San Bernardino ( SAN BUR-nə-DEE-noh) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the 18th–most populous city in California. The Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area at 4.74 million residents is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. San Bernardino is the economic, cultural, and political hub of the San Bernardino Valley, sharing that distinction for the wider Inland Empire with its twin city of Riverside.
San Bernardino was named in 1810, when Spanish priest Francisco Dumetz led an expedition through the area. In 1839, the Mexican government granted Californio ranchero José del Carmen Lugo the right to settle the area, which was formalized when he was granted Rancho San Bernardino in 1842. Following the American Conquest of California, the largely unsettled rancho was purchased by Mormon settlers who founded the town of San Bernardino in 1851, later incorporated as a city in 1854. After most of the Mormons left in 1857, the city grew significantly in the late 19th century as a commercial hub at the crossroads between Southern California and the American Southwest. Today, San Bernardino is an important hub for the Inland Empire and Southern California. The governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico have established the metropolitan area's only consulates in the downtown area. Furthermore, the city's University District serves as a college town, as home to California State University, San Bernardino.
History
Indigenous
The city of San Bernardino, California, occupies much of the San Bernardino Valley, a valley long inhabited by the Tongva. Several of their villages dotted the San Bernardino valley prior to the arrival of Europeans in the valley. Kaawchama was perhaps the most significant in the region, being a regional center for trade that was connected to villages in Southern California and the Colorado River through the Mohave Trail, that was used by the Mohave, Serrano, Cahuilla, Payomkawichum, and others. The village was located in the eastern expanse of Tovaangar, and was established along the Santa Ana River.
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Reference material for this entry is drawn from the open encyclopedic record, including Wikipedia , available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Images are credited individually beside each photo.
With the establishment of Mission San Gabriel in 1771, Spanish missionaries traveling through the area expressed a desire to establish a supply station in the area, which became the Guachama Rancheria. The settlement was also referred to as Politana and became the first Spanish settlement in what they referred to as San Bernardino Valley, named for Bernardino of Siena, being established in 1810 as a mission chapel and supply station by the Mission San Gabriel.
Two years later the settlement was destroyed by local tribesmen, following powerful earthquakes that shook the region. Several years later, the Serrano and Mountain Cahuilla rebuilt the Guachama Rancheria, and in 1819 invited the missionaries to return to the valley. They did and established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia. Serrano and Cahuilla people inhabited Politana until long after the 1830s decree of secularization and the 1842 inclusion into the Rancho San Bernardino land grant of the José del Carmen Lugo family.
Post-Conquest era
The area was not largely settled until 1851, following the American Conquest of California. The first Anglo-American colony was established by pioneers associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1851. San Bernardino County was formed in 1853 from parts of Los Angeles County. Mormons laid out the town based on the "City of Zion" plan which was typical of Mormon urban planning. Mormon colonists developed irrigated, commercial farming and lumbering, supplying agricultural produce and lumber throughout Southern California.
The city was officially incorporated in 1857. Later that year, most of the colonists were recalled by Brigham Young in 1857 due to the Utah War. Some Mormons would stay in San Bernardino and some later returned from Utah, but a real estate consortium from El Monte and Los Angeles bought most of the lands of the old rancho and of the departing colonists. They sold these lands to new settlers who came to dominate the culture and politics in the county, and San Bernardino became a typical American frontier town. Many of the new land owners disliked the sober Mormons, indulging in drinking at saloons now allowed in the town. Disorder, fighting and violence in the vicinity became common, reaching a climax in the 1859 Ainsworth–Gentry Affair.
In 1860 a gold rush began in the mountains nearby with the discovery of gold by William F. Holcomb in Holcomb Valley early 1860. Another strike followed in the upper reach of Lytle Creek. By the 1860s, San Bernardino had also become an important trading hub in Southern California. The city, already on the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road, became the starting point for the Mojave Road from 1858 and Bradshaw Trail from 1862 to the mines along the Colorado River and within the Arizona Territory in the gold rush of 1862–1864.
Near San Bernardino is a naturally formed arrowhead-shaped rock formation on the side of a mountain. It measures 1375 feet by 449 feet. According to the Native American legend regarding the landmark arrowhead, an arrow from Heaven burned the formation onto the mountainside in order to show tribes where they could be healed. During the mid-19th century, "Dr." David Noble Smith claimed that a saint-like being appeared before him and told of a far-off land with exceptional climate and curative waters, marked by a gigantic arrowhead. Smith's search for that unique arrowhead formation began in Texas, and eventually ended at Arrowhead Springs in California in 1857.
In a 2007 report in The California Geographer, however, California State University, San Bernardino geography professor Norman Meek noted that the first direct record of the feature appeared in an 1864 photograph taken shortly after the establishment of the health resort by David Noble Smith at the hot springs. No mention of the arrowhead appears in any records of Spanish travelers in the area in the 18th or early 19th centuries, nor in records of Mormon settlement in the area in the 1850s, nor in the first scientific geological survey conducted in the area of the feature in 1853. Meek conducted analysis of soil samples, finding no significant difference in substrate composition of arrowhead itself compared to its surroundings aside from increased traces of fire retardant chemicals used for wildfire control, casting doubt on the hypothesis that the feature could be explained as a purely natural formation. Based on this, and the sudden increase in reports and purported legends of the arrowhead in late 19th century reporting and advertising for the resort, Meek contended that "the arrowhead may be a human-made advertisement created sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s, perhaps by the founder of the hot springs resort". He suggested that the feature may have been constructed with the help of local native tribespeople, possibly modifying a landslide scar.
By 1889, word of the springs, along with the hotel on the site (and a belief in the effect on general health of the water from the springs) had grown considerably. Hotel guests often raved about the crystal-clear water from the cold springs, which prompted Seth Marshall to set up a bottling operation in the hotel's basement. By 1905, water from the cold springs was being shipped to Los Angeles under the newly created "Arrowhead" trademark.
Indigenous people of the San Bernardino Valley and Mountains were collectively identified by Spanish explorers in the 19th century as Serrano, a term meaning highlander. Serrano living near what is now Big Bear Lake were called Yuhaviatam, or "People of the Pines". In 1866, to clear the way for settlers and gold miners, state militia conducted a 32-day campaign slaughtering men, women, and children. Yuhaviatam leader Santos Manuel guided his people from their ancient homeland to a village site in the San Bernardino foothills. The United States government in 1891 established it as a tribal reservation and named it after Santos Manuel.
San Bernardino won the All-America City award in 1977.
On May 12, 1989, a massive derailment took place along Duffy Street at the Muscoy area, when a Southern Pacific trona train lost control while descending the Cajon Pass. The disaster killed 4 people and destroyed seven homes. Then, on May 25, an underground petroleum pipeline ruptured, killing 2 more people and burning down 11 more homes.
In August 2012, San Bernardino filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, with more than $1 billion in debt. The move froze the city's payments to creditors, including its pension payments to the California Public Employees' Retirement System for nearly a year. San Bernardino became the largest city at the time to file for a Chapter 9 bankruptcy; this was superseded by Detroit's filing in July 2013. Following a judge's approval, the city emerged from bankruptcy in February 2017, making it one of the longest municipal bankruptcies in the United States.
On December 2, 2015, a terrorist attack left 14 people dead and 22 seriously injured.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.5 square miles (162 km2), of which 62.1 square miles (161 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 0.53%, is water.
The city lies in the San Bernardino foothills and the eastern portion of the San Bernardino Valley, roughly 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles. Some major geographical features of the city include the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Bernardino National Forest, in which the city's northernmost neighborhood, Arrowhead Springs, is located. At the base of the mountains lies the San Andreas Fault, which passes through the northern areas of the city, and where several smaller faults lie in close proximity. The Cajon Pass adjacent to the northwest border; City Creek, Lytle Creek, San Timoteo Creek, Twin Creek, Warm Creek (as modified through flood control channels) feed the Santa Ana River, which forms part of the city's southern border south of San Bernardino International Airport. The city has several notable hills and mountains; among them are Perris Hill (named after Fred Perris, an early engineer, and the namesake of Perris, California); Kendall Hill (which is near California State University); and Little Mountain, which rises among Shandin Hills (generally bounded by Sierra Way, 30th Street, Kendall Drive, and Interstate 215).
San Bernardino is unique among Southern Californian cities because of its wealth of water, which is mostly contained in underground aquifers.
Seccombe Lake, named after a former mayor, is a manmade lake at Sierra Way and 5th Street.
Climate
San Bernardino features a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification) with warm winters and hot, dry summers. Relative to other areas in Southern California, winters are colder. Frost and chilly-to-cold morning temperatures are common during the winters. The particularly arid climate during the summer prevents tropospheric clouds from forming. As a result, summer temperatures rise to highs typical of hot desert climates, with the highest recorded summer temperature at 118 °F (48 °C) on July 6, 2018. July is the hottest month on average, and December the coolest.
In the winter, snow flurries occur upon occasion. San Bernardino gets an average of 16 inches (406 mm) of rain, hail, or light snow showers each year. Arrowhead Springs, San Bernardino's northernmost neighborhood gets snow, heavily at times, due to its elevation of about 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level.
The seasonal Santa Ana winds are felt particularly strongly in the San Bernardino area as warm and dry air is channeled through nearby Cajon Pass at times during the autumn months. In extreme cases, the winds approach speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), downing power lines and causing property damage. The winds, along with the cycle of cold wet winters and hot dry summers, markedly increase the danger of wildfire in the foothill, canyon and mountain communities.
Demographics
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that San Bernardino had a population of 222,101. The population density was 3,574.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,380.2/km2). The racial makeup of San Bernardino was 24.2% White, 12.6% African American, 2.3% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 39.6% from other races, and 16.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 68.0% of the population.
The census reported that 97.4% of the population lived in households, 1.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.4% were institutionalized.
There were 63,545 households, out of which 45.6% included children under the age of 18, 41.9% were married-couple households, 9.6% were cohabiting couple households, 30.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.3% of households were one person, and 7.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.4. There were 48,167 families (75.8% of all households).
The age distribution was 28.1% under the age of 18, 11.3% aged 18 to 24, 28.7% aged 25 to 44, 21.7% aged 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males.
There were 66,147 housing units at an average density of 1,064.6 units per square mile (411.0 units/km2), of which 63,545 (96.1%) were occupied. Of these, 48.5% were owner-occupied, and 51.5% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $63,988, and the per capita income was $23,980. About 15.9% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
The 2010 United States census reported that San Bernardino had a population of 209,924. The population density was 3,519.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,358.9/km2). The racial makeup of San Bernardino was 95,734 (45.6%) White (19.0% Non-Hispanic White), 31,582 (15.0%) African American, 2,822 (1.3%) Native American, 8,454 (4.0%) Asian, 839 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 59,827 (28.5%) from other races, and 10,666 (5.1%) from two or more races. There were 125,994 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (60.0%).
The Census reported that 202,599 people (96.5% of the population) lived in households, 3,078 (1.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4,247 (2.0%) were institutionalized.
There were 59,283 households, out of which 29,675 (50.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25,700 (43.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 13,518 (22.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 5,302 (8.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 5,198 (8.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 488 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 11,229 households (18.9%) were made up of individuals, and 4,119 (6.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.42. There were 44,520 families (75.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.89.
There were 67,238 residents (32.0%) under the age of 18, 26,654 (12.7%) aged 18 to 24, 56,221 (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 43,277 (20.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 16,534 (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
There were 65,401 housing units at an average density of 1,096.5 units per square mile (423.4 units/km2), of which 29,838 (50.3%) were owner-occupied, and 29,445 (49.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%. 102,650 people (48.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 99,949 people (47.6%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, San Bernardino had a median household income of $39,097, with 30.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
Ethnic diversity
Western, central, and parts of eastern San Bernardino are home to mixed-ethnic working class populations, of which the Latino and African-American populations comprise the vast majority of the city. Historically, many Latinos, primarily Mexican-Americans and Mexicans, lived on Mount Vernon Avenue on the West Side. Since the 1960s, the Medical Center (formerly known as Muscoy) and Base Line corridors were mostly black, in particular in the east side and west side areas centering on public housing projects Waterman Gardens and the public housing on Medical Center drive. The heart of the Mexican-American community is on the West and Southside of San Bernardino, but is slowly expanding throughout the entire city. San Bernardino's only Jewish congregation moved to Redlands in December 2009.
Some Asian Americans live in and around the city of San Bernardino, as in a late 19th-century-era (gone) Chinatown and formerly Japanese-American area in Seccombe Park on the east end of downtown, and a large East-Asian community in North Loma Linda. Others live in nearby Loma Linda to the south across the Santa Ana River. Filipinos are the largest Asian ethnic group in San Bernardino. There is a historic Italian-American community in San Bernardino. There is a rapid increase of Guatemalan immigrants in San Bernardino and the Inland Empire. The white population in San Bernardino has declined while the Hispanic and Asian populations have increased.
Spanish and Tagalog, the former of which is spoken at home by 37.4% of San Bernardino County residents, are the most common spoken foreign languages. 54.3% of residents five years or older speak only English at home, and 45.7% speak another language.
Economy
The city's location close to the Cajon and San Gorgonio passes, and at the junctions of the I-10, I-215, and SR-210 freeways, positions it as an intermodal logistics hub. The city hosts the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway's intermodal freight transport yard, the Yellow Freight Systems' cross-docking trucking center, and Pacific Motor Trucking. Large warehouses for Kohl's, Mattel, Pep Boys, and Stater Bros. have been developed near the San Bernardino International Airport.
San Bernardino's economic decline can be traced to significant transportation shifts that redirected traffic and commerce. The relocation of the I-15 to run through Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario diverted Los Angeles and San Diego-bound traffic and shoppers away from the city. Meanwhile, the extension of the CA-210 east to Redlands created a more direct route to Palm Springs and Pasadena, further bypassing San Bernardino and steering regional growth toward neighboring cities.
The closing of Norton Air Force Base in 1994 resulted in the loss of 10,000 military and civilian jobs and sent San Bernardino's economy into a downturn that has been somewhat offset by more recent growth in the intermodal shipping industry. The jobless rate in the region rose to more than 12 percent during the years immediately after the base closing. As of 2007 households within one mile of the city core had a median income of only $20,480, less than half that of the Inland region as a whole. Over 15 percent of San Bernardino residents are unemployed as of 2012, and over 40 percent are on some form of public assistance. According to the US Census, 34.6 percent of residents lived below the poverty level in 2012, making San Bernardino the poorest city for its population in California, and the second-poorest in the United States (after Detroit).
