Almanac note · History and culture
Calimesa got its name because neighbors wanted a post office
Calimesa grew from the South Bench area, stagecoach routes, ranch land, and a 1929 community naming vote tied to a new post office.
Calimesa’s name has a neighborly origin. The area was once known as the South Bench, one of the mesa-like parts of the wider Yucaipa Valley. Older routes crossed nearby, including a stagecoach trail that came from Redlands through San Timoteo and Singleton Canyon.
By 1929, only about 40 to 50 families lived in the South Bench area, but they wanted their own post office. To get one, they needed a name that did not already conflict with another post office name.
About 125 people met in a garage on what is now Calimesa Boulevard. Residents submitted 107 possible names. The winner was “Calimesa,” built from “Cali” for California and “mesa” for tableland.
The first post office opened in Bill Bailey’s grocery store at Calimesa Boulevard and Avenue K. That small detail says a lot. Calimesa did not begin with a giant civic plan. It grew from ranch land, roads, a few dozen families, and a practical wish to have a place name of its own.
Where to see it
Calimesa Boulevard, Avenue K, Singleton Road, and the older South Bench area.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 2, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
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