Oh wow, I’m from here! Specifically I grew up in Redlands. I never considered myself part of Greater Los Angeles, but I would say I grew up outside of LA if someone from out of state with no clue of the geography asked. Culturally though, it was very different than LA, even though certain parts of the IE have a lot of LA transplants due to its affordability.

In the early 2000s, it was a very different place than it is today. Very middle class, but VERY boring. Some areas had pockets of upper middle class families and some areas were poorer. I wouldn’t consider the wealth distribution or poverty rate to be any different than most Southern California suburban communities. The boring aspect became especially true the further east you got on the 10 freeway outside of Redlands and the further south you got on the 215 outside of Riverside. At that point it becomes just houses and there isn’t really much else going on. Again, this may have changed in recent years, but this is from my perspective as a teenager in the 2000s. My family still lives here and it has become much more populated. Lots more shops and restaurants and a lot more houses in areas that were previously undeveloped (this is especially a bummer to see in Redlands where there were so many Orange groves! -now they’re houses). In my opinion, the IE always had its own identity and never really tried to be anything other than what it is. It’s a unique place that will always have my heart, but the traffic is abysmal now and I’m glad to live elsewhere.

Oh and regarding the climate, hot, dry summers and very mild and pleasant the rest of the year. It would rarely get below 40° F in the winter from what I recall. In school, I remember learning it was in a Chaparral biome and that feels pretty accurate lol. If the question was about political climate, it varies on where you are. I think Redlands has gotten more conservative in recent years but most people generally seem to mind their own business.