Banning is a city in Riverside County, California, situated in the San Gorgonio Pass, a wind-swept gap between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. Also known as Banning Pass, this corridor has long been the primary gateway from the Inland Empire into the Coachella Valley, and Interstate 10 now carries that traffic through the city. Banning's population was about 29,500 in the 2020 census. The city takes its name from Phineas Banning, a nineteenth-century stagecoach-line owner known as the 'Father of the Port of Los Angeles.' Gilman's Ranch, north of downtown, served as a stagecoach station on the overland route, and the Southern Pacific railroad arrived in 1876, cementing the town's role as a transportation crossroads. Banning incorporated in 1913, and the surrounding area was once known for almond growing. Today the city borders the Morongo Indian Reservation, home to the Morongo Band of Cahuilla Indians. Banning's location between two major regions shapes its character. It sits about eighty miles east of downtown Los Angeles and about thirty miles west of Palm Springs, sharing the pass with its neighbor Beaumont. The two cities have grown rapidly since the 1990s as the Inland Empire expanded eastward, adding newer subdivisions to Banning's established downtown and mid-century neighborhoods. The San Gorgonio Pass is also known for its wind farms, a visible feature of the landscape. For residents, Banning offers a comparatively affordable Riverside County base with direct freeway access to both the Inland Empire and the desert resorts. Mt. San Jacinto College maintains a campus in the city, and the Malki Museum documents the heritage of the pass's Native peoples. Banning suits households seeking a smaller-city, high-desert setting positioned between the mountains and the Coachella Valley.