Lake Elsinore Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.8 square miles (100.4 km²) of which 33.8 square miles (87.5 km²) of it is land and 5.0 square miles (12.9 km²), or 12.82%, is water.
Lake Elsinore, originally Laguna Grande, is the largest natural freshwater lake in Southern California and is situated at the lowest point within the 750 square mile San Jacinto Watershed at the terminus of the San Jacinto River, where its headwaters are found on the western slopes of San Jacinto Peak with its North Fork, and Lake Hemet with its South Fork. Lake levels are healthy at 1,244 feet (above sea level) with a volume of 30,000 acre·ft (37,000 dam³)[3] that often fluctuate, although much has been done recently to prevent the lake from drying up, flooding, or becoming stagnant. At 1,255 feet, the lake would spill into the outflow channel on its northeastern shore, known properly as Temescal Wash, flowing northwest along I-15, which feeds Temescal Creek, which dumps into the Santa Ana River just northwest of the City of Corona. It then flows to Orange County, out to the Pacific Ocean just south of Huntington State Beach.
Lake Elsinore is bordered by the Elsinore Mountains to the west, which are a part of the larger Santa Ana Mountain Range, and receive snowfall a few days each year. Included in the Santa Ana Mountains is the Cleveland National Forest and El Cariso. Lake Elsinore is a part of the Temecula Valley and northern portions are also considered part of Temescal Canyon.
Like many other large geographical cities, Lake Elsinore is composed of several districts that includes the historic Countryclub Heights and Downtown, the established Four Corners, Lake Terrace, Machado Street Corridor, Northshore, Torn Ranch, and Tuscany Hills, and the newer Alberhill Ranch, Canyon Hills, La Laguna Estates, North Peak, Rosetta Canyon, Summerly, and Viscaya neighborhoods.
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