Neighborhoods

Temecula is Southern California’s best-kept secret — and one of its only communities to keep its indigenous name, españolized from a local Native American word loosely translating to “where the sun breaks through the mist.” Although the community has been around for generations, it wasn’t incorporated until 1989 and is today home to an estimated population of 115,000. A mild, Mediterranean climate provides ideal growing conditions for countless grape varietals, which climb the vines at more than 40 vineyards in town. Championship golf courses and the historic architecture of Old Town, notably the Mission Revival-style city hall, add to its allure.