History

It was magnificent land blessed with verdant open spaces dotted with towering oak trees, sycamores, a valley of rich grasses and natural hot springs.  It reminded Esequial Murrieta of his native Spain, so he bought 52,000 acres, fully intending to move his family and sheep ranching operation from central California.

But he never did, going back to Spain to marry and turning his holdings over to younger brother Juan, who brought a flock of some 100,000 sheep to the valley.  The year was 1873.

In 1882, the Southern California Railroad laid tracks linking the valley to its southern transcontinental route.  By 1890, Murrieta had experienced it first boom, the population reached 800.

The natural springs that proved a cleansing dip for Juan’s flock later were instrumental in bringing international renown to the community as the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort flourished during the first have of the 1900’s.

In 1935 the trains stopped running and the boom went bust.  The calm lasted for 50 years until a new community sprouted almost overnight and began a period of phenomenal growth.  When Murrieta officially became a city in 1991, it was already home to more than 24,000 residents.

By 2004, 78,000 people had moved to the community, making it the fourth most populous city in Riverside County.