Inland Empire

The Inland Empire is a metropolitan area and region in Southern California, inland of and adjacent to Los Angeles. The combined land area of the Inland Empire is larger than ten U.S. states – West Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Inland Empire was a major center of agriculture, including citrus, dairy, and winemaking. Agriculture declined in the twentieth century. Since the 1970s a rapidly growing population came in search of affordable housing. This led to more residential, industrial, and commercial development. The area has a population of about four million.