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| Local History |
| Hemet Public Library |
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Hemet is
located 35
miles
southeast of
Riverside in a
valley at the
foot of Mount
San Jacinto.
Long known as
a prime
agricultural
area, Hemet
has developed
into a major
trading area
for western
Riverside
County and is
well
established as
a retirement
center. The
2000 Census
lists the
population at
just over
66,800 within
the City
limits, plus a
trading area
population
over 220,000.
The area in
which Hemet is
located was
first
inhabited by
members of the
Cahuilla
Indian tribe.
In the early
1800s, the
area became a
cattle ranch
for Mission
San Luis Rey
and was called
Rancho San
Jacinto. When
the missions
were broken up
by the Mexican
government,
the land was
awarded to
Jose Antonio
Estudillo in
1842.
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Hemet's
development
began in 1887
with the
formation of
the Lake Hemet
Water Company
and the Hemet
Land Company
by William F.
Whittier and
Edward L.
Mayberry. Work
on a masonry
dam in the San
Jacinto
Mountains
commenced in
1891, and the
Hemet Dam was
completed in
1895. The
subsequent
formation of
Lake Hemet
behind the dam
and completion
of a water
transmission
and
distribution
systems to and
through the
southern half
of the valley
made future
development
possible. |
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The
city of Hemet was
incorporated
in January
1910 and
served
primarily as a
trading center
for the
surrounding
agricultural
district.
Important
crops included
apricots,
peaches,
olives,
citrus,
walnuts,
potatoes and
alfalfa. The
Hemet Chamber
of Commerce
was originally
formed in 1908
from the Hemet
Improvement
Association.
Since 1923,
one of the
valley's chief
claims to fame
has been the
annual Pageant
based on the
novel Ramona.
One of the
incidents
which inspired
Helen Hunt
Jackson to
write Ramona
occurred in
the valley,
and the
production of
a pageant
based on the
novel was
discussed for
a number of
years as a
method of
promoting the
valley. From
1923 onward,
with only
brief
interruptions
during the
Depression and
during World
War II, the
people of
Hemet and San
Jacinto joined
to stage this
outdoor play each spring.
The pageant is
held in the
Ramona Bowl
located in the
Santa Rosa
Hills south of
Hemet and is
the Official
California
State Outdoor
Play and America's
longest
running
outdoor drama. |
Hemet
was also noted
for the 46th
Agricultural
Farmer's Fair
of Riverside
County, which
had its
beginning in
1936 as the
Hemet Turkey
Show, and for
the Ryan
School of
Aeronautics,
which trained
about 6,000
fliers for the
Army Air Force
between 1940
and 1944.
Hemet-Ryan
Airport exits
today at the
site of the
original Ryan
Flight School.
The character
of Hemet began
to change
dramatically
in the early
1960s with the
development of
Sierra Dawn,
the country's
first
"mobile
home
subdivision"
in which
individual
lots were sold
and the City
provided
street, sewer,
refuge and
lighting
services. |
Hemet
in the 21st
Century
retains its
retirement
orientation
but is also
drawing
significant
numbers of
younger
families who
provide
services to
the senior
population or
who are
looking for
affordable
housing.
Hemet's median
age in 1990
was 56.7
years; ten
years later it
was 44.6
years.
Consequently,
many younger
parents travel
outside the
San Jacinto
Valley to
work.
In 1999, the
Metropolitan
Water District
completed its
800,000 acre
foot reservoir
south of
Hemet. Named
Diamond Valley
Lake, this
large, aquatic
jewel provides
fishing,
sailing and
other
recreational
facilities. In
addition, two
major museums
(a water
education
museum and an
archaeology
and
paleontology
center) are
scheduled to
be completed
in 2006
adjacent to
the lake.
The most
important
Hemet entity
is the people
who live here.
They care
about their
neighbors and
about
education. To
demonstrate
this, a 52,000
square foot
new library
was completed
in 2003 at 300
E. Latham
Avenue, paid
for by the
people living
in Hemet and
used by all
San Jacinto
Valley
residents.
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Local
History pictures
courtesy of the Swift
Collection
of the Hemet Public
Library and Hemet
Local History Museum |
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300 E. Latham Ave - Hemet, CA 92543 |
Phone: (951)765-2440
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| Fax: (951)765-2446 |
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| Hours: Monday & Tuesday - Closed |
Wednesday & Thursday- Open 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
Friday & Saturday - Open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Sunday - Closed |
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"The appearance of hyperlinks to other websites on the City of Hemet Website does not constitute endorsement by the City of Hemet of the content, material or information provided by such Websites. The City of Hemet does not exercise any editorial control over, and have not verified the accuracy of any materials or information you may find at these site locations. The City assumes no responsibility or liability for use of the hyperlinks or any external website." |
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