Menifee, California was only incorporated as a city in 2008, but its population has already doubled since then, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing cities and a nationally-ranked “boomtown.”
About 75 miles inland from both Los Angeles and San Diego, Menifee attracts thousands of Californians who have been priced out of coastal areas but still want to find a SoCal lifestyle.
While originally envisioned as a senior community for those over 55, Menifee is now attracting families, young remote workers, and first-time homebuyers.
One of America’s top “boomtowns”
Menifee is located within California’s Inland Empire, having begun as a farming and mining hub in California’s early days. In the late 20th century, master-planned communities cropped up for active retirees.
Since the city’s incorporation less than 20 years ago, real estate tools like SmartAsset have ranked Menifee among the top boomtowns in the country, asserting that the population increased by roughly 20.21% between 2016 and 2021.
Median household income ranges from the high-80s to low 100,000s, correlating with a growing middle and upper-middle class, and the city continues to construct new infrastructure and family-friendly amenities.
Things to do in Menifee
Menifee residents enjoy an outdoor-oriented lifestyle with community parks, trails, and lakes functioning as informal gathering spaces.
Menifee Lakes and nearby reservoirs offer recreation like fishing, boating, and walking paths, and families spend time at Audie Murphy Ranch Park, which has sports fields and picnic areas. Hikers can enjoy easy in-city walking routes and nearby destinations such as Motte Rimrock Reserve and Diamond Valley Lake.
Daily life tends to congregate around newer hubs like the Menifee Town Center and Countryside Marketplace, which offer farmers’ markets, pop-up events, nightlife spots, and casual restaurants and coffee shops.
The result is a quickly growing community where people can enjoy the beauty of Southern California without the steep pricetag of its most expensive coastal communities.
