City Town Info

Barstow, CA


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Barstow, California

Introduction to Barstow, California

Barstow, California, in San Bernardino County, is 29 miles N of Apple Valley, California (center to center) and 68 miles N of Riverside, California. The city is considered part of the Riverside - San Bernardino metropolitan area. Barstow has a population of 21,119.

Barstow History

Barstow is a former frontier town, which is an outfitting region for voyages into Death Valley. At one point, it served as a desert junction for overland wagon trains. Settlement in Barstow began in the late 1840s. Railroads were constructed to transport ore and workers in the mines of Calico and Daggett. The Southern Pacific Railroad first came to the area in 1883. A portion of the line was transferred to the Santa Fe Railroad in 1884.

The owner of the Santa Fe railroad was William Barstow Strong, after whom the city was named. Prior to it, the area was known as Grapevine, Waterman Junction and Camp Sugarloaf. After the three major highways, including I-15 and I-40, came into the Barstow area, it became a major hub of tourist trade and the economy. Today, Barstow is one of the fast-developing cities in Southern California.

Barstow and nearby Attractions

  • Calico Ghost Town
  • The Mother Road Museum
  • Mojave River Valley Museum
  • Western America Railroad Museum
  • Calico Early Man Archeological Site
  • Rainbow Basin National Natural Landmark

Things To Do In Barstow

There are many historic and archeological sites in the city that are worth visiting. The Barstow station mini mall on the main street is dotted with various shops, restaurants, cafes and fast food centers. It is a great place for the city people to hang out during their leisure time.

Barstow Transportation

San Bernardino International is the nearest major airport that serves the city.

Barstow Higher Education

Barstow is served by Barstow-Daggett.

High Points

Barstow strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in California):

CategoryTrophy
Racial Diversity
(vs. Peers)
Top 3%trophyBarstow Racial Diversity
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. State)
Top 5%trophyBarstow Affordability of Property Taxes
Affordability of Rents
(vs. State)
Top 13%Barstow Affordability of Rents

Comparative Profile of Barstow, CA

Comparing Barstow to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Racial Diversity109
Children Under 5 Years Old98
Male Share of the Population98
Well-Paid Single Men45
Senior Citizens46
Age of the Population24
Female Share of the Population24

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Average Household Size85
Portion of People Married33

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Median Family Income33
People in Middle Class or Better34
People Above Poverty23
College Educated Adults12

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Walking and Biking to Work86
Public Transportation Use86
Short Commute Times58
Working at Home42

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals97
Affordability of Property Taxes910
Seasonal and Vacation Housing88
Affordability of Rents79
Housing Recently Built64
People Living Alone58

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Low Property Crime32
Low Violent Crime11

Detailed pages on related topics: Barstow collegesBarstow travel.

You are visiting:
All StatesCalifornia > Barstow

Additional Details

Barstow CollegesBarstow Colleges
Barstow colleges and trade schools.
Barstow Hotels & TravelBarstow Hotels & Travel
Barstow hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Barstow

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Barstow

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Barstow Government Officials

Are you an official in the Barstow government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Barstow. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.