Perris | ||
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City | ||
City of Perris | ||
Former Perris railway station
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Location in Riverside County and the state of California |
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Location in the United States | ||
Coordinates: 33°47′48″N 117°13′28″W / 33.79667°N 117.22444°WCoordinates: 33°47′48″N 117°13′28″W / 33.79667°N 117.22444°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | California | |
County | Riverside | |
Incorporated | May 26, 1911 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Council-manager | |
• Mayor City Council |
Michael M. Vargas David Starr RabbRita Rogers Tonya Burke Malcom Corona |
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Area | ||
• Total | 31.503 sq mi (81.594 km2) | |
• Land | 31.393 sq mi (81.308 km2) | |
• Water | 0.110 sq mi (0.286 km2) 0.35% | |
Elevation | 1,453 ft (443 m) | |
Population (April 1, 2010) | ||
• Total | 68,386 | |
• Estimate (2013) | 72,326 | |
• Density | 2,200/sq mi (840/km2) | |
Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) | |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | |
ZIP codes | 92570–92572, 92599 | |
Area code | 951 | |
FIPS code | 06-56700 | |
GNIS feature IDs | 1652772, 2411403 | |
Website | www |
Michael M. Vargas
Perris is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located 17.6 miles (28.3 km) south of Riverside, California. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census.
The Perris Valley was actively settled in the 1880s, a boom period for Southern California. Prior to 1880, the land was used for pastures. The coming of the California Southern Railroad led to the founding of the city around the new depot. The California Southern was built through the future town site in 1882 to open a rail connection between the present day cities of Barstow and San Diego. 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 California Southern Railroad. The city of Perris was incorporated in 1911. It originally was part of San Diego County, but in 1892 was transferred to the newly established Riverside County.
Perris now incorporates Pinacate Station which is the home of the Orange Empire Railway Museum (a.k.a. "the trolley museum") - the largest operating museum of its kind on the West Coast of the United States.
On March 20, 2007, Perris was featured on ABC's Nightline news show during its "Realty Check" segment. The story dealt with the rising trend of home foreclosures in Riverside County, and Perris was referred to as the "epicenter".
The "Farmer Boys" restaurant chain, which has many locations throughout the Inland Empire, was started in Perris in 1981.