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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | July 2015 | 4 Message From the Board of Directors In Congress, on July 4, 1776, our Declaration of Independence was adopted. Did you know that there were fifty six (56) signers, who were representatives of the thirteen (13) original colonies? Do you remember the names of the colonies? They were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. These thirteen colonies became states in the Union on the dates that they ratified the Constitution. The first of these was Delaware, on December 7, 1787; the last was Rhode Island, on May 29, 1790. The admission dates for the later states (except for Ohio) were set by either the Act of Admission or a later resolution under that Act. The last to enter the Union was Hawaii, on August 21, 1959. Did you know that on September 9, 1850, California entered the Union as state number 31? Did you know that near the upper edge of the Great Seal of California are thirty one (31) stars? They represent the number of states in the Union, upon California's admission. Did you know that California is the third largest state by area after Alaska and Texas? Did you know that California is the most populous state with some 38,000,000 people? There is much more, but then, we digress. Did you know that Riverside County was formed on May 9, 1893, by carving out a small portion of San Bernardino and a large portion of San Diego counties? Our County is the home of March Air Reserve Base, one of the oldest airfields continuously operated. In 1947, following the establishment of the US Air Force, it became a major Strategic Air Command (SAC) base throughout the cold war. Riverside County was a major focal point of the Civil Rights Movement, especially among the African- American communities and the heavily Mexican-American populated sections of the Coachella Valley visited by Cesar Chavez of the farm labor union struggle. It encompasses some 7,200 square miles and has a population of over 2,000,000 people. Early development included the cities of Banning and Beaumont in the San Gorgonio Pass and Hemet, south of San Jacinto. Did you know that Hemet predates Riverside County, as it was established as a farm settlement in 1858? In 1899 a 6.5 magnitude earthquake destroyed most of the brick buildings downtown. In 1910 the city became incorporated. In 1918 another quake caused "significant damage and ground failure." In 1923 the first Ramona Pageant was performed. During WWII the city hosted the Ryan School of Aeronautics, that trained some 6,000 fliers for the Army Air Force. In 1995 the MWD began construction on an 800,000 acre/ft reservoir. In 2000 it was dedicated as the Diamond Valley Lake. The city has an area of some 27.8 square miles and the 2010 census revealed a population of 78.6 thousand souls. The record high temperature for July is 115 degrees Fahrenheit. (Have a nice month.) Did you know that in October 2003 the first owner of a residence in Four Seasons at Hemet closed escrow? Our community is situated on about 152 acres. It has 1106 homes and a population of some 2000 residents. This concludes our history lesson, or more generically "our ponder points" for July. There is much more, but we will save it for another day. Please accept our best wishes for your good health and well being. On our Independence Day and every day, may God bless and keep all of our citizens in uniform, and may God continue to bless America! Sincerely, and on behalf of your Board, Tony, Greg, Ken, Russ, Jim & Gene. Hal Townend, President Hal Townend, President

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