| Morongo Basin | |
|---|---|
 Twentynine Palms and the Morongo Basin. | |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Cuenca de Morongo (Spanish)[disputed –discuss] |
| Geography | |
| Location | San Bernardino County |
| State | California |
| Region | Mojave Desert |
| Coordinates | 34°08′N116°16′W / 34.13°N 116.27°W /34.13; -116.27 |
 | |
TheMorongo Basin is anendorheic basin and valley region located in easternSan Bernardino County, inSouthernCalifornia.
The Morongo basin is part of theInland Empire region, and is not considered to be the easternmost portion of theGreater Los Angeles Area, the2nd largest metropolitan region in the United States.[citation needed]
Thedrainage basin stretches approximately from theLittle San Bernardino Mountains north ofInterstate 10 in the south, to theInterstate 40 area in the north. Lying within theMojave Desert, the Morongo Basin is east of the city ofSan Bernardino andSan Bernardino Mountains, and north of theCoachella Valley andColorado Desert.
The Morongo Basin is located within the Mojave Desert and in theHigh Desert region of Southern California. The area's elevation can range from 1,950 feet (590 m) inTwentynine Palms, to 3,000 feet (910 m) inYucca Valley.[citation needed] The higher sections ofJoshua Tree National Park are within the basin.
The terrain in the area is a desert landscape of hills andalluvial fans framed bymountain ranges.
TheMojave yucca (Yucca schidigera) (namesake of Yucca Valley) and theJoshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) (namesake of Joshua Tree city and park) are notable native plants in the region.
The basin's habitats are home toBlack-tailed jackrabbits,coyotes, and theMojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus).
The climate is arid desert. Hot, dry summers; cool winters with cold mornings and occasional snow and rain showers. Snow falls in areas above 1,500 feet (460 m) in elevation.
| Twenty Nine Palms: Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures[1] | |||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F | 64 | 69 | 75 | 83 | 91 | 101 | 106 | 104 | 97 | 86 | 72 | 54 | |
| Avg low °F | 36 | 39 | 43 | 49 | 57 | 65 | 71 | 80 | 64 | 52 | 41 | 35 | |
The Morongo Basin is home to theMorongo Unified School District, which serves all of the cities and communities in the area.Copper Mountain College is the only community college serving the Morongo Basin area, located in Joshua Tree.
The nearest four year public university isCalifornia State University, San Bernardino north of the city of San Bernardino inUniversity Heights, California.
