Canyon Lake Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Riverside County, California

Canyon Lake

The Lake Elsinore Unified School District provides education to K-12 students in Canyon Lake. The school district covers 140-square miles and has a student population of nearly 13,500 in its 16 schools. Canyon Lake students are assigned to Railroad Canyon and Tuscany Hills Elementary Schools, Elsinore Middle School and Temescal Canyon High School as well as a number of the district's magnet schools.

Canyon Lake is located in Southern Riverside County in the center of a triangle between Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown San Diego and Palm Springs. Residents have easy access to all of Southern California with local mountains, beaches and deserts just an hour away.

This portion of Riverside County offers small-town charm with easy access to shopping, cultural activities, entertainment and recreation. The city of Lake Elsinore is just minutes away with plenty of shopping centers and specialty stores. The city is also home to the “Storm” minor league baseball team. The affiliate of the San Diego Padres plays at “The Diamond,” a multi-use facility that hosts a variety of events during the year including Fourth of July fireworks, sunrise services at Easter and other community events.

The city of Temecula is just a few miles to the south. The city is known for its many vineyards and annual Wine & Balloon Festival. Temecula offers a mix of "Old West" charm and modern amenities. Historic Front Street features shopping, restaurants, a myriad of antique malls and the city historical museum. The new Promenade Mall is the anchor of a large retail and entertainment complex on the north end of the city.

Southern Riverside County is a recreational enthusiast’s dream. The area is home to numerous championship golf courses, several lakes, a motocross track, sky diving facilities and more. The nearby Santa Rosa Plateau offers access to camping, fishing and hiking.

There are also three major medical facilities in the area including Inland Valley Regional Medical Center. Southern California’s finest medical centers are just a short hour’s drive away.

While the early history of the area includes local bands of Indians and Spanish land grants, the modern history of the Lake begins in 1927 when the Mt. San Jacinto River was dammed by the Temescal Water Company for irrigating local citrus groves. The water was sent on its way by gravity flow through redwood pipelines and open canals. The company bought 1,000 acres from Henry Evans, a local rancher, and another section of land from B. T. Kuert. These were the two largest parcels that make up most of Canyon Lake today.

The lake was one of the largest fresh water lakes for fishing, hunting and camping in Southern California for many years. It became a recreational area in 1937. Rainwater supplied the lake until 1955 when an agreement between Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and Temescal enabled a more stable supply of water to be brought from the Metropolitan Water District and stored in the lake. The lake began to develop into a community when parcels were sold to a number of local residents in 1968. However, it was more than 20 years later when the city finally incorporated on December 1, 1990.