Woodcrest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, United States.

The adjacent city of Riverside lists Woodcrest as an area for potential annexation.

[4] The Woodcrest area was initially populated by dry land grain farmers in the late 19th century.

[5] Although the post office was closed in 1936, the Woodcrest name continued to be used to refer to the area from then on.

Water in the Woodcrest area became more affordable after the voters of Riverside, Corona, Lake Elsinore and surrounding unincorporated areas approved the formation of the Western Municipal Water District in 1955.

[6] Beginning in the 1980s, population pressures and the availability of cheaper land resulted in the decline of agriculture in the Woodcrest area.

"Wood" was the name, or part of the name, of several prominent property owners in the area, and the word was combined with "crest" because the original Woodcrest Acres tract was at the crest of the hills in the area.

John C. Woodard owned 160 acres (0.65 km2) off of current day Washington Street.

For many years, one of the main routes from Riverside out to Woodcrest was referred to as Woodard Grade, or sometimes Woodward Grade, but the name was later lost when the county realigned the route with current day Washington Street.

[7] Additionally, two real estate promoters in the area were named Marie and Charles Wood.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.4 square miles (30 km2), all of it land.

However, many new housing developments are being built in Woodcrest due to the increasing population of Riverside.