (15.9%) fromother races, and 1,716 (5.3%) from two or more races. There were 11,363 residents ofHispanic orLatino ancestry, of any race (35.3%).
The Census reported that 32,134 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 38 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 9,992 households, out of which 4,399 (44.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,982 (59.9%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,178 (11.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 645 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 604 (6.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 59 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,600 households (16.0%) were made up of individuals, and 752 (7.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22. There were 7,805families (78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.58.
There were 8,966 people (27.9%) under the age of 18, 3,256 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 8,346 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 8,194 people (25.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,414 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.
There were 10,806 housing units at an average density of 456.2 per square mile (176.1/km2), of which 7,329 (73.3%) were owner-occupied, and 2,663 (26.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 23,369 people (72.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,765 people (27.2%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Wildomar had a median household income of $60,219, with 13.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[22]
As of June 2024[update], the top employers in the city were:[23]
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Elsinore Unified School District | 2,381 |
| 2 | Inland Valley Medical Center | 945 |
| 3 | Southern California Edison | 232 |
| 4 | Cornerstone Community Church & School | 130 |
| 5 | Stater Bros. | 124 |
| 6 | Kaiser Permanente | 120 |
| 7 | Albertsons | 105 |
| 8 | Animal Friends of the Valley | 83 |
| 9 | Wildomar Senior Assisted Living | 67 |
| 10 | FCP Inc. | 62 |
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[25] | 35.89% (5,799) | 61.57% (9,948) | 2.53% (409) |
| 2020[26] | 38.84% (6,502) | 59.15% (9,902) | 2.01% (337) |
| 2016[27] | 35.62% (4,483) | 58.16% (7,320) | 6.21% (782) |
| 2012[28] | 37.28% (4,078) | 60.16% (6,580) | 2.56% (280) |
| 2008[29] | 39.24% (4,094) | 58.40% (6,092) | 2.36% (246) |
In theCalifornia State Senate, Wildomar is inthe 32nd senatorial district, represented byRepublican Kelly Seyarto. In theCalifornia State Assembly,the 71st Assembly district, represented byRepublican Kate Sanchez.[30]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Wildomar is inCalifornia's 41st congressional district, represented byRepublican Ken Calvert.[31]
Iodine Springs Reserve is a protected area managed by the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District.[32]
Inland Valley Medical Center, aSouthwest Healthcare System facility, is a general acute carehospital in Wildomar with basic emergency services and a Level IItrauma center.[33]
The Wildomar Cemetery District[34][35] maintains a cemetery in the town.[36] In 2011, the city of Wildomar proposed to take over management of the cemetery district and accomplished the takeover in November of that year.[37][38]
The Wildomar Library is one of 35 branches in theRiverside County Library System.[39][40] The library opened in 2001 and was originally called the Mission Trail Library. In 2014, the County Board of Supervisors voted to change the name to the Wildomar Library.[41]
Interstate 15 bisects the city of Wildomar.Riverside Transit Agency Routes 8 and 23 provide local bus service to the city.[42]
TheRiverside County Sheriff's Department's Lake Elsinore Valley Regional Station contracts police services for the city.[43]
The city of Wildomar contracts for fire and paramedic services with the Riverside County Fire Department through a cooperative agreement withCAL FIRE.[44][45]
TheLake Elsinore Unified School District includes the majority of Lake Wildomar. A portion is in theMenifee Union School District and thePerris Union High School District for grades 9–12.[46]
There are plans for a newMt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) campus in Wildomar, located on Clinton Keith Road between Salida del Sol and Elizabeth Lane.[47]
Wildomar has a variety of native plants. Hills are covered withcoastal sage scrub andchaparral plant communities, along with theCalifornia Poppy.California sycamore grow along riverbeds, providing shade for ferns and mosses.
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