Since then, Menifee has become one of the fastest growing cities in California and the United States. The city is centrally located in Southern California in the Menifee Valley.
It is almost 15 miles 24 km north of Temecula and just north of Murrieta. Menifee is roughly 46 square miles km 2 in size and has an elevation of 1, feet m. In the 18th century, the area fell under Spanish rule and was ceded by Mexico to the United States in as a result of the Mexican—American War. Farming, which began in the midth century, was concentrated in the Menifee area. Mining began in the early s with the discovery of a significant quartz lode by miner Luther Menifee Wilson, from whom Menifee derived its name.
At the time, the area was referred to as the Menifee Valley. Early development of the Menifee area began with Sun City in the early s, conceptualized as an active retirement community by Del Webb , a building contractor from Phoenix, Arizona.
Webb also developed Sun City, Arizona , under the same concept. Sun City is located in the northwestern part of Menifee and features a mix of residential and commercial activity. The Menifee area later grew during the late s and early s as a master-planned community. However, a lack of resources such as industry-oriented occupations and high-density retail and commercial businesses caused many residents to drive to cities such as Temecula or Murrieta to shop, dine, or work.
In recent years, however, there has been substantial growth in Menifee, attracting many new residents from all areas of Southern California such as San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, as well as other parts of the Inland Empire. On June 3, , the residents of the communities encompassing the Menifee area voted to incorporate together to form Riverside County's 26th city.
