Redlands highlight
Strong community identity
Redlands has preserved its identity through historic landmarks including the 1898 A.K. Smiley Library and the Redlands Bowl, which hosts the oldest continuously free outdoor concert series in California.
Though Redlands transitioned from its agricultural economy, the city succeeded in preserving what attracted people in the first place: a distinctive character built on generosity and civic pride. The A.K. Smiley Public Library, completed in 1898, stands as a Moorish-style landmark built through the philanthropy of Albert K. Smiley, who donated the building to the city with the vision that it would serve the public for generations. Nearby, the historic neighborhoods feature Victorian and turn-of-the-century bungalows, and tree-lined State Street remains anchored by historic buildings and locally-owned businesses.
The Redlands Bowl Performing Arts has been presenting "Music Under the Stars" since 1930, offering free concerts to the community through its own nonprofit organization. The venue at 25 Grant Street hosts an annual season of performances, a Young Artists Concerto Competition, children's music festivals, and has become home to what is recognized as the oldest continuously free outdoor concert series in California. For more than 90 years, the organization has made performing arts accessible to all, regardless of ability to pay, reflecting Redlands' commitment to shared experience.
A community that builds spaces for everyone—libraries, parks, free concerts—and maintains them across decades shows what families value most: permanence and belonging. That foundation makes it clear why families in Redlands think about insurance: because the institutions they count on, and the people they love, are worth planning for.