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79-647: EWF was founded in 1996 by Bill Anderson and Jesse Hernandez. The promotion's name comes from the Inland Empire , the popular name of the area surrounding San Bernardino. It saw its first show in May 1996 at the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino as Bobby Bradley defeated Tom "Zuma" Howard to become the first EWF Heavyweight Champion. In 1999, Bill Anderson left the EWF and formed his own promotion and wrestling school,

158-529: A 951 area code telephone number). The Coachella Valley region of Palm Springs , Palm Desert , and Indio is located much farther east in Riverside County (the distance between the city of San Bernardino and Palm Springs is approximately 50 miles) and is part of the much larger 760 area code . This area is sometimes considered a sub-region of the Inland Empire or its own separate region,

237-427: A further 375,000 or another 9 percent to reach 4.6 million. According to census bureau's 2005–2007 estimates 61.8 percent of the population was White (40.4 percent White Non-Hispanic), 7.5 percent Black , 5.7 percent Asian and 25.0 percent of other or mixed race. 43.9 percent were Hispanic of any race. 21.9 percent of the population was foreign born. There is a large Mexican community in Inland Empire. Filipinos are

316-479: A lack of substantial public transportation in the Greater Los Angeles Area, this has led to traffic congestion and degradation in air quality for the Inland Empire. The solution to these problems is not simple. The presence of so many city governments within the Inland Empire, which often have different 'visions' for their own municipalities, means that two cities in the region rarely agree on

395-422: A local economic downturn. The region as a whole had partially recovered from this downturn by the start of the 21st century through the development of warehousing, shipping, logistics and retail industries, primarily centered around Ontario. During the 2008 Recession , industry suffered heavily but had begun to recover by 2010. Physical boundaries between Los Angeles and the Inland Empire from west to east are

474-450: A major thoroughfare, today runs from Highland to San Dimas , intermittently along the absolute baseline coordinates plotted by Col. Washington. San Bernardino County was first formed out of parts of Los Angeles County on April 26, 1853. While the partition once included what is today most of Riverside County , the region is not as monolithic as it may sound. Rivalries between Colton , Redlands , Riverside and San Bernardino over

553-420: A population of about 4.6 million in 2020. At the end of the 19th century, the Inland Empire was a major center of agriculture, including citrus, dairy, and winemaking. Agriculture declined through the 20th century, and since the 1970s a rapidly growing population, fed by families migrating in search of affordable housing, has led to more residential, industrial, and commercial development. The term Inland Empire

632-452: A problem for vehicles left unattended in the region. The Inland Empire does not have a particularly extensive or robust public transportation system. Due to the large physical size and sprawl of the region, the primary means of transportation in the region is the automobile. Less than five percent of the IE's 1,249,224 working-age residents use public transportation to get to work. Omnitrans

711-461: A result of affordable housing, at least relative to the rest of Southern California, but most of the higher paying jobs are located in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Thus, many workers must commute daily from the Inland Empire to their jobs in these counties—sometimes up to two hours each direction—and even longer if by public transportation. As the population increases, the problem

790-560: A show in Hemet, California . Other pro wrestling stars have made appearance at EWF shows including Mando Guerrero , Peter Maivia , Ludvig Borga , The Honky Tonk Man , Tony Atlas and Tom Brandi . Many EWF wrestlers appear as jobbers on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) broadcasts, and at the 1999 Royal Rumble the orderlies sent to apprehend Kane were performed by the EWF roster, including then owners Bill Anderson and Jesse Hernandez. They held their 20th Anniversary Extravaganza at

869-524: A solution; just as common, they may have unequal means for implementing one even if they were to agree. Having no region-wide governmental planning organization may undermine any solution that could be proposed. Lastly, the fast pace at which development occurs versus the limited ability of government to respond to changes means that it could easily take years, if not decades, for a viable solution (such as new roads, transit systems, or pollution controls) to go into effect. The Inland Empire routinely has some of

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948-849: A way to keep the families engaged and involved," said Principal Funchess, adding, “This is just a great opportunity for Thompson families to come enjoy a positive event here at the school while supporting academic achievement.” In 2016 The Empire Wrestling Federation held an event at the Fox Theatre in San Bernardino to benefit victims of the 2015 San Bernardino Attack . In 2016, EWF announced its first hall of Fame inductees, who were inducted in its 20th anniversary show in Covina California. The first Inductees were: The 2017 class included: Class of 2018 will be: Inland Empire The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as

1027-472: Is a very good or fairly good place to live, while about 72 percent of residents in San Bernardino County felt the same way. Survey respondents cited "nice living area", "good climate", and "affordable housing" as the top positive factors in assessing their respective communities. Smog was by far the most important negative factor affecting respondents' ratings in both counties, while traffic was

1106-556: Is documented to have been used by the Riverside Enterprise newspaper (now The Press-Enterprise ) as early as April 1914. Developers in the area likely introduced the term to promote the region and to highlight the area's unique features. The "Inland" part of the name is derived from the region's location, generally about 60 miles (97 km) inland from Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Originally, this area

1185-521: Is larger than 31 football fields but, more recently, 5,000,000 sqft warehouses are common. These centers operate as part of the system that transports finished goods and materials from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to destinations to the north and east such as Las Vegas , Phoenix , and Denver . More than 80 percent of the state's imported cargo is shipped through the Los Angeles/Inland Empire Corridor. During

1264-409: Is larger than ten U.S. states — West Virginia , Maryland , Hawaii , Massachusetts , Vermont , New Hampshire , New Jersey , Connecticut , Delaware and Rhode Island . The U.S. Census Bureau –defined Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area, which comprises Riverside County and San Bernardino County, California , covers more than 27,000 sq mi (70,000 km ) and had

1343-798: Is most certainly going to get worse. Forbes magazine ranked the area first in its 2007 list of most unhealthy commutes in the United States, beating out every other metropolitan area in the country, as Inland area drivers breathe the unhealthiest air and have the highest rate of fatal auto accidents per capita. According to a 1999 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, the Inland Empire leads in fatal crashes caused by road rage . The theft of copper, brass and other metals from highway and road fixtures has also led to decreased public safety on IE roads and freeways. Gas siphoning has also been noted as

1422-530: Is occasionally included within the Inland Empire. Some residents of certain areas, such as Twentynine Palms or the Coachella and Temecula valleys, may consider themselves separate from the IE. The California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC), a not-for-profit, nongovernmental entity that promotes tourism in California, divides the state into several regions for its own purposes. The CTTC defines

1501-400: Is one of the least educated areas of the state with the lowest average in annual wages in the country. A 2006 study of salaries in 51 metropolitan areas of the country ranked the Inland Empire second to last, with an average annual wage of $ 36,924. Nonetheless, inexpensive land prices and innovative institutional support networks have attracted some small businesses and technology startups into

1580-540: Is sometimes considered to include the desert communities of the Coachella and Victor Valleys , respectively on the other sides of the San Gorgonio Pass and San Bernardino Mountains from the Santa Ana River watershed that forms the bulk of the Inland Empire; a much broader definition includes all of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The combined land area of the counties of the Inland Empire

1659-751: Is the chosen route for connecting California High-Speed Rail service to San Diego. While a final alignment has yet to be finalized, concepts include stops at the Ontario International Airport, in Riverside, San Bernardino, Corona, and Temecula or Murrieta. These would occur as part of Phase II, however, which currently remains unfunded. Several airports are located in the Inland Empire. San Bernardino International Airport , Ontario International Airport and Palm Springs International Airport are commercial airports in their respective cities. A local joint powers agency has redeveloped

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1738-664: Is the largest bus agency in San Bernardino County, while the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) is the largest in Riverside County. Currently, some of Omnitrans' bus routes run on headways of an hour or more, and some routes stop service in the early evening or may not run on weekends. SunLine Transit Agency provides bus service in the Coachella Valley while the Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) provides transit service in

1817-637: Is the second largest metropolitan region in the country. The Metropolitan Statistical Area population of the Inland Empire (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area) itself is more than 4.2 million people and is the 12th largest metropolitan area in the United States . According to the 2000 U.S. Census, it is the fastest growing area in the state. Between 1990 and 2000, Riverside and San Bernardino counties added 700,000 to their population totals, an increase of 26 percent. Between 2000 and 2010 Inland Empire's population expanded by 970,000 or 30 percent, and between 2010 and 2020 it expanded by

1896-515: The Democrats (34 percent) slightly edged over the number identifying with the Republican party (33 percent). In the 2008 presidential election , Democratic candidate Barack Obama carried both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, becoming only the second Democrat to carry both counties since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2012 , Obama repeated this feat and again carried both counties, and

1975-714: The High Desert , including to Barstow after the transit systems in the latter was merged into VVTA in 2015. Other operators in the region include Pass Transit serving the Banning Pass area, Needles Area Transit serving the city of Needles, Mountain Transit serving the communities in the San Bernardino Mountains including Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, Running Springs, and Crestline, and the MBTA serving

2054-450: The IE ) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California , centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside , and bordering Los Angeles County and Orange County to the west and San Diego County to the south. The bulk of the population is centered in the cities of northwestern Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County , and

2133-619: The Inland Center mall in San Bernardino . In fiscal year 2006, retail sales in San Bernardino County grew by 11.9 percent to $ 31.2 billion, while sales in Riverside County were up 11.3 percent to $ 29.6 billion. The result of this ongoing development has resulted in greater homeownership for the region. Although the region saw an uptick in jobs over the past decade, it is not a heavy employment center, and many residents commute to Los Angeles and Orange counties for their work. With

2212-621: The International Wrestling Council in Riverside, California . In June 1996, a tribute to Superstar Billy Graham was held. Several EWF wrestlers from the past have gone on to national fame, including Rico Constantino , Awesome Kong , Louie Spicolli , Frankie Kazarian , Christopher Daniels , Shelly Martinez and Melina Perez . In 1997, Chris Jericho and Lee Marshall of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) mentioned EWF on WCW broadcasts and Marshall attended

2291-651: The March Air Reserve Base and Stringfellow Acid Pits have contaminated groundwater in parts of Riverside County. In 1997, perchlorate , a chemical used to produce explosives, was discovered to be seeping into the groundwater under Rialto in a plume that continues to grow. In 2007, the Rialto city council petitioned the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Superfund status to clean up

2370-945: The San Jose Hills splitting the San Gabriel Valley from the Pomona Valley , leading to the urban populations centered in the San Bernardino Valley . From the south to north, the Santa Ana Mountains physically divide Orange County from Riverside County. The Santa Rosa Mountains , as well as the Southern California portion of the Sonoran Desert , physically divide Riverside County from San Diego County. Elevations range from 11,499 ft (3,505 m) at

2449-690: The Tijuana area in Mexico. Orange County and San Diego County are completely encompassed within the megaregion. There is no universally accepted definition for the boundaries of the Inland Empire region. Some sources such as the Los Angeles Times have referred to Riverside County and San Bernardino County as the Inland Empire, mirroring the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area. Kern County

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2528-462: The freeway system in the area facilitated the expansion of suburbs and human migration throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California. The region experienced significant economic and population growth through most of the latter half of the 20th century. In the early 1990s, the loss of the region's military bases and reduction of nearby defense industries due to the end of the Cold War led to

2607-493: The 1950s, the area has changed from a rural to a suburban environment. The region now comprises numerous cities known as bedroom communities that are suburban cities to Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Affordable home ownership is the primary motivation behind the growth in these Inland Empire cities as homes in the region are generally less expensive than comparable homes in Los Angeles and Orange counties, but

2686-553: The Desert Empire. This is to help differentiate it from the urbanized area containing the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside. The RPA definition includes the Inland Empire ( San Bernardino – Riverside ) in the Southern California Megaregion, alongside Anaheim , Bakersfield , Huntington Beach , Long Beach , Los Angeles , San Diego , the geographically separate Las Vegas Valley , as well as

2765-854: The EWF Arena in Covina, Ca on May 6, 2016. The EWF School of Hard Knocks is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez and is currently located at the American Sports University, 399 North "D" Street in San Bernardino, CA. The School of Hard Knocks became the Official Training Facility of the National Wrestling Alliance in 2007 and has trained countless students from such countries as Canada, France, Australia, India, Great Britain, Russia, Mexico and others, in addition to those students who come to

2844-631: The EWF held the Inland Title Tournament. Originally conceived as a Round Robin Tournament it was later changed to a traditional single elimination format. The winner each year would receive an EWF Championship title match. The Empire Wrestling Federation is always giving back to the communities it runs in. On March 10, 2012, the EWF put on a show for the students of Thompson Elementary School in Highland, CA. "Honestly, I see this as

2923-610: The Inland Empire a major shipping hub . Some of the nation's largest manufacturing companies have chosen the Inland Empire for their distribution facilities including Toyota Motor Corporation's North American Parts and Logistics Distribution (NAPLD) center in Ontario and APL Logistics in Rancho Cucamonga . In 2007, Whirlpool Corporation leased a 1,700,000-square-foot (160,000 m ) distribution center in Perris that

3002-472: The Inland Empire and these two counties generally direct, especially to and from Los Angeles County. The Inland Empire has also been referred to as the 909 , after one of the region's most used area codes . In 2004, because of growing demand for telephone numbers, most of western Riverside County was granted a second area code, 951 , which is overlayed with the 909 area code (they have the same physical boundaries and new telephone subscribers likely receive

3081-692: The Inland Empire as being bounded by Los Angeles County and Orange County on the west and San Diego County on the south, stretching as far north as the Victor Valley area and as far east as Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains . The state of California's official website links to the CTTC's map with the description "Map of the Inland Empire region". Other sources, including Kevin Starr , former state librarian of California, include

3160-829: The Inland Empire has been consistently over the national average since 2007. 10.4 percent of Inland residents were unemployed as of August 2013, compared with the national rate of 7.3 percent. Due to the high unemployment and housing foreclosure rates, a higher percentage of Inland residents rely on public assistance. According to the Press-Enterprise, "twelve percent of Riverside County and 17 percent of San Bernardino County residents used food stamps in January 2012", as compared with "11 percent of those living in Los Angeles County, 8 percent of San Diego County residents and 7 percent of Orange County residents". Since

3239-482: The Inland Empire include off-road equipment (e.g., construction equipment, cargo-handling equipment), heavy-duty diesel trucks, ocean-going vessels, passenger vehicles, locomotives, aircraft, and industrial fuel combustion. Southern California is in extreme nonattainment for ozone and severe nonattainment for particle pollution. Multiple state and local efforts are underway to clean up the air, primarily focused on zero emissions vehicles. California has implemented some of

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3318-445: The Inland Empire. Additionally, land that was used for agriculture is now being sold by owners for conversion to shopping centers, industrial warehouses , and more. Due to the lack of one central city in the Inland Empire, and the smaller geographical footprint that suburban cities tend to have, this continuous development has become seemingly unplanned suburban sprawl as local interest and zoning laws may quickly change from one city to

3397-675: The Mormons left a scant six years later, recalled to Salt Lake City by Brigham Young during the church's Utah War with the U.S. government, other settlers soon followed. The entire landmass of Southern California was subdivided according to the San Bernardino Meridian , which was first plotted as part of the Public Land Survey System in November 1852, by Col. Henry Washington. Base Line Road,

3476-734: The Morongo Basin and Yucca Valley portions of San Bernardino County. Although transit usage and infrastructure remains weak, several projects have moved forward and opened in the 2010s to improve transit accessibility in the region. Major projects include the Perris Valley portion of the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line, the San Bernardino Transit Center, and the Omnitrans sbX Green Line, which connects

3555-471: The Pacific Ocean at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach . While temperatures are generally cool to cold in the mountains, it can get hot in the valleys. In the desert resort of Palm Springs , near Joshua Tree National Park , summer temperatures can reach well over 110 °F (43 °C). Unlike most metropolitan areas that have grown up around a central city, the Inland Empire has two main focus cities, Riverside and San Bernardino . Other major cities in

3634-912: The area has increased to try to keep abreast with the growing suburban population. The region is home to several large shopping malls, including the Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos and the Crossings in Corona ; Ontario Mills in Ontario ; Promenade Mall in Temecula ; Galleria at Tyler , Riverside Plaza, and Canyon Crossings in Riverside; The Shoppes at Chino Hills in Chino Hills; Moreno Valley Mall in Moreno Valley ; Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga ; Montclair Place in Montclair; and

3713-493: The area. While urbanization continues to cut into agricultural lands, the Inland Empire still produces substantial crops. Although 10,000 acres (40 km ) of irrigated land was lost between 2002 and 2004, agriculture still brought in more than $ 1.6 billion in revenues to the two-county region in 2006. Being a MSA, aggregate GDP figures are reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis annually. The Inland Empire ranks 25th in

3792-650: The cities of Loma Linda and San Bernardino, two universities, and the Loma Linda VA Hospital to the San Bernardino Transit Center. In addition to sbX, there are other express services available to public transportation users in the region. RTA operates a BRT-lite system in the RapidLink Gold Line, which runs from UCR to the Corona Transit Center . Due to the physical size of the Inland Empire, transit connections between

3871-439: The city of Perris initiated a program to paint the brown lawns of abandoned homes green as a way to reduce the appearance of blight . In 2019, the "bedroom community" nature of the Inland Empire led to a plan to increase the construction of new housing in coastal cities (known as "job centers") preferentially versus building more housing in the Inland Empire areas. Meghan Sahli-Wells, mayor of Culver City, said that she supported

3950-406: The coastal plan because of the urgent nature of climate change. However, the plan was described as "toothless". The attractiveness of Inland Empire cities for warehousing and logistics has resulted in warehouses being built incrementally closer and closer to residential areas. With air pollution from diesel-powered transport trucks being a serious and cumulative concern for human health, an effort

4029-565: The company. The Empire Wrestling Federation previously held two annual events, the Great Goliath and the Inland Title Tournament. The Great Goliath is a battle royal, held in honor of the wrestler who trained Jesse Hernandez, the EWF's owner and promoter, it has been held during the EWF's Anniversary Extravaganza in May since 2006. The winner is awarded a shot at the EWF Heavyweight Championship . Up until 2014

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4108-413: The decommissioned Norton Air Force Base into San Bernardino International Airport . There are also several general aviation airports in the region. The region is making some progress in developing dedicated bicycle commuter and recreation trails. The largest of these, the Santa Ana River bicycle path , currently connects Corona to Huntington Beach, and is eventually projected to stretch for 84 miles all

4187-404: The eastern Los Angeles County cities of the Pomona Valley , such as Claremont , Pomona , La Verne , San Dimas , and Diamond Bar . Other sources also include cities in Los Angeles County within the boundaries. Inexpensive land prices (compared with Los Angeles and Orange counties), a large supply of vacant land, and a transport network where many highways and railroads intersect have made

4266-529: The importation of navel and Valencia orange trees in the 1870s touched off explosive growth, with the area quickly becoming a major center for citrus production . This agricultural boom continued with the arrival of water from the Colorado River and the rapid growth of Los Angeles in the early 20th century, with dairy farming becoming another staple industry . In 1926, Route 66 (now known as Foothill Boulevard and Interstate 215 ) came through

4345-667: The largest Asian immigrant group in Inland Empire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2006, 33.1 percent of people in the Greater San Bernardino Area were overweight , and 30.8 percent were obese . In 2019, San Bernardino County found that 34.1% of the county's population were obese, with an additional 34.5% being overweight. A substantial majority of residents (76.6 percent), last comparatively surveyed in 2001, rated their respective counties as good places to live. Over 81 percent of Riverside County residents indicated that their county

4424-583: The late 2010s and early 2020s, Amazon , the largest private employer in the region, has rapidly expanded its facilities and warehouses there, responding to explosive growth in online retailing and shipping and increasing traffic and air pollution. Like most industrial areas, the Inland Empire is vulnerable to the effects of economic recessions. For example, during the global economic downturn of 2008–2009, industrial vacancies doubled from 6.2 percent in 2007 to 12.4 percent to 2008. In San Bernardino and Redlands, vacancies reached 22 percent. The Inland Empire area

4503-434: The location of the county seat in the 1890s caused each of them to form their own civic communities , each with their own newspapers. On August 14, 1893, the state Senate allowed Riverside County to form out of land previously in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, after rejecting a bill for Pomona to split from L.A. County and become the seat of what would have been called San Antonio County. The arrival of rail and

4582-412: The main backbones such as the PE Trail and provide a network of connectivity to nonmotorized users throughout the region. The majority of Inland Empire’s immigrants come from Mexico , the Philippines , El Salvador , Vietnam and Guatemala . The population of the Greater Los Angeles area (which includes the Inland Empire) is about 18 million people according to the 2010 United States Census , and

4661-432: The most aggressive vehicle electrification rules in the country, including the Advanced Clean Cars II rule that will mandate 100% zero-emission passenger vehicle sales in 2035, and the Advanced Clean Fleets rule for trucks that will require all drayage trucks to be zero-emissions starting in 2024 and all trucks to ZEV by 2036. Water pollution has also been found in the Santa Ana River and Cajon wash, and pollutants from

4740-412: The nation with a 2011 GDP of $ 109.8 billion, roughly a third of San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area despite their close population numbers. Per capita GDP was $ 25,993.34 in 2011, nearly half among the nation's top 50 Gross Metropolitan Product . Due to the housing crisis, the GDP fell from $ 114.8 billion in 2007, despite a heavy influx of residents. The unemployment rate in

4819-408: The next city. The Inland Empire was declared the nation's worst example of sprawl according to a study by Smart Growth America in 2002. During the housing bubble collapse of the late 2000s, foreclosures rose by 3,500 percent. In 2010, the area ranked fourth in the nation in the number of foreclosures, with one filing for every 133 households. The problem of abandoned homes became so great that

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4898-461: The nodes of the region are primarily served by freeway express services. Transit operators of the IE provide service between major destinations and transit centers around Southern California including the San Bernardino Transit Center , the Montclair Transcenter , Disneyland , Pomona–Downtown station , and Oceanside . The region is also part of the five-county Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) " Metrolink " commuter rail system. Of

4977-429: The northern parts of the area, bringing a stream of tourists and migrants to the region. Still, the region endured as the key part of the Southern California "citrus belt" until the end of World War II , when a new generation of real-estate developers bulldozed acres of agricultural land to build suburbs. The precursor to the San Bernardino Freeway , the Ramona Expressway, was built in 1944, and further development of

5056-449: The origin site. The sites comprising March Air Reserve Base , Norton Air Force Base and the Stringfellow Acid Pits have already been classified as EPA Superfund toxic waste sites. Traffic congestion is a major issue in the Inland Empire. Many of the existing freeways were completed in the late 1970s with the exception of the segment of the Foothill Freeway , State Route 210 (SR 210) between San Dimas and San Bernardino , which

5135-433: The pricing gap continues to shrink each year due to migration and increasing population. The steady rise in population and the demand for housing has led to a dramatic increase in the building of single-family homes on parcels of 0.25 acres (1,000 m ) or more, as opposed to the construction of high-density development such as multi-story apartment or condominium buildings. This low-density development has caused sprawl in

5214-443: The region include Rancho Cucamonga , Ontario , and Corona . Suburban sprawl spreads out to form a connection with the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Further development is steadily, if not heavily, encroaching past the mountains into the outlying desert areas. The Inland Empire borders both Los Angeles and Orange counties. Freeways in Southern California are heavily used, but this comprehensive freeway system has made travel between

5293-487: The sbX West Valley Connector, Arrow , the extension of the L Line to Montclair (to become part of the A Line ), and daily train service to the Coachella Valley. Additional routes have also been studied including extending the Metrolink's Perris Valley Line to San Jacinto and Temecula, a passenger rail spur along I-15 to Lake Elsinore, BRT routes throughout the respective service areas of Omnitrans and RTA, and an aerial tram from Highland to Big Bear. The Inland Empire

5372-550: The school from all regions of the United States . The EWF's School of Hard Knocks has sent several wrestlers to prominent promotions across the globe including Melina , Rico Constantino , Frankie Kazarian , Awesome Kong , Rocky Romero , Ricky Reyes , Alex Koslov and Shelly Martinez . The School of Hard Knocks also has served as the training area for Chris Jericho , Layla , Eve Torres , Rhaka Khan , Lena Yada and others, who looked to brush up on their in-ring skills. The school and some of its students are set to be promoted in

5451-402: The second highest concern in Riverside County and crime the second highest concern among San Bernardino County residents. While the region as a whole had traditionally leaned more Republican than the rest of California, newer residents are less likely to identify with the Republican party than longer-term residents (36 percent to 42 percent), and the total number of residents identifying with

5530-410: The seven lines that Metrolink operates, four of them directly serve the Inland Empire: Although a robust transit network has been lacking in the region for decades, steps are being made toward developing one in the future. The councils of governments and transportation commissions in both IE counties have identified and are working on future expansions of transit to better serve the region. These include

5609-428: The surrounding desert communities, and a much more widespread definition includes all of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. What is now known as the Inland Empire was inhabited for thousands of years, prior to the late 18th century, by the Tongva , Taaqtam , Ivilyuqaletem and Payómkawichum Native Americans.The first American settlers, a group of Mormon pioneers, arrived over the Cajon Pass in 1851. Although

5688-567: The top of San Gorgonio Mountain to −220 ft (−67 m) at the Salton Sea . The San Bernardino mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest and the resort communities of Big Bear Lake , Lake Arrowhead , and Running Springs . The Santa Ana River extends from Mt. San Gorgonio for nearly 100 miles (160 km) through San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties before it eventually spills into

5767-644: The two Inland Empire counties have stayed in the Democratic column in presidential elections since. Nonetheless, the area continues to be far friendlier to Republicans than Los Angeles County or the San Francisco Bay Area . EWF Heavyweight Championship The EWF Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Southern California -based Empire Wrestling Federation independent promotion . It

5846-467: The upcoming reality show, "Slam School". The EWF Cruiserweight Championship was introduced in 2004 and was won by Liger Rivera in a 4-Way match. It was defended from 2004 until it was retired in 2011. It had been featured in the EWF's Match of the Year in both 2009 and 2010. Ray Rosas was the last EWF Cruiserweight Champion. Also defunct was the women's championship belt. It has yet to be brought back into

5925-611: The way to Redlands when completed. A shorter trail exists along the former path of the Pacific Electric Railway from Claremont to Rialto. A number of communities have also built trails along the levees and maintenance roads of other waterways in the region, including the CV Link, which is under construction in the Coachella Valley area of the region. Other plans also exist to provide feeder trails to meet

6004-426: The worst air quality in the United States. San Bernardino County and Riverside County are the first and second worst counties in the United States for tropospheric ozone air pollution. Pollution in Southern California mostly is blown from the coast towards the mountains. Inland Empire counties are downwind of the highly populated counties of Los Angeles and Orange County. The largest sources of air pollution affecting

6083-482: Was called the Orange Empire due to the acres of citrus groves which extended from Pasadena to Redlands during the first half of the 20th century. The boundaries of the Inland Empire are nebulous, but the region is generally defined as the cities of western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County, adjacent to the Los Angeles metropolitan area . A broader definition includes Palm Springs and

6162-496: Was completed in July 2007. New freeways or highway "fix-ups" are either in progress or being planned, such as the construction of Mid County Parkway between Perris and San Jacinto or the addition of toll lanes on both I-15 and I-10 through heavily urbanized portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Other problems exist, however, including the imbalance between housing and job availability. The Inland Empire population grew as

6241-448: Was made to impose a 1,000-foot buffer zone (separation distance between residential and commercial land uses) for new construction. However, this effort was not successful, due to local municipal officials giving priority to maximizing the construction of both housing and warehouse facilities, with the goal of maximizing employment as well as property-tax revenue from both the residential and the commercial/industrial sectors. Retailing in

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