TheSerrano people were the first Native Americans to inhabit the area.[10]
In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Crossing." For many years it provided shelter and supplies for people journeying across the desert from the east toSan Bernardino. Lane's Crossing was on theMojave River on today's Turner Road, two miles north of whereInterstate 15 (I-15) crosses the river. Lane was a veteran of theMexican–American War who had had malaria during that war. Originally he migrated west to join theCalifornia gold rush, but he learned that he could make a better living selling supplies to the miners.
Lane settled inIone, nearSutter's Mill in northern California, during those years, but migrated to San Bernardino in 1857. He settled on the Mojave River in 1858, where he established his waystation. He later sold out to Texan John Fry Miller, who changed the name of Lane's Crossing to Pioneer Station.[11] Miller was a rancher and became involved in Mojave Valley politics, setting up the first polling place in the area at his home. That first year, ten citizens cast their votes at Lane's residence rather than making the long trip to San Bernardino.[12]
Census records show that ten people lived in two residences on the river by 1860. Listed in Dwelling No. 703 were Aaron Lane, William R. Levick, and the Nicholson family, consisting of George, Frances, and their three children aged 9 to 13. Joseph and Mary Highmoor lived in Dwelling No. 704, with a seven-year-old girl named Anna.[13]
The Levick, Nicholson and Highmoor families were Mormon pioneers. Highmoor established a way station called Highmoor's Crossing near today's Oro Grande bridge of the National Trails Highway (known asU.S. Route 66 [US 66]), over the Mojave River at what is called the Lower Narrows. The Nicholson family moved downriver a few miles and established a way station at "Point of Rocks" in today's Helendale area.
In 1867, Lafayette Meacham, a Mormon who ran a way station near today's Barstow area, made a new wagon road from his stage stop to what is now Old Town Victorville. It crossed the Mojave River at today's Sixth Street. This new road, now called Stoddard Wells Road, was a shortcut across the desert and became a popular route for muleskinners and freighters. The river crossing was called Mormon Crossing and the surrounding area became known by that name.
In the 1870s, Heber "Pete" Huntington established a stage stop, Huntington Station, at Mormon Crossing. Also a Mormon pioneer, Huntington was leaderBrigham Young's nephew. Huntington later bought out the Stoddard brothers, who had a waystation halfway to today's Barstow from Victorville, and the Meachams, who ran the stage stop named Fish Ponds or Mormon Grocery.
In 1885, the newly established telegraph station at the railroad siding of "Victor", named for theCalifornia Southern Railroad's General ManagerJacob Nash Victor, was the beginning of what developed as today's Old Town Victorville. The village that sprang up around that railroad facility became known by the same name of Victor.
In 1901, at the suggestion of local postmistress Abbey Turner, theU.S. Post Office Department changed that name to Victorville to stop the postal confusion with the town ofVictor, Colorado.
In 1926, US 66 was begun, being marked in many areas on existing roads. In Victorville, US 66 is marked on D and Seventh streets, with a section of Interstate 15 going towards the Cajon Pass. It is the primary street through Old Town Victorville.
In 1940,Herman J. Mankiewicz andJohn Houseman wrote the first two drafts of thescreenplay for the filmCitizen Kane in Victorville. They worked in seclusion for 12 weeks while residing at the North Verde Ranch, now called the Kemper Campbell Ranch.[14]: 32 [15] The quiet ranch allowed Mankiewicz to complete his writing without the temptation of drinking, as he struggled with alcoholism.[16]
On November 3, 2007, Victorville hosted theDARPA Urban Challenge, a six-hour autonomous robot driving contest through the streets of the Southern California Logistics Airport. The $2 million first prize went to theCarnegie Mellon University team.[18]
Victorville is located at the southwestern edge of theMojave Desert, 81 miles (130 km) northeast ofLos Angeles, 148 miles (238 km) north ofSan Diego, 188 miles (303 km) southwest ofLas Vegas, 32 miles (51 km) south ofBarstow, 48 miles (77 km) east ofPalmdale, and 36 miles (58 km) north ofSan Bernardino through theCajon Pass onInterstate 15. Victorville is the location of offices of the "Mojave Desert Branch" of the San Bernardino County government.
Victorville is bordered byApple Valley on the east,Hesperia on the south, andAdelanto on the west. TheMojave River flows sporadically through Victorville. The elevation at City Hall is approximately 2,950 feet (900 m) above sea level.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 74.0 square miles (192 km2). 73.7 square miles (191 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it is water. The total area is 0.39% water.[4]
The city is in theHigh Desert, an area known for its unique and moderate weather patterns. TheNational Weather Service has maintained a weather station in Victorville since 1917. Official records show that Victorville has acool arid climate (KöppenBWk) with four distinct seasons. Due to the higher elevation and inland location of the High Desert, the climate tends to be more extreme than in theLos Angeles Basin and other Southern California lowland regions.
Winter is the region's wet season, when Victorville receives the most storms. Due to therain shadow effect caused by theSan Bernardino Mountains andSan Gabriel Mountains, the rainfall received is less than in the Los Angeles basin or even the San Bernardino Valley. Temperatures tend to be cool, with overnight low temperatures dropping to or below freezing on average. While the high temperatures average around a pleasant 60 °F or 15.6 °C, there are periods in which the high temperature fails to reach 50 °F (10 °C) or even 45 °F (7.2 °C). Low temperatures can dip below 25 °F (−3.9 °C) on occasion, with very cold temperatures possible; the record lowest temperature was −1 °F or −18.3 °C.[19] Snowfall and other wintry precipitation is also possible, although any snowfall tends to be very light and melt quickly; significant snowstorms as seen in the San Bernardino Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains are very rare.[20][21]Black ice is also possible during the winter.[22]
Summer days are generally hot to sweltering, with average high temperatures approaching 100 °F or 37.8 °C. It is also the time of year in which Victorville, and Southern California as a whole, receives the least precipitation. The higher elevation prevents the temperatures from matching the extreme heat seen in lower desert cities such asPalm Springs orNeedles. However, heat waves can still raise the temperature to 110 °F or 43.3 °C, with the all-time record high being 116 °F or 46.7 °C.[23] Also unlike lower desert communities, thediurnal temperature variation is greater, allowing substantial relief to occur at night with average low temperatures approaching 60 °F or 15.6 °C. In the later part of the season, the average precipitation amount experiences an uptick due to theNorth American Monsoon bringing possible thunderstorms to the region. These thunderstorms can cause flash flooding, lightning, hail, and bring relief from the very hot summer days.[24][25]
Spring is a transitional season, with warm high temperatures and low temperatures remaining quite cool. Summer-like weather usually begins to appear in May while rainfall tapers off. Autumn also has generally warm to very warm high temperatures on average, with temperatures falling from hot in September to pleasant in November, and rainfall rates increasing. Winter-like weather usually begins to appear by late November. High wind events are common in Victorville year-round and particularly during the spring; they can down power lines and cause dust storms that reduce visibility.[26]
There are an average of 109 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher and an average of 79 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The average annual rainfall in Victorville is 6.27 inches (159 mm). There are an average of 28 days annually with measurable rain. The wettest "rain year" recorded was from July 1982 to June 1983 with 12.89 inches (327.4 mm) and the driest from July 1960 to June 1961 with 1.26 inches (32.0 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 5.45 inches (138.4 mm) in February 1944. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 3.00 inches (76.2 mm) on February 24, 1998. Snowfall in Victorville averages only 1.4 inches or 0.036 metres annually. The most snowfall in one month was 38.0 inches (0.97 m) in January 1949, including 31.0 inches (0.79 m) on January 14.[27][28]
Climate data for Victorville, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present
Victorville city, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 96.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3.2% were institutionalized.[36]
There were 37,024 households, out of which 48.3% included children under the age of 18, 47.3% were married-couple households, 7.9% werecohabiting couple households, 28.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 15.2% of households were one person, and 6.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.51.[36] There were 29,605families (80.0% of all households).[37]
The age distribution was 29.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% aged 18 to 24, 28.0% aged 25 to 44, 21.5% aged 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 31.7years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males.[36]
There were 38,928 housing units at an average density of 528.1 units per square mile (203.9 units/km2), of which 37,024 (95.1%) were occupied. Of these, 57.5% were owner-occupied, and 42.5% were occupied by renters.[36]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $70,663, and theper capita income was $26,955. About 16.4% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line.[38]
The2010 United States census[39] reported that Victorville had a population of 115,903. The population density was 1,571.8 inhabitants per square mile (606.9/km2). The racial makeup of Victorville was 56,258 (48.5%)White (28.3% Non-Hispanic White),[7] 19,483 (16.8%)African American, 1,665 (1.4%)Native American, 4,641 (4.0%)Asian, 489 (0.4%)Pacific Islander, 26,036 (22.5%) fromother races, and 7,331 (6.3%) from two or more races. There were 55,359Hispanic orLatino residents of any race (47.8%).
The Census reported that 110,800 people (95.6% of the population) lived in households, 341 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4,762 (4.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 32,558 households, out of which 17,256 (53.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,036 (52.3%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 6,487 (19.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,397 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,478 (7.6%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 258 (0.8%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,081 households (15.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,954 (6.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 25,920families (79.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.77.
The population was spread out, with 38,023 people (32.8%) under the age of 18, 12,136 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 33,479 people (28.9%) aged 25 to 44, 22,853 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,412 people (8.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.
There were 36,655 housing units at an average density of 497.1 per square mile (191.9/km2), of which 20,137 (61.8%) were owner-occupied, and 12,421 (38.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.1%. 66,600 people (57.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 44,200 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–13, Victorville had a median household income of $50,034, with 25.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[7]
A revitalization project started in 1995 in the ten square blocks along Historic Route 66. After years of setbacks in developing Old Town, the city, with input from residents and local business owners, created an Old Town Strategic Action Plan in 2007. In 2008, demolition of hazardous and dilapidated buildings began. In 2010, as the economy declined, the state eliminated Redevelopment Agencies which had funded the project and further work was put on indefinite hold.[62] As of 2012, the area still had problems with crime and homelessness, and many buildings remain boarded up.[63]
Projects include the Veteran's Memorial on the corner of Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue, the Route 66 Museum, the Transportation Center, and the Old Victor School. Several large murals have been painted on the sides of buildings in Old Town.[64]
^"NTC Commuter Bus".Commuter Options. National Training Center, Fort Irwin. Archived fromthe original on October 7, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2016.Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) operates bus service from Victorville, Silver Lakes and Barstow to and from Fort Irwin called the "NTC Commuter".
^Medved, Harry; Akiyama, Bruce (2006).Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors. New York:St. Martin's Press. p. 150.ISBN978-0312308568.
