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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Sun City (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Sun City. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Sun City is located in Riverside County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Riverside County: La Paz (AZ), Imperial, Orange, San Bernardino & San Diego.

Below are the counties that are near Sun City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sun City:

  • Riverside County     (The home county of Sun City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.
    • Menifee
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Romoland
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Quail Valley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Canyon Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Perris
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perris
      • Perris is located in Riverside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79,011 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perris <1>
    • Homeland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Meadowbrook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
      • Meadowbrook is located in Riverside County
    • Winchester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Nuevo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sedco Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sedco Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedco Hills
      • Sedco Hills is located in Riverside County
    • Wildomar
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Elsinore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Dutch Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dutch Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
      • Dutch Village is located in Riverside County
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.
    • Trabuco Canyon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Trabuco Highlands
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trabuco Highlands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trabuco Highlands
      • Trabuco Highlands is located in Orange County
    • Rancho Santa Margarita
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Coto de Caza
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Portola Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portola Hills
      • Portola Hills is located in Orange County
    • Silverado Canyon ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Silverado Canyon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverado Canyon
      • Silverado Canyon is located in Orange County
    • Modjeska
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Modjeska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
      • Modjeska is located in Orange County
    • Silverado
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Beeks Place ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beeks Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeks Place
      • Beeks Place is located in Orange County
    • Foothill Ranch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Las Flores
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Las Flores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Las Flores
      • Las Flores is located in Orange County
    • Ladera Ranch
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Forest
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • San Bernardino County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.
    • Bryn Mawr
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Grand Terrace
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Loma Linda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Plymouth Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth Village
      • Plymouth Village is located in San Bernardino County
    • Redlands
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redlands
      • Redlands is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72,271 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redlands <1>
    • Eastbern ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eastbern. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastbern
      • Eastbern is located in San Bernardino County
    • Lugonia ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lugonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lugonia
      • Lugonia is located in San Bernardino County
    • Mound City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
      • Mound City is located in San Bernardino County
    • University Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
      • University Village is located in San Bernardino County
    • Yucaipa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucaipa
      • Yucaipa is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yucaipa <1>
    • Marigold
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marigold
      • Marigold is located in San Bernardino County
    • Mentone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Colton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
      • Colton is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,661 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colton <1>
  • San Diego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.
    • Rainbow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
      • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
    • Fallbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pala
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bonsall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Pauma Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sun City, see our County-by-County Page for Sun City.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sun City ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 123 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sun City.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sun City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sun City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sun City.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<4> of Sun City.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Sun City:

Cemeteries Near Sun City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sun City.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sun City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.

  • Perris Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perris Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perris Valley Cemetery
  • Wildomar Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wildomar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wildomar Cemetery
  • Elsinore Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Laurel Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Cemetery
  • Riverside National Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • San Jacinto Valley Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Sunnyslope Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunnyslope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunnyslope Cemetery
  • Olivewood Memorial Park
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens
  • Mt. View Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. View Cemetery
  • Evergreen Memorial Park
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (24 more) ...
    • Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Fallbrook.
      • The Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Malsonic Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8139 <5>
    • Sunny Shope Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunny Shope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunny Shope Cemetery
    • Montecito Memorial Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find Sun City in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sun City.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Sun City, with the one closest to Sun City listed first.

  • Murrieta
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Rainbow
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
    • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
  • Riverside
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Fallbrook
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Banning
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Redlands
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redlands
    • Redlands is located in San Bernardino County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 72,271 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redlands <1>
  • DeLuz
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for DeLuz have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeLuz
    • DeLuz is located in San Diego County
  • Pala
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Lugonia ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lugonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lugonia
    • Lugonia is located in San Bernardino County
  • Eastbern ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eastbern. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastbern
    • Eastbern is located in San Bernardino County
  • Mound City ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
    • Mound City is located in San Bernardino County
  • Mentone
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Victoria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in San Bernardino County
    • Modjeska
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Modjeska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modjeska
      • Modjeska is located in Orange County
    • Colton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
      • Colton is located in San Bernardino County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,661 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colton <1>

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sun City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sun City.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sun City. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Riverside County: www.co.riverside.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sun City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sun City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.7095, Longitude: -117.1975    
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Sun City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024