The Inland Empire Strikes Back
Don’t Tell The Coastal Haters, But Riverside and San Bernardino Counties Are Driving California's Comeback
The Empire is back.
I’m talking not about the new Star Wars movie but about Southern California’s Inland Empire. Of course, you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for a statewide celebration of the remarkable economic comeback of the I.E.—which encompasses Riverside and San Bernardino counties and their 4.4 million inhabitants. When it comes to this huge section of the state—with a population greater than Oregon’s—if the good news isn’t being ignored, it’s being spun as bad.
The Inland Empire is by far California’s least fashionable region. That’s because it resembles the …
