Big Bear City, California | |
|---|---|
 Looking west at corner of Big Bear Boulevard and Greenway in Big Bear City. This is where Highways 18 and 38 cross over. | |
 Location inSan Bernardino County and the state ofCalifornia | |
  Big Bear City, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°14′20″N116°46′42″W / 34.23889°N 116.77833°W /34.23889; -116.77833[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Area | |
• Total | 32.03 sq mi (82.96 km2) |
| • Land | 32.02 sq mi (82.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) 0.05% |
| Elevation | 6,772 ft (2,064 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,738 |
| • Density | 397.9/sq mi (153.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 92314, 92386 |
| Area code | 909 |
| FIPS code | 06-06406 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 2407838[3] |
Big Bear City is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place inSan Bernardino County, California, United States along the east shore ofBig Bear Lake and surrounded by theSan Bernardino National Forest. It is 27 miles (43 km) northeast of the city ofSan Bernardino, and immediately east of theincorporated city ofBig Bear Lake. Its population was 12,738 at the 2020 census, up from 12,304 at the 2010 census.[4] Big Bear City is mostly residential, with smaller houses and cabins laid out in typical square block fashion. Big Bear is on thePacific Crest Trail.[5]
Standard Air Lines of Los Angeles began a regular airline service to the community in the summer of 1929. Its post office was founded as Van Duesen in 1927 but changed its name to Big Bear City six months later. The Big Bear City Post Office opened in 1928 and still operates.[6]
Despite the name, Big Bear City is not an incorporated city, and should not be confused with the adjacent incorporated city ofBig Bear Lake.
Big Bear got its name due to the large number of grizzly bears that once roamed the area.[7] Although grizzly bears were exterminated in the valley at the turn of the 20th century, there are still thousands of black bears found inBig Bear Valley.[8]
The first humans to inhabitBig Bear Valley were theSerrano Indians, who trace their beginnings toBear Valley.[9]Serrano meansmountaineers, orthose of the Sierras.[10] The Serrano people that settled much of theSan Bernardino Mountains, called themselves Yuhaviatam, or:people of the pines.
It is estimated that the Serrano natives first settled in Big Bear between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago.[11] The Serranos had both winter and summer settlements throughout the area. While their winter village was located inLucerne Valley, they relocated to villages in the San Bernardino mountains during summer, as the altitude provided cooler temperatures. Villages were often located by rivers and lakes, however, mountain hunting camps were also established on higher elevations. Besides hunting, they also consumed pinyon nuts, mesquite beans, screw-beans, juniper berries and seeds. One of four major Serrano ethnographic sites was located in Big Bear City, called: Kayah-pia-t. Big Bear, and Lucerne Valley clans, both belonged to the same tribe: theCoyote Pervetum.[12]
Settling here because of the region's many natural resources, they harvested acorns and herbs, but also hunted deer, rabbits, and other wildlife. A number of mortar holes can be seen in Big Bear City; these holes made by the Serranos, were utilized to ground acorns into meals.[13] The oldest known remains of a human settlement in Big Bear Valley can be seen at the Indian Grinding Rocks in Big Bear City, called:The Eye of God, which is a sacred site to the Serrano people.[14] The Serrano's creation narrative took place atThe Eye of God, which was known as Hatauva.[15]
The earliest known contact with European settlers in Big Bear occurred when Spanish FatherFrancisco Garcés arrived during his 1774-1776 expedition.[16] Another source states, that the first contact happened in 1845 during a punitive expedition against the Native-Americans.[17]
For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Big Bear City as acensus-designated place (CDP). According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 32.0 square miles (83 km2), 99.95% of it land, and 0.05% of it water.
The nearby ski resorts consist of Snow Summit and Bear Mountain.
Most of the town and the business district are centered on Big Bear Boulevard. Its limits are defined on the west by Division Road and on the east by the left turn atHighway 38, which goes toRedlands andHighway 18 which goes south toSan Bernardino and north toLucerne Valley. Though its south boundary is loosely defined by the residential boundary, the north side is defined by North Shore Road. The east–west postal divider of Big Bear City is Green Way Drive. It is here that Highway 18 (Big Bear Boulevard) turns north and crosses over to North Shore Drive heading east toward Lucerne Valley, and Highway 38 coming from the east turns north to North Shore and heads west to Big Bear Dam in the city ofBig Bear Lake, California.
Sugarloaf is a large residential area that lies to the south of Big Bear City.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,434 | — | |
| 1960 | 1,562 | 8.9% | |
| 1970 | 5,268 | 237.3% | |
| 1980 | 11,151 | 111.7% | |
| 1990 | 4,920 | −55.9% | |
| 2000 | 5,779 | 17.5% | |
| 2010 | 12,304 | 112.9% | |
| 2020 | 12,738 | 3.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1850–1870[19][20] 1880-1890[21] 1900[22] 1910[23] 1920[24] 1930[25] 1940[26] 1950[27] 1960[28] 1970[29] 1980[30] 1990[31]2000[32] 2010[33] | |||
Big Bear Lake was first listed as an unincorporated place in the1950 U.S. census;[27] and then as acensus designated place in the1980 U.S. census.[30] A portion of the CDP was incorporated as the city ofBig Bear Lake prior to the1990 U.S. census.
The2020 United States census reported that Big Bear City had a population of 12,738. The population density was 397.9 inhabitants per square mile (153.6/km2). The racial makeup of Big Bear City was 73.9%White, 0.9%African American, 1.5%Native American, 1.1%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 9.4% fromother races, and 12.9% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.6% of the population.[34]
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.[34]
There were 5,523 households, out of which 22.3% included children under the age of 18, 43.5% were married-couple households, 7.6% werecohabiting couple households, 25.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 23.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 31.3% of households were one person, and 14.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.3.[34] There were 3,363families (60.9% of all households).[35]
The age distribution was 18.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% aged 18 to 24, 22.7% aged 25 to 44, 29.3% aged 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males.[34]
There were 12,086 housing units at an average density of 377.5 units per square mile (145.8 units/km2), of which 5,523 (45.7%) were occupied. Of these, 71.8% were owner-occupied, and 28.2% were occupied by renters.[34]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 4.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 85.0% spoke only English at home, 10.4% spokeSpanish, 2.6% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 0.8% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 91.8% were high school graduates and 28.4% had a bachelor's degree.[36]
The median household income was $72,457, and theper capita income was $38,030. About 11.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[37]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Big Bear City is inthe 19th senatorial district, represented byRepublican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and inthe 34th Assembly district, represented byRepublican Tom Lackey.[38]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Big Bear City is inCalifornia's 23rd congressional district, represented byRepublican Jay Obernolte.[39]
Big Bear City Airport is ageneral aviation airport in Big Bear City.[40] There are no commercial air services to this airport, although at least two airlines, includingTrans World Airlines, have served Big Bear in the past. This airport may also be used for medical evacuations, and as a base for forest-fighting aircraft when there are fires close by. The airport is very popular with localgeneral aviation pilots.
It is in theBear Valley Unified School District.[41]
Mammals such assquirrels,chipmunks,raccoons,coyotes andskunks are commonly sighted, whileblack bears,mountain lions,bobcats,gray foxes andmule deer are more rarely observed.[42][43]
Potentially dangerous animals include mountain lions, black bears and coyotes. A mountain lion responsible for eating a dog was killed by the sheriff in Big Bear City in 2010.[44]
Althoughgrizzly bears were previously common, they became extinct fromBig Bear Valley in 1906.[45][46]
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