Hemet, California
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Hemet is a city located in Riverside County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,812.
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Geography
Hemet is located at 33°44'31" North, 116°58'59" West (33.742001, -116.983068)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²). 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 58,812 people, 25,252 households, and 15,176 families residing in the city. The population density is 885.6/km² (2,294.0/mi²). There are 29,401 housing units at an average density of 442.7/km² (1,146.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 80.49% White, 2.60% Black or African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 10.58% from other races, and 3.51% from two or more races. 23.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 25,252 households out of which 23.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% are married couples living together, 11.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 23.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.90.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 33.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 79.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,839, and the median income for a family is $33,579. Males have a median income of $30,771 versus $24,048 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,226. 16.3% of the population and 12.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 26.1% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
The Cahuilla Indian tribe were the initial inhabitants of our area. During the early 1800's the land was used for cattle ranching by Mission San Luis Rey and they named the area Rancho San Jacinto. In 1842 the land was obtained by Jose Antonio Estudillo In 1887 W.F. Whittier and E.L. Mayberry created the Lake Hemet Water Company , the Hemet Land Company and Hemet was created. In 1895 the Hemet Dam was completed and gave birth to Lake Hemet which provided a system to supply water to our valley. This water system was a major contribution to the valley's development and progress. The City of Hemet was incorporated in January, 1910. The area became a trading center for agriculture which included Icitrus, apricots, peaches, olives and walnuts. Hemet was also well known for the 46th Agricultural District Farmer's Fair of Riverside County, The fair began 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 exists today at the site of the original Ryan Flight School.
The country's mobile home community was developed in Hemet in the early 1960's in which individual lots were sold. Other Mobile Home parks and retirement communities were developed and Hemet gained a reputation as a retirement area. Today Hemet is evolving from an agriculture and retirement area into a modern family oriented community with facilities for young families, retirees and a skilled workforce. Hemet's close proximity to larger cities provides it's citizens with a wide variety of commuter employment, enabling the city to retain it's small town charm and it's reputation for being a wonderful place to retire or to raise a family.