It covers a total area of 29.3 square miles (76 km2), about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto.

The founding of Hemet, initially called South San Jacinto, predates the formation of Riverside County.

[6] The formation of Lake Hemet helped the city to grow and stimulated agriculture in the area.

The city is known for being the home of The Ramona Pageant, California's official outdoor play, set in the Spanish colonial era.

Hemet has been named a Tree City USA for 20 years by the Arbor Day Foundation for its dedication to the local forest.

[9] This had long been the territory of the indigenous Soboba people and Cahuilla tribe prior to Spanish colonization.

[10] Following Mexico gaining independence from Spain, in 1842, settler José Antonio Estudillo received the Rancho San Jacinto Viejo Mexican land grant.

They had plans to dam the San Jacinto River to provide irrigation water to the valley.

This water system, for irrigation in an arid region, was integral to the valley's development as an agricultural area.

[11] By 1894, settlers had established a newspaper, the Hemet News, and "several general stores", the largest being Heffelfinger & Co, which occupied an entire block.

"The most pretentious building" was the two-story Hotel Mayberry, "supplied with all the modern conveniences usually found in first-class hostelries, including stationary water, baths, etc., and a complete electric light system, the power for which is furnished by the company's private plant.

[14] With a railroad spur running from Riverside, the city became a trading center for San Jacinto Valley agriculture; commodity crops included citrus, apricots, peaches, olives, and walnuts.

The Agricultural District Farmer's Fair of Riverside County began here in 1936 as the Hemet Turkey Show.

During World War II, the city hosted the Ryan School of Aeronautics, which trained about 6,000 fliers for the Army Air Force between 1940 and 1944.

[15] In the 1960s, large-scale residential development began, mostly in the form of mobile home parks and retirement communities.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.28 square miles (76 km2), all land.

[25] As of 2009[update], The racial makeup of the city was 60% white, 2.4% black or African American, 4.9% Asian or Pacific Islander, 4.9% from other races and 28.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

[26] According to the California Economic Development Department, in 2005 the economy of Hemet was based on four main industries: retail trade, health care, educational services, and government.

The amount of wage and salary positions in Hemet is 22,769, with a further 1,479 people being self-employed, adding up to a total of 24,248 jobs in the city.

[27] Rent remains affordable, but the three-hour commute by Metrolink to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles has impeded Hemet's growth as a bedroom community.

It features exhibits of Ice Age mammals, including 'Max', the largest mastodon found in the Western United States, and 'Xena', a Columbian mammoth.

The three largest venues are the Ramona Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, a Regal Cinemas and the Historic Hemet Theatre, built in 1921.

However, the theater was forced to close down in January 2010 due to water damage from a fire that destroyed adjacent store fronts.

The musty smell forced the theater to stay closed for a year, which created financial struggles.

[40] Dedicated to James Simpson, Hemet City Council from 1947 to 48, and mayor from 1950 to 1966, Simpson Park is a wilderness park located in the Santa Rosa Hills southeast of Hemet with sheltered picnic area and tables, barbecues, restrooms, and hiking trails.

At an elevation of 2,500 feet (760 m), it provides an expansive view of the San Jacinto Valley, as well as the nearby cities and towns of Winchester, Menifee, and Temecula, and it has an area of 438 acres (1.8 km2).

The State of California will pay for 50% of either project, but the already cash-strapped district may run into trouble if the repairing of the school goes over budget.

Over the air signals with limited reception include KCAL-TV 9 (Independent) Los Angeles; KVCR-TV 24 (PBS) San Bernardino; KFMB-TV 8 (CBS), KUSI 9 (Independent) and KNSD 39 (NBC) from San Diego; two ABC stations KABC 7 L.A. and KESQ-TV 42 from Palm Springs[verification needed]; KOCE 50 (PBS) and KVEA 52 (Telemundo) from Orange County, California.

A local TV station based in Hemet and nearby Perris is KZSW 27 (Independent) of Temecula.

Members of the Women's Club opened a reading room at the corner of Harvard Street and Florida Avenue.