| Banning is a city
in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 23,562
at the 2000 census. It is situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, also known
as Banning Pass. It is named for Phineas Banning, stagecoach line owner
and the "Father of the Port of Los Angeles."
Banning has a western neighbor,
the city of Beaumont, which shares geographic and regional features. Beaumont
has been rapidly growing in size and population since the 1980s. Both cities
are about 100 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and 25 miles west of Palm
Springs, each connected by freeway and railroad.
Close by, the Morongo Band
of Mission Indians operates the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa as well
as the Hadley Fruit Orchards in Cabazon. The Morongo Casino is one of the
largest Indian casinos in the United States. The Morongo Indian Reservation
is located in northern Riverside County, amidst the cities of Banning and
Cabazon, both of which extend partially onto reservation land. The reservation
has a land area of 127.083 km² (49.067 sq mi), with a resident population
of 954, the majority of Native American heritage. |
