French Valley is a census-designated place in southwestern Riverside County, California, occupying a broad, open valley between the cities of Murrieta and Temecula and the unincorporated community of Winchester. As an unincorporated area, it has no municipal government of its own but functions as a distinct community, with a 2020 census population of 35,280 that reflects several decades of steady residential growth. The valley's name comes from the French families — largely Basque sheep and dairy ranchers — who settled the area in the late nineteenth century. The earliest recorded use of the name "French Valley" appears in a 1913 California Conservation Commission report. For decades the area remained rural, but its trajectory changed in 1964 when the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California acquired land in the valley, bringing water infrastructure that would later support large-scale residential development. Today French Valley is defined by newer, master-planned neighborhoods and its position in one of the fastest-developing corners of Riverside County. Residents are drawn by the availability of newer single-family homes, the community's open-valley setting, and its proximity to the employment, retail, and cultural centers of Temecula and Murrieta. The Temecula Valley's wine country, Lake Skinner, and the Santa Rosa Plateau lie within a short drive, and the community is served by French Valley Airport, a general-aviation facility on Highway 79. French Valley appeals primarily to families and commuters seeking newer construction and a suburban lifestyle while staying connected to the I-15 corridor that links southwest Riverside County to San Diego and the Inland Empire. Its growth continues to reshape what was once open ranchland into one of the region's larger residential communities.