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San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,709,434. As of 2007, the population was estimated by the California Department of Finance to have grown to 2,028,013.[1] San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area, and is larger than each of the nine smallest states. However, if other county equivalents are included, it is only the fifth largest, as four of Alaska's boroughs are larger. Located in the southeast of the state of California, the deserts and mountains of this vast county stretch from the outskirts of the densely populated Riverside-San Bernardino Area to the Nevada border and the Colorado River. The county seat is San Bernardino. The more urbanized southwestern portions of the county are considered to be part of the Inland Empire region.
HistoryFather Francisco Dumetz named San Bernardino on May 20, 1810, feast day of St. Bernardino of Siena. San Bernardino County was formed from parts of Los Angeles County in 1853. Parts of the county's territory were given to Riverside County in 1893. The Franciscans gave the name San Bernardino to the snowcapped peak in southern California, in honor of the saint and it is from him that the county derives its name. GeographyThe Mojave National Preserve covers some of the eastern desert, especially between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The desert portion also includes the cities of Needles next to the Colorado River, and Barstow at the junction in Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. Trona is at the northwestern part of the county west of Death Valley. This famous national park, mostly within Inyo County, also has a small portion of land within the county. The largest metropolitan area in the Mojave Desert part of the county is the Victor Valley with the incorporated localities of Apple Valley, Victorville, Adelanto, and Hesperia. Further south, a portion of Joshua Tree National Park overlaps the county near Twentynine Palms. Additional places near and west of Twentynine palms include Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and Morongo Valley. The mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest, and include the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, Big Bear City, Forest Falls, and Big Bear Lake. The San Bernardino Valley is at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley, and is part of the Inland Empire. The San Bernardino Valley includes the cities of Ontario, Chino, Chino Hills, Upland, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Highland, Redlands, and Yucaipa. The Inland Empire area of Southern California is made up of the southwestern portion of San Bernardino County and western portion of Riverside county. Incorporated communities
Unincorporated communities
Adjacent counties
San Bernardino County, California, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as 8 counties. National protected areas
Transportation infrastructureMajor highways
Public transportation
Airports
Colleges and universities
Politics
San Bernardino County is a predominantly Republican county, with Bill Clinton in 1996 being the last Democrat to win a plurality in the county. However, the county is split between heavily Latino and Democratic areas and more conservative areas. For example, the heavily Latino cities of Ontario and San Bernardino went for John Kerry in 2004. However, these cities had lower voter turnout. In 2006, San Bernardino's population exceeded 201,000, and in 2004, a mere 42,520 votes were cast in the city; in 2006, strongly Republican Rancho Cucamonga had over 145,000 people, of whom 53,054 voted. In the House of Representatives, all of California's 43rd congressional district and parts of the 25th, 26th, 41st, and 42nd districts are in the county. Except for the 43rd, which is held by Democrat Joe Baca, every district is held by Republicans: Buck McKeon, David Dreier, Jerry Lewis, and Gary Miller respectively. In the State Assembly, tiny parts of the 32nd and 34th districts, parts of the 36th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 63rd, and 65th districts, and all of the 62nd district are in the county. Except for the 61st and 62nd districts, which are represented by Democrats Nell Soto and Wilmer Carter respectively, every district is represented by a Republican: Jean Fuller (AD-32), Bill Maze (AD-34), Sharon Runner (AD-36), Anthony Adams (AD-59), Bob Huff (AD-60), Bill Emmerson (AD-63), and Paul Cook (AD-65). In the State Senate, parts of the 17th, 18th, 29th, 31st, and 32nd districts are in the county, and are held by Republicans George Runner, Roy Ashburn, Bob Margett, and Bill Emmerson, and Democrat Gloria Negrete McLeod respectively. According to the California Secretary of State, as of April, 2008, there are 748,282 registered voters in San Bernardino County. Of those, 290,133 (38.8%) are registered Democratic, 300,426 (40.2%) are registered Republican, 32,898 (4.4%) are registered with other political parties, and 124,825 (16.7%) declined to state a political party. DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 1,709,434 people, 528,594 households, and 404,374 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people 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 58.91% White, 9.09% African American, 1.17% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 20.82% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races. 39.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.3% were of German, 5.5% English and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 66.1% spoke English, 27.7% Spanish and 1.1% Tagalog as their first language. There were 528,594 households out of which 43.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.50% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.58. The number of homeless in San Bernardino County grew from 5,270 in 2002 to 7,331 in 2007, a 39% increase.[3] In the county the population was spread out with 32.30% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 18.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 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. The per capita income for the county was $16,856. About 12.60% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over. Public Safety
SBC Sheriff's department operates a sizeable fleet of helicopters. Shown here are a Bell 212 (foreground) and a Sikorsky S-61 at the air unit's Rialto headquarters. The county's primary law enforcement agency is the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The department provides law enforcement services in the unincorporated areas of the county as well as 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. For more information on the department, click on the above hyperlink. The Inland Empire is well known for its Chicano gangs. The most well-known gangs are the Onterio Varrio Sur gang and the West Side Verdugo mt vernon gang, as well as the South Side Verdugo Flats gang, in various parts of south San Bernardino, particularly around Mount Vernon Avenue. Fuelled by drug money and the ease of communication brought on by affordable cell phones, the street gangs have flourished and spread across and beyond the Inland Empire in the face of sporadic and ineffective law enforcement efforts and inadequate intervention strategies. Incidents of gang violence in San Bernardino County have increased since the 1960s, while at the same time growing more brutal. There are now an estimated 68,600 gang members in 287 gangs in the Inland Empire. Sergeant Phil Brown of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the gangs are growing more violent in the farthest reaches of the county, including the High Desert. Racial tensions among the Chicano gangs and the African-American gangs have heightened dramatically in the Inland Empire, causing even the most rural areas to be affected. "It's getting out in more remote areas," Brown said. "They go gang against gang. There's more gang violence to the general public and it's becoming more random.." http://lang.sbsun.com/socal/gangs/articles/ALL_p1main.asp Environmental qualityCalifornia Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the county in April 2007 under the state's environmental quality act for failing to account for the impact of global warming in the county's 25-year growth plan, approved in March. The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and the Audubon Society also sued in a separate case. According to Brendan Cummings, a senior attorney for the plaintiffs: "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's environmental impact section to include methods to measure greenhouse gases and take steps to reduce them.[4] According to county spokesman David Wert, only 15% of the county is actually controlled by the county; 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 has budgeted $325,000 to fight the lawsuit.[4] Places of interest
TriviaResidents of noteIncluding current residents, as well as former residents who have made their mark in history.
See alsoReferencesExternal links
ar:?????? ??? ??????????? ?????????? bg:??? ?????????? (?????) da:San Bernardino County de:San Bernardino County et:San Bernardino maakond es:Condado de San Bernardino fa:??????? ?? ????????? fr:Comté de San Bernardino bpy:??? ?????????? ???????, ??????????????? it:Contea di San Bernardino pam:San Bernardino County, California nl:San Bernardino County no:San Bernardino County nds:San Bernardino County pt:Condado de San Bernardino sv:San Bernardino County zh:?????? (??????) Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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