Introduction to San Bernardino, California
Incorporated for the first time in 1854, and again in 1886, San Bernardino is in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area. The city of San Bernardino is located in the southern part of California, 65 miles east of Los Angeles and 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It is part of a larger region referred to as the Inland Empire.
San Bernardino is often referred to as a bedroom community. It attracts families because of its low cost of living relative to cities closer to the ocean. Businesses which directly serve the population are sure to grow as a result of the population increase. A different type of business growth includes the large scale development of warehousing in the areas near the former Norton Air Force Base, which was vacated in 1994 and renamed the San Bernardino International Airport.
Temperatures reach or exceed 90 degrees an average of 101 days of the year. Rainfall averages 16 inches per year. Daily high temperatures in August average 96 degrees while daily lows average 42 degrees. January daily highs and lows average 67 and 42 degrees respectively.
Serrano History
The Serrano Indians inhabited the land which eventually became San Bernardino. In 1842, Mexico granted Rancho San Bernardino to Antonio Maria Lugo who grazed thousands of head of cattle on it. In 1851, Mormons began building a colony here by purchasing land, most of which included Rancho San Bernardino. It was to be the first in a chain of settlements along a transportation route linking the southern California port of San Pedro to the home of the Mormon's Church of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City. However, by 1857 two-thirds of the Mormons returned to Utah when they were recalled by their leader, Brigham Young. The return occurred in spite of having just built an infrastructure of roads, saw mills and agricultural irrigation, not to mention shelter. The 1870s brought the very profitable introduction of navel oranges to the region. This was followed by a gold rush in the 1880s.
Arts and Leisure
Cultural, historical and leisure attractions in San Bernardino include:
- The Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum at California State University, San Bernardino.
- The National Orange Show.
- The Route 66 Rendezvous, an automobile show.
- Many organizations in the greater Los Angeles area.
- The Inland Empire 66ers, a Class A advanced baseball team in the California League affiliated with the Seattle Mariners.
- The Western Regional Little League Championships.
- Major professional and college sports organizations in Southern California.