Its current mayor is Jim Steiner. At the census , the city had a population of ,, up from , at the census. Corona is surrounded by Riverside to the east, Norco to the north and northeast, Yorba Linda to the northwest, Cleveland National Forest and the Santa Ana Mountains to the west, southwest, and south. Several unincorporated communities are along the rest of the city's borders. Downtown Corona is approximately 48 miles 77 km southeast of Downtown Los Angeles and 95 miles km north-northwest of San Diego.
It is one of the most residential cities in the Inland Empire, but also has a large industrial portion on the northern half, being the headquarters of companies such as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation , Monster Beverage Corporation , and supercar manufacturer Saleen. Corona is Spanish for crown or wreath. Originally called South Riverside , citizens wanted to distinguish their city from the larger city of Riverside to the north.
When it came time to incorporate the city a number of different names were considered, but the name Corona was chosen to play upon a unique feature of the city, the one-mile diameter drive that circled the center of the town.
The primary settlement in the area was the village of Paxauxa , which was established along the banks of the Temescal Creek at about where Corona is situated today. Cooperation and marriage between the two villages was common.
This resulted in villagers being brought to the mission to be baptized and as labor. Spanish influence increased in the area with the establishment of the San Antonio de Pala Asistencia in Two years following the construction of this mission outpost, the Temescal Valley 's first European resident, Leandro Serrano, was given permission by the Spanish to use the area for cattle grazing.
