Romoland Map
Romoland is a census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2010 census, down from 2,764 at the 2000 census.
The neighborhood was named by Greek immigrant Romonio Homonicholai, who emigrated from Naxos in 1889 (nearby Homeland is also named for Homonicholai, although, with a slight spelling variation, it was named for his patronymic, not his given name). The Homonicholai family planted a vineyard in the town as well as orange groves, and was the first to manufacture sangria in California.
By 1905, cultivation of oranges and other agricultural produce had begun in the area, and Romoland and nearby Hemet entered in a dispute over which neighborhood would obtain a lucrative terminus for the Southern Pacific Railroad. To settle the dispute, neighborhood fathers agreed to have the mayors of the cities compete in a boxing match. "Battlin'" Dan Beecham of Hemet defeated Ronald Arcia of Romoland in a May 14, 1906 bout, and the railroad terminus was awarded to Hemet.
Nearby cities include Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, Wildomar.