While included within theGreater Los Angeles area, San Bernardino County is included in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan statistical area.
89% of the population resides in threeCensus County Divisions (Ontario, San Bernardino, and Victorville-Hesperia), counting 1.93 million people as of the 2020 Census across just 9% of the county area. With a population that is 53.7% Hispanic, it is California'smost populous majority-Hispanic county and the second-largest nationwide.[9]
Wa'aachnga was a majorTongva village site, also occupied by theSerrano andCahuilla, located near what is now the city ofSan Bernardino. The village was part of an extensive trade network along theMohave Trail that connected villages in San Bernardino County from theColorado River to theLos Angeles Basin.[12][13] Wá'peat was aDesert Serrano village located near what is now the city ofHesperia. It was part of a series of villages located along theMojave River.[10] By the late 1700s, villages in the area were being increasingly encroached upon bySpanish soldiers and missionaries, who were coming into the region fromMission San Gabriel.[10][11]
Agua Mansa was the first town in what became San Bernardino County, settled by immigrants fromNew Mexico on land donated from theRancho Jurupa in 1841.
The bulk of the population, nearly two million, live in the roughly 480 square miles south of the San Bernardino Mountains adjacent to Riverside and in theSan Bernardino Valley in the southwestern portion of the county. About 390,000 residents live just north of the San Bernardino Mountains, in and around the roughly 280 square-mile area that includes theVictor Valley. Roughly another 100,000 people live scattered across the rest of the sprawling county.
More than 80% of the county's land is owned by the federal government.[17] There are at least 35 officialwilderness areas in the county that are part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System. This is the largest number of any county in the United States (although not the largest in total area). The majority are managed by theBureau of Land Management, but some are integral components of the above listed national protected areas. Most of these wilderness areas lie entirely within the county, but a few are shared with neighboring counties (and two of these are shared with the neighboring states of Arizona and Nevada).
Except as noted, these wilderness areas are managed solely by theBureau of Land Management and lie within San Bernardino County:
San Bernardino County, 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.
As of thecensus[40] of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 inhabitants per square mile (33/km2). There were 601,369 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 58.9%White, 9.1%African American, 1.2%Native American, 4.7%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 20.8% fromother races, and 5.0% from two or more races. 39.2% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 8.3% were ofGerman, 5.5%English and 5.1%Irish ancestry. 66.1% spokeEnglish, 27.7%Spanish and 1.1%Tagalog as their first language.
There were 528,594 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 3.2 people, and the average family size was 3.6 people.
The number of homeless in San Bernardino County grew from 5,270 in 2002 to 7,331 in 2007, a 39% increase.[41]
In the county, 32.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.3% was from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,066, and the median income for a family was $46,574. Males had a median income of $37,025 versus $27,993 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,856. About 12.6% of families and 15.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
San Bernardino County is a county in which candidates from both major political parties have won in recent elections. RepublicanDonald Trump carried the county in2024, flipping it for the first time in a presidential race since2004.
In past presidential elections, DemocratJoe Biden carried the county by a majority and by double digits as well asHillary Clinton in2016. The Democratic Party also carried the county in2008 and2012, whenBarack Obama won majorities of the county's votes, and in1992 and1996, whenBill Clinton won pluralities. RepublicanGeorge W. Bush took the county in2000 by a plurality and in 2004 by a majority. The county is split between heavily Latino, middle-class, and Democratic areas and wealthier conservative areas. The heavily Latino cities ofOntario andSan Bernardino went forJohn Kerry in 2004 but with a relatively low voter turnout. In 2006, San Bernardino's population exceeded 201,000, and in 2004, only 42,520 votes were cast in the city; that same year, strongly RepublicanRancho Cucamonga had over 145,000 residents, of whom 53,054 voted.
In the 1980s, Northern San Bernardino County proposed to createMojave County due to the abysmal service levels the county provided. Ultimately, the vote for county secession failed. The proposed county was from the Cajon Pass to the city of Needles.[51]
In 1998, County administrator James Hlawek resigned after being subject to an FBI investigation for bribery, but only after Harry Mays, county Treasurer-Tax Collector Thomas O'Donnell, County Investment Officer Sol Levin and three businessmen had agreed to plead guilty to federal bribery charges.[52][53]
In 2004, County Supervisor Geral Eaves Pleaded guilty to bribery for accepting gifts from businesses for allowing billboards on county land.[54]
On November 4, 2008, San Bernardino County voted 67% forProposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.[55]
From 2004 to 2016, the county was embroiled in a corruption scandal over the Colonies housing development inUpland with real estate developer Jeff Burum. The scandal resulted in $102 million being paid to Burum's real estate company. Supervisor Bill Postmus pleaded guilty to 10 felonies in regard to his previous post as county assessor. In 2020, Burum sued the county again and the county reached for a $69 million settlement. 2022, the county's insurance company, Ironside, balked at paying the settlement, claiming that the county willfully "retaliate[d] against the Colonies II Plaintiffs as part of a decades-long dispute over land and water rights in Upland, California, culminating in a malicious prosecution of Burum."[56][57][58][59][60]
In 2020, voters approved Measure K, which limited county supervisors to one term instead of three, while reducing pay from 250 thousand dollars to 60 thousand dollars. County Supervisors appealed the decision, only to lose in the state's appeals court.[61][62][63][64][65] By 2022, term limits were restored and pay was restored to 80% of the annual base compensation for San Bernardino Superior Court judges under a supervisor lead ballot measure.[66][67][68]
In 2022, The Board of supervisors were pushed by a major supervisor campaign contributor Jeff Burum to vote for secession from the State of California to form the state of Empire.[69][70][71][72][73] A referendum in 2022 requesting the county board seek a "fair share" of government funding, by means including secession, narrowly passed.[74]
In 2023, San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Leonard X. Hernandez resigned, claiming urgent family health issues,[75] after being accused of having an affair with a county employee. After the accustation came out, the county placed Hernandez on Leave.[76][77] After Hernandez resigned, Hernandez still got paid for one year after his departure.[78]
Presidential election results and voter registration
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 2020, there were 1,016,190 registered voters in San Bernardino County. Of those, 410,197 (40.37%) were registered Democrats, 298,234 (29.35%) were registered Republicans, with the remainder belonging to minor political parties or declining to state.[79]
United States presidential election results for San Bernardino County, California[80]
SBC Sheriff's department operates a sizable fleet of helicopters. Shown here are aBell 212 (foreground) and aSikorsky S-61 at the air unit'sRialto Airport headquarters.
The county's primary law enforcement agency is theSan Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The department provides law enforcement services in the unincorporated areas of the county and in 14 contract cities, operates the county jail system, provides marshal services in the county superior courts, and has numerous other divisions to serve the residents of the county.
The county operates the San Bernardino County Consolidated Fire District (commonly known as the San Bernardino County Fire Department). The department provides "all-risk" fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to all unincorporated areas in the county except for several areas served by independent fire protection districts, and several cities that chose to contract with the department.
Department logo
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFD) or the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of the county and 24 incorporated cities.[82][83]The department annexed the Crest Forest Fire Protection District on July 1, 2015;[84][85][86]the San Bernardino City andTwentynine Palms Fire Departments on July 1, 2016;[87][88][89][90]and theUpland Fire Department in July 2017.[91]As of April 2019 the City of Victorville declined to renew their contract with The San Bernardino County Fire Department.[92]
On December 2, 2015, in the city of San Bernardino,terrorists attacked a staff meeting being held in the Inland Regional Center, murdering 14 people and wounding 22.
The San Bernardino County Library System consists of 32 branches across the county.[96] Library services offered vary from branch to branch, but include internet access, children's story times, adult literacy services, book clubs, classes, and special events.[97] The library system also offers e-books, digital music and movie downloads, free access to online learning throughLynda.com, and many other digital services.[98]
City-sponsored public libraries also exist in San Bernardino County, including A. K. Smiley Public Library inRedlands, California, which was built in 1898.[99] Other public libraries in the County include: The San Bernardino City Public Library System, Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, Upland Public Library, Colton City Library, Victorville City Library[100] and the Ontario City Library.[101] These libraries are separate from the county system and do not share circulation privileges.
TheSan Bernardino County Museum inRedlands CA is a multidisciplinary museum offering a look at the area’s past with an Inland Southern California regional focus. Its exhibits and collections draw from the cultural and natural history of San Bernardino County.[102]
Keys Desert Queen Ranch, inJoshua Tree National Park, has ranger-led tours to learn about the cultural history of Keys Ranch, Native American history, mining, ranching, homesteading, the Keys family, and the site's transition into a protected historical site.[103]
Kimberly Crest House & Gardens is a 6-acre estate inRedlands, CA with a Victorian Chateau and Italian Renaissance styled gardens. The gardens are open to the public and the house serves as a museum offering guided tours.[104]
The Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art atChaffey College,Rancho Cucamonga, CA is a non-collecting institution that features temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, education and community programming.[105]
Metrolink commuter trains connect the urbanized portion of the county with Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties.Arrow light rail service by Metrolink, is provided between Downtown San Bernardino and Redlands.
Morongo Basin Transit Authority provides bus service in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms (including the Marine base). Limited service is also provided to Palm Springs.
Omnitrans provides transit service in the urbanized portion of San Bernardino County, serving the City of San Bernardino, as well as the area between Montclair and Yucaipa.
Victor Valley Transit Authority operates buses in Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Apple Valley and the surrounding county area.
Foothill Transit connects the Inland Empire area to the San Gabriel Valley and downtown Los Angeles.
RTA connects Montclair, and Anaheim to Riverside County.
Commercial domestic and international passenger flights are available atSan Bernardino International Airport (SBD) andOntario International Airport (ONT). SBD can be accessed fromI-215 via Mill Street,I-10 via Tippecanoe Avenue, andI-210 via 3rd Street. Terminal construction recently finished[when?], and commercial flights began in 2022. There is also a logistics center forAmazon'sAmazon Air service that has recently completed construction on the airport grounds.
California Attorney GeneralJerry Brown sued the county in April 2007 under the state'senvironmental quality act for failing to account for the impact ofglobal warming in the county's 25-year growth plan, approved in March. TheCenter for Biological Diversity, theSierra Club and theAudubon Society also sued in a separate case. According to Brendan Cummings, a senior attorney for theplaintiffs: "San Bernardino has never seen a project it didn't like. They rubber-stamp development. It's very much of a frontier mentality." The plaintiffs want the county to rewrite its growth plan'senvironmental impact statement to include methods to measuregreenhouse gases and take steps to reduce them.[107]
According to county spokesman David Wert, only 15% of the county is controlled by the county[clarification needed]; the rest is cities and federal and state land. However, the county says it will make sure employment centers and housing are near transportation corridors to reduce traffic and do more to promote compact development and mass transit. The county budgeted $325,000 to fight the lawsuit.[107]
The state and the county reached a settlement in August 2007.[108] The county agreed to amend its general plan to include a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan, including anemission inventory and reduction targets. According to theLA Times in 2015, San Bernardino County had the highest levels ofozone in the United States, averaging 102 parts per billion.[109]
Snow Summit,Bear Mountain (Ski Area), andSnow Valley Mountain Resort are home to Southern California's premier winter ski resorts.Mountain High, although technically located in Los Angeles County, is also an alternative to Snow Summit and Bear Mountain because of its proximity to San Bernardino County.
ThePacific Crest Trail, officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT), passes through San Bernardino County.[118]
^abZappia, Natale A. (2014).Traders and raiders : the indigenous world of the Colorado Basin, 1540-1859. Chapel Hill. p. 77.ISBN978-1-4696-1585-1.OCLC883632043.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Hernandez, Kelly Lytle (2017).City of inmates : conquest, rebellion, and the rise of human caging in Los Angeles, 1771-1965. Chapel Hill. p. 18.ISBN978-1-4696-3119-6.OCLC974947592.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abcdefghiU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
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