Corona

Corona lies along the upper Santa Ana River canyon in southern California, situated southeast of the Greater Los Angeles basin. The community took the nickname Circle City from Grand Boulevard, a circular roadway that encircles the central downtown district. Vast lemon orchards established the settlement as a leading citrus processing center during the early 20th century.

The South Riverside Land and Water Company founded the agricultural settlement in 1886 to cultivate citrus orchards along the Temescal Wash. The community adopted the name Corona in 1896 upon municipal incorporation, discarding its original title of South Riverside. Grand Boulevard hosted competitive automobile road races during the 1910s, drawing national racecar drivers to its circular roadway. Light manufacturing plants and suburban residential tracts replaced former fruit packing houses throughout the late 20th century, transitioning the citrus town into an industrial center.

Monster Beverage Corporation develops energy drinks and canned teas, marketing the Monster Energy beverage brand to commercial grocery retailers and convenience stores worldwide. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation crafts electric guitars and bass instruments, producing handmade Stratocaster and Telecaster models in Corona for professional musicians. Saleen Automotive builds high-performance versions of production sports cars. Lucas Oil Products produces heavy-duty motor oils, formulating synthetic engine lubricants and fuel treatments for commercial vehicle fleets and motorsport teams.

Corona Heritage Park and Museum preserves vintage lemon processing machinery and historic citrus ranch bungalows from the early farming era. Santana Regional Park contains lighted athletic fields and paved walking trails for community recreation. The city organizes outdoor summer concerts, cinema screenings, and seasonal cultural festivals across public parklands along the northern foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains.