Hemet, California facts for kids

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City of Hemet

City

City Hall

Flag

Seal

Location of Hemet in Riverside County, California

Hemet, California

Location in California

Hemet, California

Location in the United States

United States

Government

• Type

Council-Manager

Area

• Total

29.28 sq mi (75.84 km²)

• Land

29.28 sq mi (75.84 km²)

• Water

0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²) 0%

Elevation

1,594 ft (486 m)

Population

(2020)

• Total

89,833

• Rank

84th in California

• Density

3,068.07/sq mi (1,184.51/km²)

Time zone

UTC-8 (Pacific)

• Summer (DST)

UTC-7 (PDT)

ZIP Codes

92543–92546

Area code

951

FIPS code

06-33182

GNIS feature IDs

1652718, 2410738

Hemet is a city located in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California. It covers about half of the valley, sharing it with the nearby city of San Jacinto. In 2020, about 89,833 people lived there. Hemet is bordered by San Jacinto to the north and Diamond Valley Lake to the south.

The city of Hemet was founded even before Riverside County was created. It was first called South San Jacinto. The creation of Lake Hemet helped the city grow and boosted farming in the area.

Hemet is famous for The Ramona Pageant. This is California's official outdoor play, which tells a story from the Spanish colonial era. It started in 1923 and is one of the longest-running outdoor plays in the United States.

For 20 years, Hemet has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. This award recognizes the city's efforts to care for its local trees. Hemet is also home to the Hemet Valley Medical Center, a large hospital with 320 beds.

Exploring Hemet's Past

The Hemet Maze Stone, 2012

Long ago, the land where Hemet now stands was home to the native Soboba and Cahuilla tribes. Later, in the early 1800s, Mission San Luis Rey used the land for raising cattle. They called the area Rancho San Jacinto.

How Hemet Got Its Name

The company that founded Hemet, called The Lake Hemet Land Company, gave the town its name. The company itself was named after Hemet Valley, which is now known as Garner Valley in the San Jacinto Mountains. At first, the area was called South San Jacinto. But the name was changed to Hemet in November 1893.

Early Days and Growth

Hemet was part of Rancho San Jacinto Viejo, granted in 1842 to Californio politician Don José Antonio Estudillo.

After Mexico became independent from Spain, a settler named José Antonio Estudillo received a large land grant called Rancho San Jacinto Viejo in 1842.

In 1848, the United States took control of California after winning the Mexican–American War. In 1887, during a big land boom in Southern California, two men, W.F. Whittier and E.L. Mayberry, started the Lake Hemet Water Company. They planned to build a dam on the San Jacinto River to bring water for farming. They officially named the town Hemet in November 1893.

By 1895, the Hemet Dam was finished. This dam created Lake Hemet and provided a steady water supply for the San Jacinto Valley. This water system was very important for the valley to grow as a farming area.

By 1894, settlers had started a newspaper, the Hemet News, and several stores. The largest store, Heffelfinger & Co, took up a whole block. There was also a drug store, barber shop, blacksmith shops, and real estate offices. The fanciest building was the two-story Hotel Mayberry, which had modern comforts like running water and electric lights. A flour mill, owned by John McCool, could produce 50 barrels of flour each day.

Becoming a City

Harvard Street around 1907, with the Hemet Hotel in the background

Gibbel Hardware after the 1918 San Jacinto earthquake

Sunrise over Downtown Hemet, looking south down Harvard Street, 2014

Downtown Hemet, looking south down North Harvard Street, 2015

Hemet officially became a city in January 1910. Most residents voted to become a city, which helped manage the growing community.

With a railroad line connecting to Riverside, Hemet became a hub for farming. Crops like citrus fruits, apricots, peaches, olives, and walnuts were grown here. The Agricultural District Farmer's Fair of Riverside County started in Hemet in 1936.

During World War II, Hemet was home to the Ryan School of Aeronautics. This school trained about 6,000 pilots for the Army Air Force between 1940 and 1944. The flight school site later became Hemet-Ryan Airport. By 1950, Hemet had 10,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in Riverside County.

In the past, Hemet, like some other places, had unfair rules about who could live there. This meant that some groups of people, including African Americans who moved to California during and after World War II, were not allowed to live in Hemet or even stay overnight. These rules were wrong and caused a lot of hardship.

In the 1960s, many new homes were built, especially mobile home parks and retirement communities. Hemet became known as a place where people could retire. In the 1980s, former ranch land was turned into neighborhoods with single-family homes. As more people moved in, larger stores also came to the city. After a slowdown in the 1990s, home building greatly increased in the early 2000s. Hemet became an attractive place for families because it was affordable and close to job centers like Corona and Riverside.

Hemet panorama at night from the entrance of Simpson Park

Hemet's Location and Weather

Hemet is located in the San Jacinto Valley in western Riverside County. It sits south of San Jacinto. The valley is surrounded by the Santa Rosa Hills and San Jacinto Mountains. Most of the land is dry, except for Diamond Valley Lake to the south. The city covers about 29.28 square miles (75.84 square kilometers) of land.

Hemet is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) southeast of Downtown Los Angeles.

Climate in Hemet

Hemet has a semi-arid climate, which means it has mild winters and very hot, very dry summers.

People of Hemet

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	992	—
1920	1,480	49.2%
1930	2,235	51.0%
1940	2,595	16.1%
1950	3,386	30.5%
1960	5,416	60.0%
1970	12,252	126.2%
1980	22,531	83.9%
1990	36,094	60.2%
2000	58,812	62.9%
2010	78,657	33.7%
2020	89,833	14.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

The population of Hemet has grown a lot over the years. In 1910, there were less than 1,000 people. By 2020, the population had grown to nearly 90,000.

Population in 2020

In 2020, Hemet had a population of 89,833 people. The city is home to a diverse mix of people. Many residents identify as White, Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, and Asian.

Hemet's Economy

Hemet's economy relies on several key industries. These include retail trade (stores and shops), health care (hospitals and clinics), educational services (schools), and government jobs. These industries provide thousands of jobs for the community. Other important industries are hotels and restaurants, financial services, and construction.

Hemet was affected by the housing crisis that happened after 2007. Rent in Hemet remains affordable. However, the long commute to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles has made it harder for Hemet to grow as a "bedroom community" where people live but work elsewhere.

Major Employers in Hemet

The largest employers in Hemet provide many jobs for residents. Here are the top ten employers as of 2023:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Hemet Unified School District	3,750
2	Physicians for Healthy Hospitals	1,077
3	County of Riverside	725
4	Walmart Supercenter	400
5	Gosch Ford, Toyota, Hyundai & Inland Chevrolet	316
6	City of Hemet	306
7	Stater Bros. Markets	246
8	Village Healthcare Retirement	227
9	The Home Depot	195
10	Forest River, Inc.	180

Arts and Fun in Hemet

Hemet Museum/Old Santa Fe Depot on West Florida Avenue

Hemet has two museums and an outdoor theater. The Hemet Museum is in downtown and shows local history. It has old photos of Hemet and the Ramona Pageant. It also displays items from the Cahuilla culture, like baskets.

Hemet is also home to the Western Science Center. This museum is in the southern part of the city. It features exhibits of Ice Age animals, including 'Max', the largest mastodon found in the Western United States, and 'Xena', a Columbian mammoth.

Near Hemet, you can find the Ramona Bowl, a natural outdoor amphitheater. This is where the famous play, Ramona, is performed.

Entertainment Options

Hemet is adding more places for entertainment. The main spots are the Ramona Bowl, the Regal Cinemas, and the Historic Hemet Theatre. The Historic Hemet Theatre was built in 1921.

A new project is being planned for downtown Hemet. It will be a "transit village" with a Metrolink train station. This area will have homes, shops, and parks. The station might even include a railroad museum and a farmer's market.

Hemet Theater

The Historic Hemet Theater was once the oldest movie theater in the country that ran continuously. However, it had to close in 2010 due to water damage from a fire nearby. In 2013, a group called the Historic Hemet Theater Foundation took over. By 2016, they had reopened the theater and are working to fully restore this historic building.

Some movies have filmed scenes in Hemet. Parts of The Fast and the Furious (2001) were filmed on Domenigoni Parkway. The Hemet Stock Farm was used for the movie Seabiscuit (2003).

Parks and Outdoor Fun

Besides Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet has six large parks managed by the Valley-Wide Recreation and Parks District. This district also includes the cities of San Jacinto and Menifee.

Brubaker Park

Brubaker Park has a large playground for kids. It also has a basketball court, eleven baseball/softball fields, and fitness trails. There are two picnic areas and restrooms.

Diamond Valley Lake Community Park

This park opened in 2009 and covers 85 acres. It has eight lighted ball fields, three soccer fields, and four pickleball courts. You'll also find restrooms and picnic areas. The park is next to the Diamond Valley Aquatic Center.

Gibbel Park

Gibbel Park has a big playground, a ball field, and a basketball court. It also has restrooms, two lighted tennis courts, and a lawn bowling green. There are horseshoe pits and picnic areas. The park features a memorial for the United States military. A skate park opened here in 2023, and pickleball courts were added in 2024. The park is 11 acres and was created in 1970.

Mary Henley Park

This park is named after Mary Henley, who worked for Hemet City for many years. It has two playgrounds, a basketball court, picnic tables, and restrooms. There's a walking path of about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) around the park. It covers 16 acres and was established in 1993. A fitness court opened here in 2022.

Simpson Park

Simpson Park is a wilderness park in the Santa Rosa Hills southeast of Hemet. It has picnic areas, barbecues, restrooms, and hiking trails. From an elevation of 2,500 feet (762 meters), you can see great views of the San Jacinto Valley and nearby towns. The park covers 438 acres.

Weston Park

Weston Park was created in 1921. It has shuffleboard courts, restrooms, a playground, and a basketball court. It's located in the downtown area and covers 4 acres.

Learning in Hemet

Most of Hemet's schools are part of the Hemet Unified School District. This district also covers parts of San Jacinto and Valle Vista. It serves over 20,000 students. There are also schools in the rural communities of Anza, Idyllwild, and Winchester.

In 2010, the school district faced a challenge with the Historic Hemet Elementary school. The main building, built in 1927, was sinking because it was built on a swamp. The district had to decide whether to fix it or build a new school.

A small part of Hemet is also in the San Jacinto Unified School District.

High Schools

Hemet High School
Western Center Academy
West Valley High School
Tahquitz High School
Hamilton High School (in Anza)

Middle Schools

Acacia Middle School
Diamond Valley Middle School
Dartmouth Middle School
Western Center Academy
Rancho Viejo Middle School

Elementary Schools

Bautista Creek Elementary
Cawston Elementary
Fruitvale Elementary
Harmony Elementary
Hemet Elementary
Jacob Wiens Elementary
Little Lake Elementary
McSweeny Elementary
Ramona Elementary
Valle Vista Elementary
Whittier Elementary
Winchester Elementary

Other Schools

Cottonwood School of Aguanga (all grades)
Hamilton School of Anza (all grades)
Dwelling Place Learning Academy (Private Christian Academy, K–5th grade)
St. Johns Christian School (Private Christian school, 18 months to 8th grade)

Getting Around Hemet

Air Travel

For commercial flights, people in Hemet use the Palm Springs International Airport and Ontario International Airport. Hemet-Ryan Airport is a local airport in the city, but it does not have commercial flights.

Public Transportation

The RTA provides public transportation in Hemet. They have bus stops at various places, including Florida Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. RTA also offers Dial-a-ride for seniors and people with disabilities, and a new service called MicroGo.

There have been talks about extending the commuter rail service from Perris to Hemet. This would include new train stations in West Hemet and Downtown Hemet.

Roads and Streets

Two California State Highways pass through Hemet. California State Route 74 runs along most of Florida Avenue, which is a main road for traveling east and west. California State Route 79 also follows Florida Avenue for a few miles.

Most streets in Hemet are arranged in a grid pattern. Major streets include Florida Avenue, Sanderson Avenue, San Jacinto Street, Stetson Avenue, and State Street.

Hemet's Library

Hemet Public Library, located in downtown

The Hemet Public Library started in 1906. Members of the Women's Club opened a reading room in downtown.

In 1910, the city took over the library. The reading room soon became too small. A woman named Mrs. E.A. Davis wrote to Andrew Carnegie to ask for money to build a new library. The city received $7,500, and Mr. and Mrs. St. John donated land for the new Carnegie Library. This new library was finished in 1913 and served the city for 52 years.

The building was later found to be unsafe and was torn down in 1969. A new library, the C.B. Covell Memorial Library, was built. However, this building also became too small for the growing city.

In 2003, the library moved to its current location at 300 E. Latham Avenue. This new building is two stories tall and covers 52,000 square feet (4,831 square meters). It cost over $15 million to build.