Canyon Lake is a city and gated community in the Inland Empire region of Riverside County, California, United States, located on Canyon Lake reservoir. Canyon Lake began as a master-planned community developed by the Corona Land Company in 1968. The City of Canyon Lake was incorporated on December 1, 1990. As of the 2020 census, Canyon Lake had a population of 11,082. Railroad Canyon Dam was built in 1927, and impounds the San Jacinto River to fill the reservoir, which covers and has of shoreline.
History Etymology
The city of Canyon Lake is named after the reservoir it is built around. Initially, the reservoir was known as Railroad Canyon Reservoir, or Railroad Canyon Lake, but now the reservoir and the community are referred to by the shortened form, Canyon Lake.
Early history In 1882, the California Southern Railroad built a line from Perris to Elsinore along the east side of the San Jacinto River. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the line and joined it with their line in San Bernardino. Floods in 1884, 1916, and 1927 washed out the tracks, and the Santa Fe Railroad decided to abandon the line. Soon after the last flood, the Temescal Water Company bought the railroad right-of-way, as well as from Henry Evans, a rancher, and another land from B.T. Kuert. Those were the two parcels that make up most of Canyon Lake today.
Construction started in 1927 to build a dam across the river to store water. It was finished in 1929. Railroad Canyon Reservoir, when built, was one of the largest freshwater lakes for fishing, hunting, and camping in Southern California. The reservoir and the surrounding area were leased as a concession from Temescal Water Company as a recreational area under the operation of the George D. Evans family from 1937 until after World War II. After the war Ray and Alpha Schekel, along with John and Darleen Kirkland, operated the resort until 1949 when the lake was drained for repairs to the floodgates.
Community development In 1968 the Corona Land Development Company developed the new community.Martin, Elinor (2007). Images of America, Canyon Lake. Arcadia Publishing. . Retrieved July 10, 2010.History . City of Canyon Lake.
Canyon Lake began as a master-planned community developed by Corona Land Company in 1968, consisting of 4,801 lots.
Boundary change
In 2011, the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) initiated a minor reorganization of the city's borders under LAFCO 2011–13–3. The proposal approved a Sphere of Influence amendment that detached a portion of land near the intersection of Goetz Road and Railroad Canyon Road from the City of Canyon Lake, officially annexing the territory into the neighboring City of Menifee.
Geography The city of Canyon Lake is located east of Lake Elsinore and west of Menifee, in the southern foothills of the Temescal Mountains. The mountain range is on the western edge of the Perris Block and east of the Elsinore Fault Zone.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of or , of which is land and (15.92%) is water. The lake has of shoreline.
Reservoir The community is named for Canyon Lake reservoir, also known as the Railroad Canyon Reservoir, which it surrounds. The reservoir, created in 1928 with the construction of the Railroad Canyon Dam, covers approximately , has of shoreline, and has a storage capacity of . It is owned and operated by the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District.
The reservoir is supplied by stormwater runoff from the San Jacinto River and Salt Creek. Water from the reservoir feeds the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant, which provides approximately 10% of the domestic water supply in the Lake Elsinore/Canyon Lake area.
Demographics Racial and ethnic composition Demographic profile 2020 2010 2000 1990 1980 White 79.4% 89.9% 92.9% 95.8% 98.5% —Non-Hispanic 74.7% 81.7% 87.2% 91.6% 95.5% Black or African American 1.8% 1.2% 0.7% 1.3% 0.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 15.1% 12.3% 8.5% 5.6% 3.4% Asian 2.4% 1.7% 1.5% 1.1% - Native American 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% -
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Canyon Lake had a population of 11,082. The median age was 45.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males age 18 and over.
99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,174 households in Canyon Lake, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.6% were married-couple households, 14.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,568 housing units, of which 8.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%.
Income and poverty The 2020 census listed median income in Canyon Lake at $120,118 with 6.4% of residents living below the poverty line.
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Canyon Lake had a population of 10,561. The population density was . The racial makeup of Canyon Lake was 9,495 (89.9%) White (81.7% Non-Hispanic White), 128 (1.2%) Black or African American, 61 (0.6%) Native American, 190 (1.8%) Asian American, 36 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 316 (3.0%) from other races, and 335 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,303 persons (12.3%).
The Census reported that 10,552 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,935 households, out of which 1,298 (33.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,510 (63.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 341 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 202 (5.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 214 (5.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 27 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 658 households (16.7%) were made up of individuals, and 311 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68. There were 3,053 families (77.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.99.
The population was spread out, with 2,287 people (21.7%) under the age of 18, 835 people (7.9%) aged 18 to 24, 2,304 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 3,332 people (31.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,803 people (17.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
There were 4,532 housing units at an average density of , of which 3,245 (82.5%) were owner-occupied, and 690 (17.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%. 8,443 people (79.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,109 people (20.0%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Canyon Lake had a median household income of $74,133, with 5.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.. census.gov.
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 9,952 people, 3,643 households, and 2,939 families residing in this city. The population density was . There were 4,047 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White (87.9% Non-Hispanic White), 0.8% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. 8.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,643 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $70,106, and the median income for a family was $72,317. Males had a median income of $57,413 versus $36,016 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,646. About 3.0% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.
Crime In 2005, there were 12 violent crimes and 136 property crimes reported;Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2005 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved January 15, 2011. in 2006, 18 and 165,Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2006 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved January 15, 2011. in 2007, 23 and 170,Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2007 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved January 15, 2011. in 2008, 6 and 167,Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2008 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved January 15, 2011. in 2009, 12 and 132,Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2009 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved January 15, 2011. in 2010, 10 and 223.Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City 2010 Crime in the United States; FBI. Retrieved November 8, 2011. Per capita, these are below the national average.
In 1994, serial killer Dana Sue Gray murdered two of her fellow Canyon Lake residents, targeting elderly women who lived alone. Gray also killed an elderly woman in nearby Lake Elsinore and attempted to kill another woman. She robbed all her victims of their cash and credit cards. Government The City of Canyon Lake was incorporated on December 1, 1990. The elected body of government is the five member city council that is elected at large by the voters of the city.
In the state legislature, Canyon Lake is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives, Canyon Lake is in .
Politics Since its incorporation, all nine Republican gubernatorial candidates, all nine Republican presidential candidates, and all nine Republican senatorial candidates who qualified for the general election ballot carried Canyon Lake by a margin of at least 23 points, with Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024 as well as George W. Bush in 2000, and 2004 each carrying the city by a margin of over 50 points. Canyon Lake is also one of the few cities in California where Donald Trump received a greater percentage of the vote in 2016 than Mitt Romney did in 2012, as well as one of the few in the state where he received a larger percentage of the vote for re-election (in which he lost to Joe Biden) in 2020.
As of October 21, 2024, there were 8,339 registered voters in Canyon Lake. Of these voters, 5,202 (62.38%) are registered Republicans, 1,348 (16.17%) are registered Democrats, 1,127 (13.51%) are not affiliated with a political party, and 662 (7.94%) are registered with a third party. Among third parties, the American Independent party had the most registered voters with 427 (5.12%).
Canyon Lake has the highest percentage of registered Republicans in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, or Imperial as of September 6, 2024
Listed below are all presidential, gubernatorial, and senate results for Canyon Lake since its incorporation: