Baker, California
| Baker, California | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
 | |
  Baker, California | |
| Coordinates: 35°16′33″N 116°03′57″W / 35.27583°N 116.06583°WCoordinates: 35°16′33″N 116°03′57″W / 35.27583°N 116.06583°W | |
| Country |
 United States |
| State |
 California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Land | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation[2] | 961 ft (293 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 735 |
| • Density | 270/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 92309 |
| Area code(s) | 760 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2628708 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Baker, California | |
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA.[2] As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area code 760.
History
Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908, and was named after Richard C. Baker, business partner of Francis Marion Smith in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself.[3][4]
Baker was established in 1929 by Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (1857–1942), who was an American prospector, entrepreneur and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05) and Shoshone (1910).
Geography and Climate
Baker is located at (35.265099, -116.074768). Baker is located in the Mojave Desert at the junction of Interstate 15 and SR 127 (Death Valley Road). Its elevation is approximately 930 feet (283.5 m) above sea level, which is much lower than either Barstow or Las Vegas, due to its location at the southern end of the Death Valley geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.
| Climate data for Baker, California. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
106 (41) |
116 (47) |
119 (48) |
124 (51) |
124 (51) |
119 (48) |
110 (43) |
92 (33) |
82 (28) |
124 (51) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 63.1 (17.3) |
68.6 (20.3) |
76.8 (24.9) |
84.3 (29.1) |
94.9 (34.9) |
104.8 (40.4) |
110.2 (43.4) |
107.9 (42.2) |
100.2 (37.9) |
87.1 (30.6) |
72.6 (22.6) |
62.4 (16.9) |
86.08 (30.04) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 34.6 (1.4) |
39.4 (4.1) |
45.6 (7.6) |
51.7 (10.9) |
61.3 (16.3) |
70.2 (21.2) |
77.0 (25) |
75.4 (24.1) |
67.2 (19.6) |
54.7 (12.6) |
42.8 (6) |
33.9 (1.1) |
54.48 (12.49) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 16 (−9) |
21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
34 (1) |
38 (3) |
43 (6) |
53 (12) |
54 (12) |
42 (6) |
32 (0) |
23 (−5) |
14 (−10) |
14 (−10) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.47 (11.9) |
0.71 (18) |
0.51 (13) |
0.20 (5.1) |
0.11 (2.8) |
0.07 (1.8) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.46 (11.7) |
0.41 (10.4) |
0.25 (6.4) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.41 (10.4) |
4.19 (106.4) |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census[5] reported that Baker had a population of 735. The population density was 273.5 people per square mile (105.6/km²). The racial makeup of Baker was 302 (41.1%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 5 (0.7%) Native American, 10 (1.4%) Asian, 14 (1.9%) Pacific Islander, 380 (51.7%) from other races, and 23 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 502 persons (68.3%).
The Census reported that 731 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 215 households, out of which 122 (56.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 106 (49.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 39 (18.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 23 (10.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (13.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 28 households (13.0%) were made up of individuals and 4 (1.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 168 families (78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.74.
The population was spread out with 277 people (37.7%) under the age of 18, 80 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 236 people (32.1%) aged 25 to 44, 121 people (16.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 21 people (2.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.1 years. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.
There were 303 housing units at an average density of 112.7 per square mile (43.5/km²), of which 116 (54.0%) were owner-occupied, and 99 (46.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 20.8%. 414 people (56.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 317 people (43.1%) lived in rental housing units.
Economy
Baker's economy is based primarily on tourism. The town is frequently used as a rest stop by drivers on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker is approximately 90 miles (144.8 km) southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the Mojave National Preserve. Currently there is only one motel in Baker, the Wills Fargo Motel.
The town's most prominent feature is a 134-foot (41m) thermometer, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". It is visible for miles. It is located at the Bun Boy restaurant, and since 2012 it has not been operational. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States, 134 °F (56.7 °C), recorded in nearby Death Valley in 1913.[6] Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed 110 °F (43.3 °C); 2007 saw a record of 125 °F (51.7 °C). In recent years Baker has experienced hard times,[6] with casinos just across the Nevada border at Primm and Jean, Nevada taking much of its motel trade [citation needed]. The prices of gasoline are lower at the west end of town than at the east end, where most travelers first come to.
Baker Airport is a small facility owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
Baker is the starting point of the annual Baker To Vegas Challenge Cup relay race.
Appearances in films and television
In 1991 the town was the setting for a skit on Fox's comedy show Totally Hidden Video.
It is referenced in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a stop for Raoul Duke on his way back from Las Vegas going to Los Angeles.
The surrounding desert areas in Disney's Dinosaur were shot here.
It is a major setting of the 2003 science-fiction film The Big Empty.
An episode of the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured the Mad Greek's Diner in Baker.
Baker and the surrounding area were featured in two episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels when Gene Simmons broke down outside of Baker on Route 127. Episodes 5 and 6 of season 3 ran in March 2008 and featured the town.
Mars Rover Test Site
The Mars Laboratory Science Team tested an engineering model of the Curiosity Rover in the desert near Baker.[7][8]
Attractions
- Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area , a popular area for ATV riders. Weekly and Annual passes can purchased online at Dumont Dunes Permits.
- Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by California State University.
- A yearly race is held called "The Challenge Cup Relay: Baker to Vegas" or commonly referred as "Baker to Vegas" where law enforcement do a relay race from Baker, CA to Las Vegas, NV. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually.[9]
Transportation
Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach had a stop located at a Jack in the Box restaurant and Shell gas station at 72352 Baker Blvd., and its Amtrak station code was BKR, but the stop was discontinued in November 2010. Low ridership and cost savings were cited as the reason for discontinuing the stop, but the Amtrak bus can still be seen driving down the freeway from the bus stop, even though it no longer stops.
Gallery
-
View of Baker from the east while on I-15.
-
Cat Dune sand ramp, Cronese Mountains.
-
Dumont Dunes, 30 miles north of Baker
References
- ↑ U.S. Census
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Baker, California
- ↑ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-520-21271-1.
- ↑ Hildebrand, GH. (1982) Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith. San Diego: Howell-North Books. p.89. (ISBN 0-8310-7148-6)
- ↑ All data are derived from the United States Census Bureau reports from the 2010 United States Census, and are accessible on-line here. The data on unmarried partnerships and same-sex married couples are from the Census report DEC_10_SF1_PCT15. All other housing and population data are from Census report DEC_10_DP_DPDP1. Both reports are viewable online or downloadable in a zip file containing a comma-delimited data file. The area data, from which densities are calculated, are available on-line here. Percentage totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. The Census Bureau defines families as a household containing one or more people related to the householder by birth, opposite-sex marriage, or adoption. People living in group quarters are tabulated by the Census Bureau as neither owners nor renters. For further details, see the text files accompanying the data files containing the Census reports mentioned above.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Phil Willon, "Baker's giant thermometer, long on the blink, is taking heat", Los Angeles Times, December 24, 2012.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ Baker to Vegas
External links
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Baker (California). |
- Baker Chamber of Commerce
- A history of Baker
- Pilgrims in the Desert - a book on the history of Baker
- Mojave National Preserve
- Baker To Vegas Relay
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