San Bernardino County, California
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| San Bernardino County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | May 10, 1810 |
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| Seat | San Bernardino |
| Largest City | San Bernardino |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
52,073 km² 51,936 km² 137 km², |
| Population - (2005) - Density |
1,932,000 (est.) 33/km² |
| Time zone | Pacific : UTC−8/−7 |
| Website: www.sbcounty.gov | |
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, containing more land than each of nine states. The county is larger in area than the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware combined.
Located in the southeast of the state of California, the deserts and mountains of this vast county stretch from the outskirts of the densely populated Greater Los Angeles Area to the Nevada border and the Colorado River. As of 2005 the population was 1,932,000, largely located in its more populated southwestern portions. The county seat is San Bernardino. Its southwestern portions are considered to be part of the Inland Empire (the more urbanized part of San Bernardino County) region of Southern California, a bicounty area.
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[edit] History
Father Francisco Dumetz named San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena.
San Bernardino County was formed from parts of Los Angeles County in 1853. Parts of the county's territory were given to Riverside County in 1893.
The Franciscans gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name.
[edit] Geography
The Mojave National Preserve covers some of the eastern desert, especially between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The desert portion also includes the cities of Needles next to the Colorado River, and Barstow at the junction in Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. Trona is at the northwestern part of the county west of Death Valley. This famous national park, mostly within Inyo County, also has a small portion of land within the county. The largest metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert part of the county is the Victor Valley with the incorporated localities of Apple Valley, Victorville, Adelanto, and Hesperia. Further south, a portion of Joshua Tree National Park overlaps the county near Twentynine Palms. Additional places near and west of Twentynine palms include Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and Morongo Valley.
The mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest, and include the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, Big Bear City, Forest Falls, and Big Bear Lake.
The San Bernardino Valley is at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley, and is part of the Inland Empire. The San Bernardino Valley includes the cities of Ontario, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Highland, Redlands, and Yucaipa.
The Inland Empire area of Southern California is made up of the southwestern portion of San Bernardino County and western portion of Riverside county.
[edit] Incorporated communities in San Bernardino County
[edit] Unincorporated communities in San Bernardino County
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[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Inyo County, California- north
- Clark County, Nevada- northeast
- Mohave County, Arizona- east
- La Paz County, Arizona- southeast
- Riverside County, California- south
- Orange County, California- southwest
- Los Angeles County, California- west
- Kern County, California- west
San Bernardino County, California, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as 8 counties.
[edit] Transportation Infrastructure
[edit] Major Highways
Interstate 10
Interstate 15
Interstate 40
Interstate 210
Interstate 215
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 395
California State Route 38
California State Route 127
California State Route 138
[edit] Public Transportation
- Omnitrans provides transit service in the urbanized portion of San Bernardino County, serving the City of San Bernardino, as well as the area between Montclair and Yucaipa.
- Victor Valley Transit Authority operates buses in Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Apple Valley and the surrounding county area.
- Barstow Area Transit serves Barstow and the surrounding county area.
- Morongo Basin Transit Authority provides bus service in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms (including the Marine base). Limited service is also provided to Palm Springs.
- San Bernardino County is also served by Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains. Metrolink commuter trains connect the urbanized portion of the county with Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
[edit] Airports
- Commercial passenger flights are available at Ontario International Airport.
- San Bernardino International Airport and Southern California Logistics Airport (Victorville) are major cargo and general aviation airports.
- The County of San Bernardino owns six general aviation airports: Apple Valley Airport, Baker Airport, Barstow-Daggett Airport, Chino Airport, Needles Airport, and Twentynine Palms Airport.
- Other general aviation airports in the county include: Big Bear City Airport, Cable Airport (Upland), and Redlands Municipal Airport
[edit] Colleges and universities
- Barstow College
- California State University, San Bernardino
- Chaffey College
- Loma Linda University
- San Bernardino Valley College
- University of Redlands
- Victor Valley College
- University of Redlands
[edit] Politics
| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 55.3% 289,306 | 43.6% 227,789 |
| 2000 | 48.7% 221,757 | 47.2% 214,749 |
| 1996 | 43.6% 180,135 | 44.4% 183,372 |
| 1992 | 37.2% 176,563 | 38.7% 183,634 |
| 1988 | 60.0% 235,167 | 38.5% 151,118 |
| 1984 | 64.8% 222,071 | 34.0% 116,454 |
| 1980 | 59.7% 172,957 | 31.7% 91,790 |
| 1976 | 49.5% 113,265 | 47.9% 109,636 |
| 1972 | 59.7% '144,689 | 35.5% 85,986 |
| 1968 | 50.1% 111,974 | 40.0% 89,418 |
| 1964 | 42.8% 92,145 | 57.1% 123,012 |
| 1960 | 52.0% 99,481 | 47.5% 90,888 |
San Bernardino County has traditionally been a stronghold of the Republican Party.
Current Assessor is Don Williamson. Assessor-elect is Bill Postmus.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density was 33/km² (85/mi²). There were 601,369 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (30/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.91% White, 9.09% African American, 1.17% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 20.82% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races. 39.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 528,594 households out of which 43.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.58.
In the county the population was spread out with 32.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 18.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,066, and the median income for a family was $46,574. Males had a median income of $37,025 versus $27,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,856. About 12.60% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Median Household Income by Community
- Chino Hills, California: $95,990
- San Antonio Heights, California: $75,557
- Rancho Cucamonga, California: $60,931
- Lake Arrowhead, California: $60,826
- Chino, California: $55,401
- Grand Terrace, California: $53,649
- Running Springs, California: $50,524
- Wrightwood, California: $50,338
- Upland, California: $48,734
- Redlands, California: $48,155
- Mountain View Acres, California: $45,787
- Fontana, California: $45,782
- Crestline, California: $44,257
- Ontario, California: $42,452
- Rialto, California: $41,254
- Highland, California: $41,230
- Mentone, California: $41,225
- Montclair, California: $40,797
- Apple Valley, California: $40,421
- Hesperia, California: $40,201
- Yucaipa, California: $39,144
- Nebo Center, California: $39,028
- Loma Linda, California: $38,204
- Victorville, California: $38,187
- Lenwood, California: $37,845
- Morongo Valley, California: $36,357
- Trona, California: $35,883
- Colton, California: $35,777
- Big Bear City, California: $35,615
- Barstow, California: $35,069
- Big Bear Lake, California: $34,447
- Bloomington, California: $34,106
- Adelanto, California: $31,594
- Twentynine Palms, California: $31,178
- Yucca Valley, California: $30,240
- Muscoy, California: $26,6353
- Joshua Tree, California: $26,535
- Needles, California: $26,108
- Big River, California: $23,488
- Bluewater, California: $18,750
[edit] Gang violence
The Inland Empire is well known for its Chicano gangs. The most well-known is the Ontario Sur Varrio Sunkist St Los B.A's Black Angels OVS gang and the West Side Verdugo gang. Fueled by drug money and the ease of communication brought on by affordable cell phones, the street gangs have flourished and spread across and beyond the Inland Empire in the face of sporadic and ineffective law enforcement efforts and inadequate intervention strategies. Incidents of gang violence in San Bernardino County have increased since the 1960s, while at the same time growing more brutal. There are now an estimated 68,600 gang members in 287 gangs in the Inland Empire.
Sergeant Phil Brown of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the gangs are growing more violent in the farthest reaches of the county, including the High Desert. Racial tensions among the Chicano gangs and the Afro-American gangs have heightened dramatically in the Inland Empire, causing even the most rural areas to be affected. "It's getting out in more remote areas," Brown said. "They go gang against gang. There's more gang violence to the general public and it's becoming more random.." [1]
[edit] Places of interest
- The Mojave National Preserve
- Calico Ghost Town northeast of Barstow via Interstate 15
- Zzyzx (The name of a road and rural community in the County)
- Amboy, a ghost town along Route 66
- Joshua Tree National Park
- San Bernardino National Forest home to Big Bear outdoor activities
- Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
[edit] Residents of note
Including current residents, as well as former residents who have made their mark in history.
- Glen Bell, founder of Taco Bell
- Ricky Dominguez, Actor
- James Cooksey Earp, One of the "Fighting Earps" of Dodge City, and Tombstone Fame. Buried in Mountain View Cemetery, *San Bernardino
- Morgan Earp, US Marshall Killed in Tombstone, Arizona, and buried in Hermosa Gardens Cemetery, Colton, California, One of the "Fighting Earps" of Tombstone Fame.
- Nicholas Porter Earp, Justice of the Peace, Coroner, Judge, Preacher, Saloon Owner, Gambler, Father of the "Fighting Earps".
- Virgil Earp, One of the "Fighting Earps" of Dodge City, and Tombstone Fame. US Marshall, Arizona Territory. Lived in Vanderbilt, California.
- Wyatt Earp, One of the "Fighting Earps" of Dodge City, and Tombstone Fame. Lived in *San Timeteo Canyon, *Colton and *Vidal. *Earp, California and owned a gold mine in the nearby Whipple Mountains.
- Jefferson Hunt Western Pioneer
- Eddie Lawson, four-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racer.
- John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban" fighter now incarcerated in Victorville
- Dick and Mac McDonald, the fast food pioneering brothers of what became McDonalds Corporation
- Tim Powers, fantasy author
- Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Spike (Peanuts), the fictional canine resident from the Needles area
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Cities
Population over 100,000: San Bernardino (County seat) • Fontana • Ontario • Rancho Cucamonga
Population 75,000 – 100,000: Chino Hills • Rialto • Victorville
Population under 75,000: Adelanto • Apple Valley • Barstow • Big Bear Lake • Chino • Colton • Grand Terrace • Hesperia • Highland • Loma Linda • Montclair • Needles • Redlands • Twentynine Palms • Upland • Yucaipa • Yucca Valley
Census-designated places
Big Bear City • Big River • Bloomington • Bluewater • Crestline • Joshua Tree • Lake Arrowhead • Lenwood • Mentone • Morongo Valley • Mountain View Acres • Muscoy • Nebo Center • Running Springs • San Antonio Heights • Searles Valley • Twentynine Palms Base • Wrightwood
Other unincorporated communities
Amboy • Angelus Oaks • Baker • Blue Jay • Cadiz • Calico • Cima • Daggett • Devore • Essex • Fort Irwin • Goffs • Green Valley Lake • Halloran Springs • Helendale • Hinkley • Kelso • Landers • Lucerne Valley • Lytle Creek • Nipton • Phelan • Pinon Hills • Pioneertown • Rice • Sugarloaf • Sunfair • Sunfair Heights • Trona • Vidal • Yermo • Zzyzx
