The area transitioned from a dairy farm enclave to a developed community starting in the 1990s and was incorporated on October 1, 2010.

[8] The city's name is derived from "East Vale" as a listed school district in 1893 by the Riverside County Board of Commissioners.

City boundaries extend from Hellman Avenue to the west (the San Bernardino County line), State Route 60 to the north (also the San Bernardino County line), the Santa Ana River and Norco to the south, and Interstate 15 to the east.

According to the 2020 United States Census, Eastvale has a median household income at one of the top earning percentiles in the country at $151,615.

[8] Recorded history of land in the far western side of present-day Riverside County and north of the Santa Ana River begins in 1838, when Mexican Governor Juan Alvarado, of the Alta California territory, granted Rancho Jurupa (some 48 square miles) to Juan Bandini.

The city of Eastvale now occupies approximately the westernmost one-quarter of former Rancho Jurupa land grant.

[11] For 65 years, between 1889 and 1954, the Fuller family owned about 6 square miles of ranch land on the north side of the Santa Ana River.

Almost half of present-day Eastvale, between Schleisman Road and the river, was included within the Fuller ranch's boundaries.

[15] At that time, the area started to suburbanize to accommodate the influx of people coming from Orange and Los Angeles counties seeking more affordable housing.

[16] Eastvale was one of several unincorporated areas of Riverside County that had strong community support for city incorporation.

The passage of AB 1602 in the mid-2000s, a state bill that adds funds from vehicle license fees, made it easier for unincorporated areas to attain cityhood.

Eastvale's first city council members were Ike Bootsma, Jeff DeGrandpre, Kelly Howell, Adam Rush, and Ric Welch.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the former census-designated place of Eastvale covered an area of 11.4 square miles (30 km2), 99.65% of it land, and 0.35% of it water.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Eastvale had a median household income of $109,841, with 3.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

[52] Democrats Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler represent California in the United States Senate.

In the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Eastvale is in the Second District, represented by Karen Spiegel.