Wonder Valley, California | |
|---|---|
 Remnants of a small recreational cabin in Wonder Valley, CA | |
  Wonder Valley, California Location within the state of California Show map of California Wonder Valley, California Wonder Valley, California (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°9′4″N115°55′53″W / 34.15111°N 115.93139°W /34.15111; -115.93139 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Area | |
• Total | 150 sq mi (380 km2) |
| • Land | 150 sq mi (380 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,500 ft (500 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 615 |
| • Density | 4.2/sq mi (1.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 92277 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
Wonder Valley is a sparsely populatedunincorporated community in theMorongo Basin ofSouthern California'sHigh Desert region, straddling Amboy Road andState Route 62 inSan Bernardino County,California, United States, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the city ofTwentynine Palms.
Wonder Valley occupies the gently sloping basin between theSheep Hole Mountains andBullion Mountains to the north and thePinto Mountains to the south. Elevations in Wonder Valley range from 1,800 feet (550 m) in the valley's western reaches to 1,200 feet (370 m) near the eastern frontier of population within the valley. The nearest incorporated community is the city ofTwentynine Palms, which lies about 10 miles (16 km) to the west.State Route 62 and Amboy Road both pass through Wonder Valley; most other roads in the community are unpaved.
Due to its low elevation relative to other communities of theMorongo Basin, Wonder Valley lies near the intersection of the higher-elevationMojave Desert and the lower-elevationColorado Desert. Wonder Valley's subtropical desert climate is characterized by very hot summers and cool winters with considerablediurnal temperature variation throughout the year. Moisture from theNorth American Monsoon contributes to summer precipitation and thunderstorm activity, and most non-monsoonal precipitation can be attributed to winter Pacific storms.
Wonder Valley is approximately 15 miles (24 km) northeast of the east entrance toJoshua Tree National Park.
Wonder Valley is unincorporated and is under the jurisdiction of San Bernardino County. Residents of Wonder Valley are served by San Bernardino County's County Service Area (CSA) 70M, a special services district with taxing authority that provides residents with fire protection, park, and road maintenance services.[1] Many residents of Wonder Valley live on large parcels of land consisting of 5 acres (2 ha), a result of the community's growth after the enactment of theSmall Tract Act of 1938.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Wonder Valley is inthe 12th senatorial district, represented byRepublican Shannon Grove, and inthe 34th Assembly district, represented byRepublican Tom Lackey.[2]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Wonder Valley is inCalifornia's 23rd congressional district, represented byRepublican Jay Obernolte.[3]
Wonder Valley was not substantively populated until theUnited States Congress approved the Small Tract Act (STA) of 1938, a homesteading law that facilitated the leasing and public-to-private transfer of ownership of parcels of up to five acres to United States citizens willing to improve the land by developing a residence, business, or recreational structure.[4]
Thousands of cabins and other structures built by homesteaders, particularly during a period of popularity in the 1950s and 60s, have since been left abandoned. Although a cleanup effort in the early 2000s resulted the demolition of hundreds of abandoned structures,[5] numerous structures built by Small Tract Act homesteaders still exist in various states of use and repair.[6]
More recently, Wonder Valley has earned a reputation for being a fashionable destination for artists,[7] a trend which is frequently attributed to Wonder Valley's association with nearby Joshua Tree National Park.[8]
