Corona

People lived here long before the town was planned. The Tongva and Payómkawichum peoples had a village called Paxauxa along Temescal Creek. Leandro Serrano, the first European resident of the valley, received permission to graze animals here around 1818.

The town itself was founded in 1886, during the Southern California citrus boom. The South Riverside Land and Water Company, incorporated that year, bought Rancho La Sierra and Rancho Temescal and secured water rights to Temescal Creek. The Temescal Water Company was incorporated in 1889. The new town was first called South Riverside, to tell it apart from Riverside.

The name changed to Corona in 1896. Corona is the Spanish word for crown or wreath. The town took the name from its circular Grand Boulevard. The area was first part of San Bernardino County and joined the newly formed Riverside County in 1893.

The street plan inside the city is built around Grand Boulevard, a nearly circular road about 1 mile in diameter. Hiram Clay Kellogg designed the layout. The shape gave the city its nickname, the Circle City.

Citrus gave Corona an earlier nickname as well. The city was once called the Lemon Capital of the World, and a local museum covers the part lemons played in the local economy.

Other places in the city's history include the Corona Historic Civic Center Theater and the Corona Sunnyslope Cemetery, which was established in 1892. The city's own website also points to a Heritage Room as part of its Corona history pages.

The city's 2024 annual financial report lists its largest employers by number of workers. They are the Corona-Norco Unified School District with 5,478, Corona Regional Medical Center with 1,265, Monster Energy with 1,075, the City of Corona with 961 and Fender USA Corona with 955.

Several well-known companies are headquartered or have major operations here. They include Fender, Monster Beverage, Saleen, Circle K and TCL. The mix covers schools, health care, food and drink, retail and the making of musical instruments and vehicles.

Three highways serve the city: State Route 71, Interstate 15 and State Route 91.

Metrolink commuter trains stop at two stations in the city, Corona-North Main and Corona-West. The 91/Perris Valley Line and the Inland Empire-Orange County Line both serve the city. Locally, the Corona Cruiser bus runs two circular routes.

Corona Municipal Airport has the FAA code AJO and a runway 3,200 feet (980 m) long.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District serves most of the city. The Alvord Unified School District serves a small section of eastern Corona. Between them, the schools in the city include five high schools, five middle schools and 28 elementary schools.

Private schools include St. Edward Catholic School and Crossroads Christian School. City Hall is at 400 S. Vicentia Ave. The city's website lists a library and recreation programs among its services.

The website also carries a Parks and Facilities Directory for anyone looking for a specific park or building. A city project called Transforming City Park has its own page at citypark.coronaca.gov.