Located in the southeast of the state of California, the deserts and mountains of this vast county stretch from the outskirts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area to the Nevada border and the Colorado River. As of 2000 the population was 1,709,434. The county seat is San Bernardino. This county is a part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
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2 Geography 3 Major Highways 4 Adjacent Counties 5 Colleges and Universities 6 Demographics 7 History 8 Cities and Towns 9 External links |
History
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.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 52,073 km² (20,105 mi²). 51,936 km² (20,052 mi²) of it is land and 137 km² (53 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.26% water.
The county has three major regions, the Mojave Desert, the San Bernardino Mountains, and the San Bernardino Valley.
Most of the county is desert, with the mountains and valley in the southwest corner.
The Mojave National Preserve covers most of the desert. The Desert includes the cities of Needles next to the Colorado River, and Barstow at the junction in Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The largest metropolitan area in the desert is the Victor Valley with the cities of Apple Valley, Victorville, Adelanto, and Hesperia.
The mountains are located in the San Bernardino National Forest, and include the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, Big Bear City, and Big Bear Lake.
The valley is at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley, and is part of the Inland Empire. The valley includes the cites of Ontario, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Highland, Redlands, and Yucaipa.
Major Highways
Adjacent Counties
Colleges and Universities
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density is 33/km² (85/mi²). There are 601,369 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (30/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 528,594 households out of which 43.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% are married couples living together, 14.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% are non-families. 18.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.15 and the average family size is 3.58.
In the county the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $42,066, and the median income for a family is $46,574. Males have a median income of $37,025 versus $27,993 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,856. 15.80% of the population and 12.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.60% are under the age of 18 and 8.40% are 65 or older.
History
1810 Father Francisco Dumetz names San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, feast day of St. Bernardine of Siena.
1853 San Bernardino County created.
1893 Riverside County, California created from southern part of San Bernardino County.
Cities and Towns
See also: list of California counties