Before the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the 1770s, this area was inhabited by the Temecula Indians (now known as the Luiseños). In fact, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño says that their ancestors have lived here in this valley for 10,000 years. According to the tribe, life on earth began in this valley, and they called it, "Exva Temeeku," translated as the place where Sky-father and Earth-mother create a union. The tribe further believed that "Temeekunga" was the place of the sun. Likewise, another interpretation of Temecula is "the place where the sun shines through the mist."

For much of its modern history, the valley was a small ranching and farming community. John Moramarco planted the initial 1,000 acres of wine vineyards here in 1967. Today, there are more than 3,500 acres of vineyards spread out over more than 40 wineries. However, starting in the 1990s, many people began moving here from not only San Diego, but also Los Angeles. They came to this lovely valley for not only affordable housing, but also, the beautiful wine country.

The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival is held every year at nearby Lake Skinner. The festival celebrates the first weekend of June with live entertainment, wine tasting, and hot air balloons. It’s a weekend of fun for the whole family. But you don’t need to wait until June for wine tasting; there are wine tasting tours year-round.

Golf is also popular here, with nine local golf courses. You can play all year round under the sunny Southern California skies. Just a few of the local courses include the Redhawk, Pechanga's Journey, Temecula Creek Inn, CrossCreek, The Legends Golf Club at Temeku Hills, and the Pala Mesa Resort.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño is still around, too; in 2001, the tribe built the Pechanga Resort & Casino complex. In fact, the casino is the largest employer in the Temecula Valley, with close to 5,000 employees. It’s not only a casino, but the resort also has 20 bars and restaurants, and a luxury two-level day spa that works traditional Native American healing plants into all of their spa treatments.

Old Town is full of historic buildings from the 1890s. You can browse through antique shops, boutiques, restaurants, and collectible shops. On Saturdays, Old Town hosts a farmers market. Old Town also hosts special events throughout the year, including the Art and Street Painting Festival, Rod Run car show, Western Days, Santa's Electric Parade Show, and entertainment throughout the summer.

This is such a beautiful place, full of vineyards, history, and sunshine. The weekends here were made to relax and enjoy life, not lawn mowing.

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The place where the sun shines through the mist is calling you; go out and have some fun, and leave your yard work to the pros at LawnStarter.