San Bernardino, California
Encyclopedia : S : SA : SAN : San Bernardino, California
Nicknames, Pronunciation, and Abbreviations
San Bernardino has gone by many nicknames in its history. Of these, San Berdoo or Berdoo is the most common but is considered by some derogatory. Others include Gate City (to reflect its proximity to Los Angeles, and the fact that it is at the southern/western end of the Cajon Pass, leading to the High Desert and Las Vegas), City on the Move (used in the 1970s), and most recently The Heartbeat of Route 66. Latino gangs in the 1970s played on "Berdoo" by calling the city "Verdugo." [as in "This is Verdugo, holmes"] The term means "executioner" in Spanish, and is also a place name in Los Angeles County, both unrelated to the use. Outsiders often misspell the city as "San Bernadino" (without the "r"), and many long-time residents (particularly caucasian) pronounce it "San Berdino."[[Citing sources citation needed]] Newspapers, particularly the San Bernardino Sun, will abbreviate San Bernardino (both City and County) to "SB." This can cause some confusion in that other places in the state, including the South Bay of Los Angeles County, and Santa Barbara, California are both abbreviated to "SB." The name "San Bernardino" refers both to the incorporated "City of San Bernardino" and other associated, unincorporated parts of the City.
History
San Bernardino's original known inhabitants were Serrano Indians who spent their winters in the valley, and their summers in the cooler mountains. They were known as the "Yuhaviatam" or People of the Pines. They have lived in the valley since approximately 1000 B.C. They lived in small brush covered structures
Spanish Military Commander of California Pedro Fages probably entered San Bernardino valley in 1772. Missionary priest Father Francisco Garces entered the valley in 1774, as did the Anza Expedition, though not in present-day San Bernardino.
The traditional (since there is a dispute as to the following events) founding and naming of San Bernardino is that Father Francisco Dumetz made a trip from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to the San Bernardino Valley on May 20, 1810, the feast day of Saint Bernardine of Sienna (San Bernardino in Spanish) during California's Mission Period.
In 1819, the San Gabriel Mission created an Estancia at an Indian settlement called Guachama, the site of which is in modern-day Redlands, and Rancho San Bernardino. A group of adobe buildings were constructed around 1830. The site was closed when Governor Figueroa closed down the mission system in 1834. The site would later be known as "Old San Bernardino."
Kit Carson and a group of trappers went through the Cajon pass in 1830. The Cajon Pass was used by many early explorers, settlers, and traders going to places further West.
In 1839, the Lugo Family built an adobe house where the current county courthouse sits today.
On June 21, 1842, Rancho San Bernardino was granted to Don Antonio Maria Lugo, his sons and his nephews, who grazed approximately 6000 cattle in the area. The grant included a large part of the San Bernardino valley, 37,700 acres (153 km²) in all. Lugo's adobe would later become Amasa Lyman's house. His brother repaired the Estancia and lived there.
In 1842, Michael White was granted the Muscupiabe Rancho, named after the Serrano village Amuscupiabit, "Place of little pines." Michael White built a house overlooking the Cajon Pass, but Native Americans from the desert stole his grazing stock, and he abandoned the Rancho after nine months.
In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, the Mormon Battalion of the U.S. Army, led by Captain Jefferson Hunt was sent to guard the Cajon Pass. The story of the Battalion started in Council Bluffs, Iowa on July 10, 1846 and arrived in San Diego on January 29, 1847. Company C was dispatched to guard the Cajon Pass. On furloughs, Captain Hunt and others worked for Rancho de Chino owner Isaac Julian Williams. After the War, the Battalion mainly went back to Utah.
Mormon Leader Brigham Young saw Southern California as a supply source for the salt flats of Utah, and as an immigration and mail stop between Salt Lake City and San Pedro, California. A group of almost 500 Mormons left Utah for California in 1851. They found abundant water in the valley, along with willows, sycamores, cottonwood and mustard, as well as the Yucca plant. The Mormon contingent was led by Captain David Seely (later first Stake President, Captain Jefferson Hunt and Captain Andrew Lytle, and included Apostles Amasa M. Lyman and Charles Rich. They first made camp at the Sycamore Grove, about 1.5 miles southeast of the present Glen Helen Regional Park. They stayed until the sale of the San Bernardino Rancho could be arranged.
In September 1851, Don Lugo sold the Rancho to members of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) The Rancho included most of modern San Bernardino among other areas, though part of the northern areas of the City were part of Rancho Muscupiabe. The price for 40,000 acres (162 km²) was $77,000 with $7,000 down.
The Mormons built Fort San Bernardino at the site of the present county courthouse. Inside the fort, they had small stores, and outside, they grew wheat and other crops. They later moved outside the walls of the fort when feared-attacks did not materialize. The Mormon Council House was built in 1852. It was used as the post office, school, church, and was the county courthouse from 1854 to 1858.
On November 7, 1852, Colonel Henry Washington, deputy surveyor (by contract with the United States Surveyor General for California) surveyed the San Bernardino Base Line and Meridian from a point just west of Mount San Bernardino, at an elevation of 10,300 feet, east of present day Highland. The Base and Meridian lines serve as the initial surveying point (known as the point of beginning) for all of Southern California.
The County of San Bernardino was formed from Los Angeles County in 1853 based on Assemblyman Jefferson Hunt's bill. Captain Hunt was a leader of the Mormon expedition.
In 1853, The Mormons laid out the current street grid system, one mile square, which is based upon the grid layout of Salt Lake City. Each block was eight acres. The plan was laid out by Henry G. Sherwood, and assisted by Fred T. Perris. The east west streets were numbered, from First Street to Ninth Street. The north-south streets were named Kirtland Street (later "A" street, then Sierra Way); Camel Street(later "B" Street, then Mountain View Avenue; Crafton Street(later "C" Street, then Arrowhead Avenue; Utah Street (later "D" Street); Salt Lake Street (later "E" Street); California Street (later "F" Street); Independence Street (later "G" Street"); Nauvoo Street (later "H" Street); and Far West Street; (later "I" Street). The Mormons also built a road in 1853 to Los Angeles The Mormons were also responsible for the school system, creating Warm Springs, a school still in use today, as well as a school at the present site of Pioneer Park.
The City of San Bernardino was first incorporated on April 1, 1854. Mormon Apostle Amasa M. Lyman (who was later excommunicated) was the City's first Mayor. Apostle Charles Coulson Rich became the second Mayor. At incorporation, there were approximately 1,200 residents, 900 of them Mormons. They dominated local politics and forbade drinking and gambling.
Mormons created the first timber road to the mountains, and a flour mill (on Mill Street). In 1855, they diverted water from Waterman Canyon to Town Creek by means of a flume.
The Mormons created a temple block (but never a temple) in the center of the newly-laid out town between present-day 5th, 6th, E, and F Streets. They created a "Public Square," in which they celebrated the 4th of July. Later, after the Mormons returned to Utah, part of the land went to the Catholic Church, and part went to Dr. and Mrs. Quinn. In 1873, Bishop Amat, the Bishop of the Los Angeles and Monterrey Diocese, granted the northern part of the block to the City. It was later called "City Park," then "Lugo Park" until 1915, when it was renamed Pioneer Park, which it is still called today. A Pavilion, a log cabin, and the Municipal Auditorium (erected in 1921 to honor the dead of World War I were all built in the park, though the Pavilion and log cabin burnt down, and the Auditorium was torn down in 1979. The Norman F. Feldheym Library was built on the site in 1985. The park also contains two Civil War cannons.
The Mormons named the Arrowhead, a natural rock formation above Arrowhead Springs, the "Ace of Spades." On a clear day, the Arrowhead can be seen from downtown San Bernardino.
A small Jewish community formed in Mormon San Bernardino, including Lewis Jacobs and Marcus Katz in 1852. Lewis Jacobs was a miner and a peddler. He co-owned a mountain sawmill, started the original Bank of San Bernardino, and helped establish the Home of Eternity Cemetery Services began in the 1850s, but Congregation Emanuel, still active today, was not officially chartered until 1891, and its first structure was built in 1921. The Home of Eternity Cemetery was given by the Mormons to the Jews. It is the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use in Southern California. Marcus Katz was a merchant and civic leader and the name-sake of the four story Katz Building (built in the 1890s) at Third and "E" Streets. He died in 1899.
The Mormons were recalled to Salt Lake City in 1857, and many were forced to sell their property at a price lower than they had purchased it. Though some Mormons remained, mainline Latter Day Saints did not reestablish until the 1920s. The remaining residents lacked the industry of the departing Mormons. The City disincorporated. Among the people remaining was Celia Mounts Hunt, Captain Hunt's wife. She died on January 28, 1897 and is buried in Pioneer Cemetery.
In 1857, three orange trees were planted in Old San Bernardino. They were not the Washington Navel Orange that would later achieve great fame; they came in 1873 from Brazil to Riverside, California, then a part of San Bernardino County.
The City continued to develop in the Mormon's absence, largely as a commercial center. Dr. Ben Barton arrived in 1858, erecting an adobe drugstore/office at 4th and "C" (now Arrowhead Avenue) Street. Barton also became postmaster, County Superintendent of Schools, and purchased the Estancia which is today on Barton Road in Redlands, and moved there with his family. He died in 1898.
California remained in the Union during the Civil War, however, there were many Confederate sympathizers in the area. A brief skirmish between Unionists and Confederate sympathizers erupted in the mountains.
Gold was discovered by William Francis "Bill" Holcomb in the Holcomb and Bear Valleys in 1862. The boom-town of Belleville briefly threatened to take the county seat away from San Bernardino. San Bernardino won by one vote.
In 1862, a flood largely destroyed the earlier settlement of Agua Mansa, settled in the 1830s by New Mexicans in present day Colton. The Catholic Church there was rebuilt in downtown San Bernardino in 1865. That wooden church burnt down in 1878 and another was built. The present church, at the corner of Fifth Street and "F" was built in 1910. The flood caused severe damage along the Santa Ana River's tributaries, particularly Lytle Creek. Top soil was washed away.
In 1864, "Dr." David Noble Smith established a "treatment house" at the Arrowhead hot springs. By 1868, it had been enlarged to create a hotel. In 1885, he leased the property to Darby and Lyman of Los Angeles. Three days after Smith's death on March 17, 1885, the hotel burnt down. Darby and Lyman incorporated the Arrowhead Hot Springs Company, and rebuilt a new hotel in 1886 for $150,000. After it was expanded to 120 rooms it was the largest hotel in the San Bernardino area until it, too, burnt down on July 4, 1895. The third hotel was built by Seth Marshall in 1905. In 1930, it was purchased by a consortium of Hollywood types. In the days before air travel, it was marketed to Hollywood stars like Loretta Young, Mary Pickford, Spencer Tracy, and Humprey Bogart. A forest fire destroyed the third hotel in November 1938. The present structure (the fourth hotel) opened in December 1939 at a cost of $1.5 million. This time, the hotel was six stories, and the grand opening featured Judy Garland, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee. However, World War II caused the hotel to be taken over as naval hospital in 1944. After the war, Elizabeth Taylor spent her honeymoon with Conrad Hilton on the sixth floor. The hotel was purchased by Campus Crusade for Christ in 1962. It was used as world headquarters until 1991. It was operated as a Christian Conference Center in 1999. The City of San Bernardino is trying to annex the property into the City as part of a private development and redevelopment of Arrowhead Springs. In 1894, Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water began to be pumped from near the site, as it is today. However, Arrowhead Brand Water also comes from "natural mountain sources in the United States and Canada" since it was purchased by Nestle Waters North America, Inc.
A young Wyatt Earp and his family traveled to San Bernardino by wagon train, arriving in 1864. Virgil Earp later settled in Colton, California, where he became town marshal. Late in life, in the 1920s, Wyatt became a ceremonial San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff.
In 1866, militia forces from San Bernardino killed Serrano men, women, and children in a 32-day campaign. Yuhaviatam tribal leader Santos Manuel (from whom the name "San Manuel comes)led the remaining Yuhaviatam from the mountains to valley floor.
In August of 1867, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in San Bernardino. By 1870, there were 16 young males, including Ah Wing and Jim Kang. They were laundry men, cooks, and houseboys, according to the Census. During a state-wide depression in 1875, San Bernardino's Caucasian residents criticized the Chinese for depressing wage rates. The Chinese were forced to move in 1878 to a Chinatown on Third Street between what is now Arrowhead Avenue and Sierra Way. By the late 1890s, San Bernardino's Chinatown had between 400-600 residents. Many of its residents worked in produce, with farms in what would become the Base Line Gardens tract east of Waterman Avenue. By the mid 1920s, Chinatown was largely abandoned. It became the site for Caltrans. When the Caltrans buildings were torn-down, several Chinese artifacts were found.
By the 1870s, the City had several large stores and two hotels.
Though the first orange trees were planted in the county in 1857, in 1873 the first Washington Navel Orange tree was planted in Riverside, then a part of San Bernardino County. The area, like many others in Southern California, became associated with oranges. An orange still graces the city seal today, and represents all agriculture in the City.
In 1874, the County established the first permanent courthouse built for that purpose, a two-story structure.
In 1883, The Union Pacific Railway wanted to lay its tracks in San Bernardino, however, the City and the Railroad could not come to terms, so Union Pacific founded Colton, California and put its tracks south of San Bernardino. The railroad finally came to San Bernardino in 1886 with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad arrived. A wooden depot was built the same year until it burnt down in 1916. The current Moorish-style station was built in 1918.
The City thrived as a center of commerce for local agricultural areas, including the vast orange groves of the area. In 1882, even before Los Angeles, the Opera House opened at the end of Court Street on "D" Street. It was a two-story, red brick building. It featured both light and grand opera, plays, musicians, and touring performances by such people as by Maude Adams, Lillian Russell, Al Jolson, and Sarah Bernhardt. It seated between 1,200 and 1,400. After it was remodeled in 1912, it began to show motion pictures as well. The Opera House was torn down in 1927 to extend Court Street to the 1927 Courthouse on Arrowhead Avenue.
A political war regarding the construction of a new county courthouse in the early 1890s on Court Street, as well as various attempts to move the county seat, caused the County and City of Riverside to split off from San Bernardino County. The courthouse was built on the corner of Court and "E" Street in 1892, replacing the 1874 courthouse. The Courthouse would be demolished in 1928 after building the current courthouse in 1927 along the extended court street at 351 North Arrowhead Avenue.
San Bernardino developed a thriving red light district on "D" Street in downtown, until it was closed in 1941 at the behest of the War Department. It is said that the building north of the corner of "D" Street and Court Street, built of brick in the 1880s and known as the "Wixom Block" was the site of one such brothel; tiny windows are located at the top as lookouts. The corner of 3rd and D Streets was known as "Whiskey Point" with a saloon on every corner.
A Chinatown developed on Third Street east of Arrowhead Avenue, and survived until the 1920s. Its inhabitants grew vegetables which they peddled.
In May 1886, the City of San Bernardino reincorporated as a city 5th class (a distinction that is no longer observed by California law).
In the 1891, pursuant to the congressional Act for Relief for Mission Indians, the San Manuel Indian Reservation was established. The reservation was and is located in the San Bernardino foothills, originally on 657 acres (2.7 km²) of steep foothills to the top of Mount McKinley. The land was not suitable for agriculture and the San Manuels lived in poverty until the opening of Indian Bingo in 1986, and the later casino and water bottling plant in the 1990s and 2000s. The reservation has expanded by federalization of land purchased by or on behalf of the tribe to just over 800 acres (3.2 km²) today.
By the turn of the century, there were 6,150 residents in the City of San Bernardino.
By San Bernardino's "Centennial" in 1910, the population had grown to 12,779.
The National Orange Show was first held in March 1911 in a tent at Fourth and E Streets and later moved to permanent quarters on Mill and E Streets.
The City continued to expand generally North and west of Downtown. By the 1920s, tracts were built north of Highland Avenue and along Valencia Avenue.
The Pacific Electric Railway reached San Bernardino in the 1910s, which allowed residents to easily travel to Los Angeles and beyond.
The Depression and the Dust Bowl caused a wave of migrants from Oklahoma and Arkansas to arrive in San Bernardino to work the fields in and around the City.
Another flood in 1938 caused severe damage.
World War II brought an Army Air Corps base later named after Leland Francis Norton, a local man who died in the war. Camp Ono was an Army base to the west of the Shandin Hills.
Post-war prosperity, coupled with continued railroad jobs, civilian and military jobs at Norton, and at Kaiser Steel in Fontana, resulted in vast housing tracts being built in the City's North central and Del Rosa areas. At the same time, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Bernardino was formed in 1952 to deal with the Meadowbrook neighborhood south-east of downtown.
During the 60s, the Inland Center Mall opened, drawing business away from downtown. The Interstate 15, later 215 bifurcated the town in a way the railroad had not. Because of the railroad right-of-way, motorists could only exit west with great difficulty. Mount Vernon Avenue, which had flourished as part of the interstate Route 66, started to decay.
Urban renewal in the sixties caused the once center of town, Third Street to be gutted and replaced with the Central City Mall. Harris Company, which had opened in 1905, and opened a grand building in 1927 was one anchor, J.C. Penney’s and Montgomery Wards were the two other anchors.
Mayor Al Ballard made headlines when he equipped city fire trucks with shotguns in response to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles, in which shots were fired at fire trucks extinguishing flames.
In the 70s, Hospitality Lane was first developed in the southern extreme of San Bernardino south of the Santa Ana River, north of the 10 freeway. This put additional pressure on downtown, a factor that continues to today, but allows San Bernardino to compete regionally for office space and tax dollars.
In 1977, the City was named an "All-America" City.
The Hampshire flood took out forty homes in January 1980. In November 1980, the Panorama fire devastated the City's northern hills; in 2003 the Old Fire caused even more damage spanning from the eastern to the western borders. A train derailed on Duffy Street in 1989, followed a few days later by an explosion on a nearby pipe.
Steve Wozniak, the co-creator of Apple Computer, held the US Festival at the Glen Helen Regional Park (in Devore) in 1982, and then again in 1983. The County would later build the Blockbuster (later Hyundai) Pavilion at the site.
Norton Air Force Base officially closed in 1994, an event which caused the loss of 10,000 military and civilian jobs. Coupled with the recession of the early 1990s, the closing of Kaiser Steel in 1985, and Santa Fe Railroad's relocation of jobs to Topeka caused San Bernardino's economy to slide. Civic pride was further wounded when gangs pushed by LAPD suppression in Los Angeles relocated to San Bernardino. The early 1990s saw San Bernardino's crime rate increase as middle class, especially those employed at the large employers or in support of their workers, moved away. Three councilpersons were accused of corruption.
The late 1990s to the early 2000s saw a slight upturn in fortune for San Bernardino. The City built a minor league ballpark south of downtown. Arrowhead Credit Union became a regional banking powerhouse and intended to build its new headquarters in the City. In 2004, Stater Bros. Markets, a Fortune 1000 supermarket, announced it was going to build at the former Norton Air Force Base. Hillwood Corporation helped bring large warehouses, including those of Mattel, and Pep Boys, to the former base and its environs. The Hub project, an extension of Hospitality Lane, opened in 2004 and 2005. Live touring theater returned to the California Theater. Though outside the City and owned by the County, Blockbuster (later Hyundai) Pavilion brought national touring acts to San Bernardino.
In June, 2006, the City Council defeated a measure to fly a large flag purchased after 9/11 on certain legal holidays on City Hall by a vote of 4-3. The measure had failed on a 3-3 tie (with one councilmember absent) in May, 2006. The City continues to fly two regular flags in front of and on top of City Hall.
San Bernardino has also been in area news when an initiative circulated by Save Our State leader Joseph Turner regarding illegal immigration was sent to the electorate. According to the impartial analysis prepared by the City Attorney's Office, much of the initiative, even if passed would probably be ruled unconstitutional or preempted by federal or state law.
Vestiges of historical San Bernardino still exist today, though much has been demolished either through natural progress of smaller buildings giving way to larger buildings, through urban redevelopment and renewal, through natural disasters, through code enforcement demolitions, or through arson. Casualties include the California Hotel (built in the 1920s, demolished for a parking lot in the 1980s); the Stewart Hotel (burnt in the 1890s, rebuilt, burnt on Thanksgiving Day 1935); the Platt Building (torn down in the 1990s for the new State Building (aka the "Super Block"); Third Street (the commercial center of town, torn down in the 1960s for the Central City (later Carousel) Mall, the Carnegie Library; Remaining historical buildings include Pioneer Cemetery at Seventh and Sierra Way, the Harris' Company building (built in 1927); the central courthouse (built in 1926, and currently being seismically retrofitted); the Pioneer building (modeled after the City Hall of Seville Spain), Superior Court Judge George E. Otis' house (a Queen Anne Victorian house moved to the "carriage corner" of 8th and "D" Street); the Arrowhead Springs Hotel (the fourth structure, built in 1939) and former vaudeville/movie palace California Theater on Third Street.
Timeline
- 1810 - Father Dumetz names San Bernardino (the valley) on May 20, 1810, feast day of St. Bernardine of Siena
- 1842 - Rancho San Bernardino granted to Antonio Maria Lugo, encompassing the entire San Bernardino Valley
- 1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cedes California to the United States
- 1851 - Mormon colony founded
- 1852 - Colonel Henry Washington erects survey monument in San Bernardino Mountains, founds the San Bernardino Base and Meridian. The Base Line is along the street of the same name.
- 1854 - San Bernardino incorporated
- 1857 - Brigham Young recalls Mormons to Utah. San Bernardino disincorporated. The first orange trees are brought to the valley.
- 1862 - A flood causes the Santa Ana River to carry three times its usual volume, wiping out nearby Agua Mansa. A smallpox plague from Los Angeles hits San Bernardino.
- 1870 - Regional rival Riverside formed by John W. North.
- 1873 - The Southern Pacific Railroad enters into negotiations with the City to build a railroad through town. Talks break down.
- 1875 - The Southern Pacific reaches the valley but stops at Slover Mountain Colony. The station is named Colton after Southern Pacific Official David D. Colton, and will become the City of Colton.
- 1882 - Julia and Joseph Meyer arrive in the area today known as Verdemont in Northwestern San Bernardino, and eventually they will own 2,000 acres (8 km²) which they use to grow wine grapes.
- 1883 - California Southern Railroad reaqches San Bernardino on September 13th. San Bernardino High School becomes the first high school in the county.
- 1886 - San Bernardino reincorporated. A passenger rail fare war erupts between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe dropping the price from $125 to $1. All of Southern California booms.
- 1890 - The sanitarium that later becomes Patton State Hospital is founded.
- 1893 - Regional rival Riverside, forms its own County, with Riverside naturally its county seat.
- 1894 - The Sun Newspaper begins publishing.
- 1901 - San Bernardino's first permanent City Hall is located on a Corner of Third and "D" Street.
- 1902 - San Bernardino Valley Traction Company forms to operate electric trolleys ina nd between Colton, San Bernardino, Redlands and Highland.
- 1905 - San Bernardino passes its first Charter. Harris Company opens inside a small dry goods store. It becomes a small regional department store until it merges with Gottschalks in the 1990s.
- 1911 - First National Orange Show held.
- 1925 - Future President Lyndon B. Johnson works as an elevator operator in the Platt Building in downtown San Bernardino
- 1926 - San Bernardino Valley College built.
- 1927 - The San Bernardino County Court House is built on the site of Fort San Bernardino, as Court Street is extended to Arrowhead.
- 1938 - A major flood from the mountains damages the City.
- 1941 - Dorthy Ingrham becomes the first African American Teacher in San Bernardino, and later the first African American administrator in the state.
- 1942 - San Bernardino Air Material Command opens (later Norton Air Force Base).
- 1944 - San Bernardino native Leland Francis Norton was killed in action over Amiens, France on May 27, 1944. He was dive-bombing a target in an A-20 attack/bomber.
- 1947 - San Bernardino Air Depot deactivated, Congressman Harry Shepard gets it reactivated and expanded.
- 1948 - On December 12, siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald convert their "barbecue" restaurant on "E" Street into a fast food restaurant, McDonald's, by introducing their Speedee Service System.
- 1950 - Norton Air Force Base named after Leland Norton.
- 1961 - Dick and Mac McDonald sell Ray Kroc business rights to their restaurants for 2.7 million dollars; they retain the original McDonalds as "The Big M." Kroc opens a McDonalds across the street. Today, the Kroc restaurant remains boarded up, the original McDonalds was demolished, though a McDonalds museum exists at the original site (with a building built in the 1970s), which is run by Albert Okura, founder of the local chicken chain, Juan Pollo.
- 1965 - California State University, San Bernardino founded.
- 1970 - W.R. "Bob" Holcolmb is first elected Mayor. He would serve until 1985, and then again from 1989 to 1993.
- 1973 - A new City Hall is opened on what was once the middle of Third Street between "E" and "F". This modern, eight level, glass and concrete building, designed by Gruen and Associates is the current seat of City government.
- 1980 - Starting on November 24, and raging for six days, the Panarama Fire scorches 24,000 acres (97 km²), left four dead, destroyed 284 homes, and damaged 49 others. Many City firefighters lost their homes to this devastating firestorm. Low interest FEMA loans (at a time with record high mortgage interest rates) allowed most victims to rebuild and even expand their homes.
- 1985 - Norman F. Feldheym Library is dedicated. It is named after Rabbi Norman F. Feldheym, a prominent local leader who sat on the Library Board of Trustees for many years, among other civic accomplishments. Evelyn Wilcox is elected the first woman mayor. The County Government Center (nicknamed the "Taj Mahal" opens at Fourth Street and Arrowhead Avenue, just north of the courthouse.
- 1987 - Professional (Single-A) baseball arrives when a team from Ventura California moves to Fiscalani Field in Perris Hill Park and are named the San Bernardino Spirit. James F. Penman is first elected as City Attorney, replacing Ralph Prince, City Attorney since the 1950s.
- 1989 - Southern Pacific Railroad freight train derails, killing four on Duffy Street. Days later, the Cal-Nev gasoline pipeline ruptures and ignites at the same location from damage sustained in the derailment cleanup. The Miss USA Pageant is held in San Bernardino on July 25, and televised on CBS. Seeking free airtime, the City invests in an 800 number, which CBS does not show on the air. W.R. "Bob" Holcolmb, after four years out of power, is re-elected mayor.
- 1994 - Norton Air Force Base closed
- 1996 - San Bernardino Stadium (renamed Arrowhead Credit Union Park in 2003) is opened with the San Bernardino Stampede (formerly the San Bernardino Spirit) baseball club as its lead tenant. (They are later renamed the Inland Empire 66ers).
- 1997 - Mayor Judith Valles [Smith] is elected as Mayor. She is the first Latino elected Mayor in the City's history.
- 1999 - George E. Brown, Jr., [D-Colton] the area's long-time representative in the House of Representatives dies in office.
- 2000 - In December 2000, the City closes the Cypress Inn mobil home park off of Mount Vernon Avenue in the City's Westside. The park is closed by the City's Fire Prevention Unit because of life safety issues involving a gas leak and illegal/unsafe electrical hook-ups. The park is largely inhabited by monolingual Spanish speakers. The City, using money set-aside for redevelopment, relocates the park's inhabitants to local motels. One resident, Valente Duran complains about the treatment by the City. He says "In Mexico, they treat us better than here." San Bernardino City Attorney James F. Penman writes Valente Duran a letter in English and in Spanish that says in part "The people of this City have no desire to deprive you or your family of what you may believe would be better treatment by the government of Mexico. Therefore, in substitution for the housing, food, and other assistance the City of San Bernardino is voluntarily providing, we want to give you the option of continuing to receive this assistance or accepting our offer to arrange and pay for transportation for you and your family, one way, to Mexico." The letter causes a political firestorm.
- 2001 - Mayor Judith Valles is elected for a second term, running unopposed. Local newspapers allege this is a first in City history, but probably unlikely that someone ran against Apostle Amasa Lyman.
- 2003 - On October 25, 2003, the Old Fire (also known as the Old Waterman Canyon Fire), started by arsonist(s) destroys hundreds of structures in the foothills and in Del Rosa before heading into the San Bernardino Mountains. Many San Bernardino City Fire Department firefighters are battling the Grand Prix fire (which at the time was largely in Fontana and Rancho Cucamunga) at the time, reducing the City's full resource response. Two City firefighters lost their homes to the Old Fire. The hills denuded, floods devastate a camp ground just outside city limits in December.
- 2006 Judge Patrick "Pat" J. Morris wins a mayoral run-off against City Attorney James "Jim" Frank Penman.
Government
The City of San Bernardino is a charter city, a form of government under California that allows limited home-rule, in that it can pass its own laws not in conflict with state law, such as when state law is silent, or expressly allows municipal regulations of areas of local concern. San Bernardino became a charter city in 1905, the most current charter was passed in 2004.
The City of San Bernardino has what may be a unique form of government, with a strong, full-time, elected mayor, a city manager, an elected City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Treasurer, and seven council positions elected in a ward system. The charter also created the San Bernardino Unified School District, a legally separate agency, and the Board of Water Commissioners, a semi-autonomous, but legally indistinct commission, and a Board of Library Trustees.
The Charter also created the San Bernardino Police Department and Chief of Police; before 1905, there was a position of City Marshall. The current Charter places the Chief of Police under the direction of the Mayor.
The San Bernardino City Fire Department was founded in 1878. The Fire Chief is under the direction of the Mayor. It is a completely professional (as opposed to volunteer) fire department.
All other positions are under the general supervision of the City Manager, a position created by the 2004 charter. Previously, the San Bernardino Municipal Code recognized a City Administrator. In March 2006, City Administrator Frederick ("Fred") Wilson became the City's first City Manager.
When the City originally adopted a ward system, there were five wards. In the 1960s, the Council was expanded to seven wards. The boundaries are adjusted with each federal census as required by federal constitutional law. The current council is:
First Ward: Esther Estrada Second Ward: Dennis Baxter Third Ward: Gordon McGinnis Fourth Ward: Neiland ("Neil") K. Derry Fifth Ward: Chas (not Charles) Kelley Sixth Ward: Rikke Van Johnson Seventh Ward: Wendy McCammack
The Mayor is Patrick J. Morris;
The City Clerk is Rachel Clark;
The City Treasurer is David Kennedy;
The City Attorney is James "Jim" Frank Penman;
As per California law, all city positions are non-partisan.
San Bernardino shares certain powers with other agencies to form legally separate entities known as joint-power authorities under California law. These include Omnitrans, which provides transportation throughout the east and west valleys of San Bernardino County; SANBAG, which coordinates transportation projects throughout the County, and the Inland Valley Development Agency, which is responsible for redevelopment of the areas around the San Bernardino International Airport.
Additionally, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Bernardino (which goes by the name "Economic Development Agency of the City of San Bernardino," but never legally changed its name, is a separate legal entity, though the City Council of the City of San Bernardino sits as the Agency Board, and the Mayor is its executive.
The Government of Mexico has a consulate in San Bernardino on the southeast corner of Third Street and "D" Street. Citizens of Mexico can obtain a "Matrícula Consular" which many governments and businesses use in lieu of U.S. photo identification.
Legal system
San Bernardino is the County Seat of San Bernardino County. As such the (main) courthouse is, and by law must remain, in San Bernardino. Currently, the main courthouse is located at 351 North Arrowhead Avenue. It consists of a four-story building of steel and concrete construction built in 1927. A six-story addition was added in the 1950s. Currently, there are plans to seismically retrofit the 1926 structure, which will cause courtrooms and clerks to be temporarily moved to 303 West Third Street, site of the former State Building. The courthouse, after retrofit, will be transferred to the state's authority.
Juvenile Court and Juvenille Hall are located in a county enclave adjacent to the City on Gilbert Street, near the site of the former County Hospital.
A new courthouse is (very) tentatively planned to be built at the south east corner of Third and Arrowhead, across from both the planned 303 West Third courtrooms, and the current court. Funding for the future court will likely be conditioned upon a statewide bond inititative. The state courts operate as the San Bernardino Superior Court, San Bernardino District [formerly Central Division prior to the unification of the Superior and Municipal Courts in 1998]
The County's District Attorney and the Public Defender both have their main offices on Mountain View Avenue, directly east of the Courthouse.
The California Court of Appeal Fourth District, Division Two used to be located in San Bernardino, but moved to Riverside in the 1990s. Federal cases (including Bankruptcy) are also heard in Riverside courthouses.
As a charter City, San Bernardino may make and enforce its own laws not in conflict with the State's laws. These rules have been codified as the San Bernardino Municipal Code. Violations of the San Bernardino Municipal Code, punishable as a misdemeanor or infraction (or both) are prosecuted by the City Attorney's Office in the San Bernardino Superior Court. The City also has two administrative processes for violations of the San Bernardino Municipal Code, including adopted codes such as the Uniform Building Code and the California Fire Code. One is an administrative citation system, similar to a parking ticket, with a pay or contest procedure. The other is an administrative hearing process, generally used for multiple code violations by the Code Enforcement Department.
The San Bernardino Police Department has a holding area, but pre-trial in-custodies are transported to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Sentenced criminals are held at the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, just outside the City's limits in the Verdemont area. The Central Detention Center, located at 630 East Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino, served as the main jail from 1971-1992, today, it mostly serves federal prisioners under contract.
San Bernardino's legal community has two centers: downtown and Hospitality Lane. Criminal, family, and government lawyers are centered downtown, while local civil firms, such as Gresham, Savage, Nolan & Tilden, and outposts of state and national firms, corporate, and insurance defense firms, are located along Hospitatlity Lane.
Education
San Bernardino is almost entirely served by the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The district also serves parts of the Cities of Rialto and Highland. Parts of the City are served by the Redlands, Colton, and Rialto Unified School Districts. Despite the District's name, it is no longer a part of the City of San Bernardino. The district, as signified by its name, has elementary, intermediate, and high schools. The comprehensive high schools are Arroyo Valley High School, Cajon High School, San Bernardino High School, Pacific High School, and San Gorgonio High School.San Bernardino Valley College is a public community college. California State University, San Bernardino is a part of the California State University System. Other nearby institutions include the University of California, Riverside, the private University of Redlands, and California Polytechnic, Pomona.
Geography
San Bernardino is located at (34.129510, -117.293150)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 153.5 km² (59.2 mi²). 152.3 km² (58.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (0.74%) is water.
The City lies in the San Bernardino foothills and the eastern portion of the San Bernadino Valley. Some major geographical features include the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Bernardino National Forest along the northern border; the Cajon Pass adjacent to the northwest border; City Creek, Lytle Creek, Twin Creek, Warm Creek (as modified through flood control channels) feed the Santa Ana River, which forms part of the City's southern border south of San Bernardino International airport, but only a small amount of the river flows within the City.
A large part of the City is over the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, including downtown. This accounts for historically high groundwater in portions of the City, including the former Urbita Springs, a lake which no longer exists (it is now the site of the Inland Center mall), but which was a popular entertainment area until the 1930s. Seccombe Lake, named after a former mayor, is a man-made lake downtown at Sierra Way and Waterman Avenue. The San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District ("Muni"), which despite its name has nothing to do with the City, has plans on building a multi-acre resovoir South of Base Line to reduce groundwater and sell it to neighboring agencies.
The City has some notable hills; among them Perris Hill (named after Fred Perris, an early engineer, and the namesake of Perris, California), Kendall Hill (which is near California State University, San Bernardino), and the Shandin Hills, also known as "Little Mountain," (strictly speaking is only the peak with the radio transmitters) which are generally bounded by Sierra Way, 30th Street, Kendall Drive, and Interstate 215. Freeways act as geographical dividers for San Bernardino.
Interstate 215 is the major east-west divider, while State Route 30 (known as the "Crosstown Freeway") is the major north/south divider. Interstate 10 is to the south of the City, though a portion traverses San Bernardino near Waterman. Other major highways include State Route 206 (Kendall Drive and E Street; State Route 66 (which includes the former U.S. 66); State Route 18 (from State Route 30 north on Waterman Avenue to the northern City limits into the mountain communities), and State Route 259, the freeway connector between Route 30 and I-215.
San Bernardino International Airport (the former Norton Airforce Base) is physically located within the City. A large amount of wearhouses are being built in its general vicinity; it is within the jurisdiction of the Inland Valley Development Agency, a joint powers authority, and the San Bernardino Airport Authority. Hillwood, a venture run by H. Ross Perot, Jr., is the master developer of the project, which it calls AllianceCalifornia.
San Bernardino's neighborhoods are not commonly named. Some neighborhoods reflect tract names or geographical regions that existed before annexation. Del Rosa is the area generally between the foothills, Highland Avenue, Mountain and Arden Avenue, and includes unincorporated county islands. Delmann Heights is the area north of Highland Avenue, west of the 215, and east of the unincorporated area of Muscoy (which is within the City's sphere of influence for annexation). Some portions of Highland are within the City of San Bernardino, generally consistent with the portions of historical "West Highlands" north of Highland Avenue. The City also contains the post office for Patton, California, the area coexstensive with Patton State Hospital, a medium-security facility for sexually-violent mentally ill patients. Mountain Shadows originally was the development name for the area between Palm Avenune and Highland Avenue to State Route 330; today it generally means the mobile-home park of the same name. The "west side" is used generically to refer to the areas west of the 215 freeway. North Loma Linda is the area west of Mountain View (the border with Redlands), south of the Santa Ana River, North of the 10 freeway, and east of Tippecanoe Avenue. The area north of Northpark Avenue is sometimes referred to as Northpark. The area northwest of University Parkway, and north of Kendall Avenue to the City limits in Devore is called Verdemont. The neighborhood around Hemlock near Del Rosa is sometimes commonly called "Holcolmb Hill" in reference to former Mayor W.R. "Bob" Holcolmb, a long-time resident. The City of San Bernardino briefly (circa 2002) referred to the area immediately north of the Feldheym Library as "Old Towne," but the name is neither historically accurate, nor organic in any way. The "Bench" or "Rialto Bench" refers to the area with Rialto mailing addresses between Foothill Boulevard and Base Line, which is elevated over the wash.
Crime
San Bernardino has made great strides in improving its violent crime rates. Recent police efforts to clean up the city have made it safer. San Bernardino saw its murder rate peak during the early 1990s and remains one of the three most dangerous California cities, and one of the 25 most dangerous cities in the United States.It was #16 most dangerous in 2004 and #18 in 2005. According to FBI data of 2003, its murder rate was 25.9 per pop. 100,000 (secondary source: [City-Data.com]). In comparison to Los Angeles' rate, 13.9 per pop. 100,000, San Bernardino's murder rate is relatively high.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 185,401 people, 56,330 households, and 41,120 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,217.2/km² (3,152.4/mi²). There are 63,535 housing units at an average density of 417.1/km² (1,080.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 45.23% White, 16.41% African American, 1.40% Native American, 4.19% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 27.12% from other races, and 5.28% from two or more races. 47.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.Large parts of Western & Central San Bernardino are home to primarily Hispanic and African American neighborhoods. Historically, many Hispanics lived on Mount Vernon Avenue, while the East Base Line section was mostly black since the 1960s. The Seccombe Park section once boosted a large Chinese residential area, as well a Jewish district has vanished. The one square mile parcel of land, the San Manuel Indian Reservation has developed a mega-resort casino to benefit the tribal members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, now one of the area's largest private employers.
There are 56,330 households out of which 44.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% are married couples living together, 21.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% are non-families. 21.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.19 and the average family size is 3.72. As of 2000, 52.4% of housing is owner-occupied, 47.6% is renter-occupied, while 11.6% of all units were vacant.
In the city the population is spread out with 35.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,140, and the median income for a family is $33,357. Males have a median income of $30,847 versus $25,782 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,925. 27.6% of the population and 23.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 36.2% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Media
San Bernardino is part of the Los Angeles Nielsen area. As such, its residents receive the same television stations as most other Southern Californians. KVCR, a PBS affiliate operated by the San Bernardino Community College District, is the only local San Bernardino television station. Most of North San Bernardino cannot receive over-the-air television broadcasts. Since the 1960s, most North San Bernardino residents have required cable television to obtain television. Today, the City has two main cable franchises: Northwest San Bernardino has Charter Communications, the rest of the City has Adelphia (the franchise is held by Time Warner Cable, and will switch to Time Warner), and Mountain Shadow Cable is a small local company that provides services to the eponymous mobilehome park. DBS satelite is also prevalent.Historically, San Bernardino has had a number of newspapers. Today, the San Bernardino Sun, founded in 1894 (but was the continuation of an earlier paper) publishes in North San Bernardino, and has a circulation area roughly from Yucaipa to Fontana, including the mountain communities. Its major competitor is the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Many older residents refer to the Sun as the Sun-Telegram, its name when it merged with the afternoon Telegram in the 1960s.
San Bernardino and the Inland Empire have their own Arbitron area. Therefore, there are a number of radio stations that broadcast in or near San Bernardino.
Other than government or media outlets, no large internet sites are centered around San Bernardino.
Famous people from San Bernardino
- Brandie Burton - professional golfer
- Tyson Chandler - professional basketball player, Chicago Bulls
- Michael R. Clifford - astronaut
- Shawn Estes - Professional Baseball Player
- Jon Foreman - Christian rock musician
- Howard Georgi - professor of physics at Harvard University
- Gene Hackman - actor
- Edith Head - Academy Award-winning costume designer
- Jefferson Hunt - Western Pioneer
- Charles Johnson - professional football player
- Steve Johnson - professional basketball player
- Dirk Kempthorne - present US Secretary of the Interior and former governor of Idaho
- Claude R. Kirk, Jr. - former governor of Florida
- John Laurinaitis - professional wrestler
- Alberto Madril - professional wrestler
- Ryan Nece - professional football player, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Derek Parra - speed skater, gold and silver medalist at 2002 Winter Olympics, competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- Bryon Russell - Professional Baskeball Player, Denver Nuggets
- Swede Savage - NASCAR driver
- Dave Stockton - professional golfer
- Twyla Tharp - modern dancer
- Lisa Marie Varon aka Victoria - professional wrestler
- Robert Waterman - Governor of California
Sister Cities
San Bernardino has eleven sister cities, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)] and the [Mayor's office] of the City of San Bernardino:Trivia
- Site of first McDonald's restaurant
- Famed British disc jockey John Peel worked at local radio station KMEN in the mid-1960s
- Burial place of guitarist Randy Rhoads in Mountain View Cemetery at Waterman and Highland Avenues.
- Site of Mick Jones' last performance with British punk band The Clash
- Mentioned in Bobby Troup's song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66"
- The city hosts the Inland Empire 66ers baseball club of the California League.
- Sammy Davis Jr was involved in a world famous car accident where he lost his eye in 1954. He was treated at San Bernardino Community Hospital.
- Will Rogers final public appearance was at the California Theatre in 1935. Two large murals of Rogers appear on the California Theater today.
- The Rolling Stones made their U.S. Concert Debut (though they had other, promotional dates first [link] at the Swing Auditorium on June 5, 1964.
- The first line of the Mark Knopfler song "Boom Like That" is 'I'm going down to San Bernardino,' a reference to Ray Kroc's visit to the first McDonald's.
- Mentioned in Bugs Bunny cartoons often
- Mentioned on an episode of The Simpsons
- "San Ber'dino" was the title of a song written by Frank Zappa and appeared on the album "One Size Fits All".
- San Bernardino is also mentioned in the Eagles Of Death Metal song "San Berdoo Sunburn" of their debut album "Peace, Love And Death Metal".
- The first chapter of the HAMC (Hells Angels) was started in San Bernardino (The Berdoo chapter) in 1948.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
- Mentioned in the Movie Cars
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.