Menifee, California

Menifee is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Inland Empire. It was named after Luther Menifee Wilson, a local miner. People began settling in Menifee during the 19th century, and it officially became a city in 2008. By the 2020 census, the city had a population of 102,527.

The city is located in the center of Southern California in an area called the Menifee Valley. It is about 15 miles north of Temecula and just north of Murrieta. Menifee covers roughly 46 square miles and sits at an elevation of 1,424 feet above sea level. The city includes the nearby communities of Sun City, Quail Valley, and Romoland.

History

The Menifee area has long been home to the Luiseño people, especially the Pechanga band. In the 1700s, it became part of Spanish rule and later passed to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War.

Farming started there in the mid-1800s, and mining began in the 1880s when a miner named Luther Menifee Wilson found gold. The area was named after him. In the 1960s, a place called Sun City was built there for people to live and enjoy their retirement, designed by a builder from Phoenix, Arizona.

Menifee grew more in the late 1980s and early 1990s but still lacked many shops and jobs, so people often went to nearby cities like Temecula or Murrieta for work and fun. Recently, Menifee has attracted many new families. On June 3, 2008, people voted to become a city, and Menifee was officially established as a city on October 1, 2008.

Geography

The city of Menifee is surrounded by the cities of Perris, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, and the community of Winchester. The center of the city is where Newport Road meets Interstate 215.

Menifee covers an area of 46.6 square miles (120.7 km²), with most of it being land and a small part being water. The Menifee Hills are a ridge about 2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, and Bell Mountain is a mountain in the area that stands at 1,848 feet tall.

Menifee has mild winters and hot, dry summers. The weather there is known as a Mediterranean climate, which means it is warm and dry most of the year with sunny days. The city usually gets rain mostly in the winter months.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census reported that Menifee had a population of 102,527. The racial makeup of Menifee was 52.2% White, 6.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 6.5% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 16.5% from other races, and 16.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.8% of the population.

The census reported that most of the population lived in households, with a small number in group quarters and very few institutionalized. There were many households, with many including children under 18. The age distribution showed people of many ages, with the median age being 39.6 years. There were many housing units, most of which were occupied by owners. During 2019–2023, Menifee had a median household income of $89,183, with a small portion of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Menifee has many jobs and places where people work. The city keeps track of the biggest places that employ people.

Top employers

The city shared a report in 2024 showing the ten biggest places that hire people in Menifee.

Parks and recreation

Menifee has 47 public parks as of January 2026. Twenty-three of these parks are owned by the city, and twenty-four are owned by the Valley-wide park system. In October 2025, the city council decided to consider taking control of twelve of these Valley-wide parks.

One special park in Menifee is the Gale Webb Action Sports Park. It is the largest extreme bike park in Southern California and covers four acres. The city also has a popular skate park called the Audie Murphy Ranch Skate Park. Additionally, an amphitheater is being built in Central Park. When finished, it will be a place for performances and will cost about $6.6 to $6.78 million.

Politics

Menifee is part of California's 41st congressional district, with Ken Calvert serving as its representative. It is also part of the 63rd district in the California State Assembly and the 32nd district in the California State Senate.

Menifee became an official city on October 1, 2008. Voters chose to form a city government, and Wallace Edgerton was the first mayor. Over the years, several people have served as mayor. In 2018, Mayor Neil Winter passed away suddenly, and Lesa Sobek took over temporarily. Later, Bill Zimmerman became mayor and was re-elected in 2020. In 2024, Ricky Estrada was elected mayor but had to leave for six months for military duty. During his absence, Bob Karwin took over as temporary mayor. Estrada returned in 2026 and resumed his duties.

The city holds its big Independence Day celebration on the Saturday before July 4th every year.

Currently, more voters in Menifee support the Republican party.

Public Safety

In June 2019, the City of Menifee decided to stop working with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and started its own police department, which began in July 2020. For the 2023–2024 year, spending on the police was a big part of the city's budget.

Menifee works with the Riverside County Fire Department and CAL FIRE for fire and emergency medical help. There are four fire stations in Menifee, each with special vehicles for emergencies. Additional help comes from a unit at Fire Station #7, which is one of the busiest in the country. Paramedic services are provided by American Medical Response, with their main office in Menifee.

Education

Menifee has several schools that help students learn from kindergarten through high school. The main school groups are the Menifee Union School District, the Romoland School District, and the Perris Union High School District. They watch over many schools, such as Paloma Valley High School and Heritage High School. These districts also cover nearby places like Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, and French Valley.

Besides these public schools, Menifee has two special schools called charter schools: Santa Rosa Academy and the Bear River Student Center. There is also a college called the Menifee Valley Campus of Mt. San Jacinto College, which is one of four campuses.

Menifee has two big libraries. The Sun City Library and the Menifee Public Library are both part of the Riverside County Library System. The Sun City Library started in 1962 and grew over time. The Menifee Public Library opened in July 2021 and is a large space for reading and learning.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

Menifee’s main roads include Interstate 215 and Newport Road/Dominegoni Parkway. Other important streets are Scott Road, McCall Boulevard, Ethanac Road, and State Route 74. Improvements at the I-215 and Scott Road interchange finished in 2020, with more upgrades planned.

Public transportation

Buses and Dial-A-Ride stops make it easier to get around Menifee. RTA Routes 27, 40, 61, and 74 connect Menifee to nearby cities like Temecula and Lake Elsinore. Metrolink trains stop at the South Perris Station north of Menifee, with plans to possibly extend the line through the city.

Health care

The 84-bed Menifee Global Medical Center provides emergency care. It opened in 1989 and is located on McCall Boulevard.

Water

Menifee gets its water from the Eastern Municipal Water District. A desalination plant in the city cleans underground water to make drinking water.

Notable people

Menifee has been home to many interesting people. Some of them are Tony Burton, an actor, and Phyllis Love, also an actress. Others include Benny Mardones, a singer, and Audie Murphy, who was a soldier, actor, and songwriter. There are also athletes like Fernando Gonzalez, an MMA fighter, and Steve Lamson, a motocross racer.