Introduction to Banning, California
Banning, California, in Riverside County, is 13 miles NE of Hemet, California (center to center) and 29 miles E of Riverside, California. The city is considered part of the Riverside - San Bernardino metropolitan area.
Banning History
The Serano and Cahuilla tribes of Indians were among the first settlers in the area now known as Banning. The Mexican and Spanish expeditions reached the region around 1774. According to the Banning Daily Record of 1965, the discovery of a bone fossil of a Mastodon of the Pliocene Age led to the belief that a prehistoric lake used to exist in this area. In 1824, when the San Gabriel Mission Fathers established a Mission on the foothills of the city, the area was known as the Rancho San Gorgonio, named so after a Latin martyr, St. Gorgonio. The first white man, Dr. Isaac Smith reached this place in 1853 and gradually the advent of the railroad in 1876 led to the development of the area. The current name of the city was inspired by General Phineas T. Banning, who opened a shipping company here.
Banning and nearby Attractions
- Banning Public Library
- Pershing Siding
- Sunnyslope Cemetery
- Sun Lakes Country Club and Golf Course
- Montgomery Creek
- Sylvan Park
Things To Do In Banning
The city of Banning exudes the influence of its early settlers, the Irish, Scottish, German, Swiss, French and Italian. This influence is clearly visible in the various historic buildings around the city, like the Banning Public Library and the Sunnyslope Cemetery. The churches also have the same old-world feel. Banning has two beautiful and stunning creeks, the Montgomery Creek and the Potrero Creek. Visitors can go to the various amusement parks around the city that offer recreational facilities for both adults and children. Enthusiastic shoppers can also take a walk around the city's shopping malls, the Beaumont Shopping Center and the Sun Lakes Village Shopping Center.
Banning Transportation
Air transportation is available from San Bernardino International Airport.
Banning Higher Education
Mount San Jacinto College serves the area.