In the California Route Marker Program, which designates county routes in California, only two highways exist in the "R" zone, which encompasses Riverside County.

The road for CR R2 is named after the now defunct Kaiser Steel, which operated in Eagle Mountain.

At its north end in Hemet, it provides a major transportation route.

Historic information conflicts as to the date the route was defined.

Some information indicates the highway was created in 1966, although other sources give a commissioning date of 1973.