Menifee is a city located in Southwestern
Riverside County,
California,
United States. The city is roughly 50 square miles in size. As of January 1, 2009, Menifee contains an estimated population of 67,705.
[2] The City of Menifee includes the diverse lifestyle communities of Menifee, Sun City, Quail Valley, Paloma Valley and portions of
Romoland.
Menifee is known for its picturesque qualities, with scenic views of the San Jacinto Mountains, the San Bernardino Mountains, Mt. Baldy, and Santa Ana Mountains above Lake Elsinore.
The area was originally inhabited by the Luiseno and Pechanga Indian tribes, and in the 1700s, the area fell under the Spanish empire. The area was eventually annexed into the United States from Mexico in 1850 under California's statehood.
Farming activity beginning in the mid-1800s was concentrated in the Menifee area, and mining activity began in the early 1880s with the discovery of a significant quartz lode by miner Luther Menifee Wilson. Menifee derived its name from that mining operation.
