Featured Apartment:
Romoland - 3 bedroom house. Hardwood floors, granite countertops, completely remodeled. RV parking, AC/Heating. 2 car garage and driveway. Each large Bedroom has a walk-in closet and direct access your own bathroom. Spend your day relaxing at one of our 3 pools or work off those extra holiday calories in our exercise room. View More Listings -->
Renting an Apartment in Romoland
The city was named by Greek immigrant Romonio Homonicholai, who emigrated
from Naxos in 1889 (nearby Homeland is also named for Homonicholai, although,
with a slight spelling variation, it was named for his patronymic, not his given
name). The Homonicholai family planted a vineyard in the town as well as orange
groves, and was the first to manufacture sangria in California.
By 1905, cultivation of oranges and other agricultural produce had begun in the
area, and Romoland and nearby Hemet entered in a dispute over which city would
obtain a lucrative terminus for the Southern Pacific Railroad. To settle the
dispute, city fathers agreed to have the mayors of the cities compete in a
boxing match. "Battlin'" Dan Beecham of Hemet defeated Ronald Arcia of Romoland
in a May 14, 1906 bout, and the railroad terminus was awarded to Hemet.
The first blood oranges were cultivated in the United States in Romoland in the
1920s. In an attempt to build a larger market for the oranges, the Romoland
Fruit Co. began in 1936 to market its blood oranges as "citrus tomatoes" on the
idea that the word "blood" discouraged buyers. However, "citrus tomatoes" proved
unsuccessful, and the Romoland Fruit Co. returned to marketing its oranges as
"blood oranges" in 1937.
During World War II, Romoland led the nation in the production of burlap
sandbags used for field fortifications. In 1945, Adolf Berle visited Romoland
and proclaimed it the sandbagging capital of America.
In 2006, construction began on a $500 million energy plant in Romoland. The
plant will use General Electric’s latest gas turbine technology to generate
electricity for Riverside County, one of the fastest growing regions in the
nation. The project will provide more than 500 construction jobs over the next
three years and about two-dozen jobs when it opens.