1904 Pomona. Photo via Brück & Sohn/Wikimedia Commons.

Back in April, we unveiled our ULTIMATE GUIDE to the Inland Empire. Specifically, it was a guide to the Inner IE, a region we denoted as the most accessible area of the IE via the Interstate 10 freeway.

We included a few spots in Pomona and Claremont as well, which we noted were both still in L.A. County proper, but feel like outliers thanks to their location on the edge of the county line.

For many people, living in Pomona or Claremont never quite feels like living in L.A.

Take it from L.A. TACO's community coordinator, Juan Izguerra:

"Born and raised in Pomona, I never really knew what county Pomona was located in. I realized that quickly once I moved to Los Angeles in 2020. I’d find myself in conversations on nights out, and I’d always get asked, 'Where are you from?' I always found myself stumped because it felt like a loaded question.

When it comes down to where I’m from, I always felt like a mixed child. Technically, I’m from L.A., but I didn’t grow up going to or hanging out in Los Angeles. I grew up going to the Inland Empire.

My earliest memories of the Inland Empire start as early as being a kid, jumping in the backseat of my family's car and hopping on the 60 East, 10 East, or 210 to visit family, seeing the sun-scorched freeways, weathered fences, and the classic fast-food staples such as Bakers, and other chains you can think of at every exit.

Visiting these areas is when I’d see a perceptible difference from Pomona: farms, vaqueros, a higher volume of immigrant families, and younger people starting families, seeking a place to afford a home and find job opportunities.

Warehouse work is a huge job market in the Inland Empire. According to SF Gate, approximately 1 billion square feet of warehouse space is currently occupying the Inland Empire. And when I was in high school, there was no escaping from hearing about 'warehouse jobs.'

These opportunities existed in cities such as Fontana, Riverside, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Moreno Valley, and the list goes on. It’s where my family members regularly commuted to their warehouse jobs.

So why do I feel like I'm from the Inland Empire? Because as a Pomonan, I relate deeply to the lifestyle of the people who grew up in the IE. We share things in common, such as socioeconomic status, family background, and in some cases, having a ghetto mentality but finding humor and beauty to it. Frequenting swap meets with family, hearing Zapp & Roger out of a car, and going to those family parties in the backyard of a house.

Being from Pomona, anytime I meet anyone from the IE and exchange phone numbers, hearing the 909 or 951 drop from their mouth, I know we’re off to a great relationship and have a sense of understanding how we grew up."

So back to the age-old question, are cities such as Pomona and Claremont in the IE?

It depends on who you ask. But the answer you hear commonly, which is true, is that it’s the last city of L.A. County. These are called transition zones. And you guessed it, they’re cities that sit on the county line.

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On Pomona’s Identity Crisis, Is it Los Angeles County or the Inland Empire?