In a region known more for high pollution than highfalutin, Redlands is home to the Fortnightly Club, a century-old literary group that debates everything from affirmative action to the cultural contributions of Van Gogh's sister-in-law.
In a sea of adolescent communities starving for jobs, growth and money, Redlands is an island of blue-blood stability. While the Inland Empire's population has ballooned, it is a tidy 63,000, fighting the sprawl consuming the region.
But the pedigree of this San Bernardino County college town, sprinkled with citrus groves and grand Victorian houses, has only landed it in the spotlight of controversy:
Should Redlands be seen as the Inland Empire's model for aging with grace?
Or is it an emblem of greed and isolation?
"Around here, Redlands is thought of as an absolute pariah," said John Husing, an Inland Empire economist and consultant. "It's a very nice place to live. And it is terribly willing to maintain that at the expense of everybody else."
Named for the red adobe clay it rests on, the town's reputation as a ritzy getaway was cemented by the twin Smiley brothers, Albert and Alfred. After building the town's stately public library in 1898, the New York resort owners became known as Redlands' "patron saints."
The town sold itself as being home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in America, luring wealthy Easterners with a lucrative citrus industry and the promise that they could gaze at nearby snow-capped peaks while enjoying warm weather. Soon, Redlands became a haven for people who use "winter" as a verb, as in, "We live in New York, but we winter in Redlands."
And though it has its seedy areas, the city that pitched itself as the "jewel of the Inland Empire" never really changed.
Though many Inland Empire cities seem to view the past as something to escape, Redlands embraces its history with an unusual reverence. Each year on the Smiley twins' birthday, pansies--their favorite flowers--are planted outside the library.
And though many inland communities can't find enough parents to fill out PTAs, Redlands boasts an army of volunteers--so many that some are trained to assist police with everything from investigations to traffic control.
And while even unabashed boosters of the Inland Empire such as Husing admit that they have to leave the area for culture--"It just isn't here," he said--Redlands offers theaters, museums and a well-regarded civic symphony orchestra.
