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California
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San_bernardino_Countypng
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1853
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San Bernardino
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San Bernardino
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20,105 Mi&2 (52,073 Km&2 )
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20,052 mi&2 (51,936 km&2)
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53 mi&2 (137 km&2)
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2005
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1,932,000 (est)
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33
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wwwsbcountygov
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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. Any of those states could be replaced in the list by
New Jersey ,
Vermont , or
New Hampshire .
Coconino County, Arizona , is second,
Nye County, Nevada , is third, and neighboring
Inyo County is fourth at less than 1/2 the size. On the other hand, the
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska , the largest
County-equivalent in the country, is over seven times the size.
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 . The fast growing county had a 2007 population estimate by the
California Department Of Finance was 2,028,013 (12th in the country but only 4th in the state), largely located in its more populated southwestern portions. The
County Seat is
San Bernardino . Its southwestern portions (the more urbanized part of San Bernardino County) are considered to be part of the
Inland Empire region of
Southern California , a bicounty area.
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.
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.
San Bernardino County, California, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as 8 counties.
- 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.
- Foothill Transit connects the Inland Empire area to the San Gabriel Valley and downtown Los Angeles.
- OCTA connects Chino to Irvine and Brea .
- RTA connects Montclair to Riverside County.
- 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.
- Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) covers the Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear regions. Limited service is also provided to Downtown San Bernardino.
- 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, Orange, and Riverside Counties.
San Bernardino county voter registration and voting pattern lean to the Republican Party. However, the city is split between poorer, heavily Latino, heavily Democratic areas and wealthy suburbs. For example, the heavily Latino cities of Ontario and San Bernandino went for John Kerry in 2004. However, these cities had abysmal voter turnout; in 2006, San Bernandino's population exceeded 201,000, and in 2004, cast a mere 42,520 votes. In 2006, strongly Republican Rancho Cucamonga had over 145,000 people, and cast 53,054 votes.
As of the
Census &2 of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The
Population Density was 33/km&
2 (85/mi&
2). There were 601,369 housing units at an average density of 12/km&
2 (30/mi&
2). 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. 66.1% spoke
English , 27.7%
Spanish and 1.1%
Tagalog as their first language.
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.
- 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 : $26,635
- Joshua Tree, California : $26,535
- Needles, California : $26,108
- Big River, California : $23,488
- Bluewater, California : $18,750
The
Inland Empire is well known for its
Chicano Gangs . The most well-known gangs are the Onterio Varrio Sur Black Angels gang and the West Side Verdugo gang, also known as the Verdugo Flats Gang, who usually tags VFG in various parts of west
San Bernardino , particularly around Mount Vernon Avenue. 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.."
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Including current residents, as well as former residents who have made their mark in history.
- Glen Bell , founder of Taco Bell
- Landon Donovan , professional soccer player for the U.S. National Team and the Major League Soccer Los Angeles Galaxy .
- 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 ADX Florence .
- Dick And Mac McDonald , the fast food pioneering brothers of what became McDonald's Corporation
- Tim Powers , fantasy author
- Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Spike (Peanuts) , the fictional canine resident from the Needles area
- Randy Rhoads , guitar prodigy who played with Ozzy Osbourne 's Blizzard of Oz, is laid to rest in Mount View Cemetery
