Baker is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

located in

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

, US. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 735. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area codes 442 and 760.

History

Baker was founded as a station on the

Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad was a former class II railroad that served eastern California and southwestern Nevada. The railroad was built mainly to haul borax from Francis Marion Smith's Pacific Coast Borax Company mines located just eas ...

in 1908 and was named for

Richard C. Baker Richard C. Baker (1858 – 1937) was the British business partner of Francis Marion "Borax" Smith and eventually became president of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad. In 1899, "Borax" Smith, founder of Pacific ...

, business partner of

Francis Marion Smith Francis Marion Smith (February 2, 1846 – August 27, 1931) (once known nationally and internationally as "Borax Smith" and "The Borax King" ) was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisc ...

in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself. Baker was established in 1929 by

Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (December 26, 1857 – October 3, 1943) was an American prospector, entrepreneur, and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05), Shoshone (1910), ...

(1857–1942), who was an American prospector, entrepreneur, and pioneer who established several towns in the

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05) and Shoshone (1910). It is the site of a vacant, 223-bed

for-profit prison A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place where people are imprisoned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit pr ...

formerly operated by Cornell Corrections which experienced a major riot on December 2, 2003, four weeks before it was temporarily closed. It was permanently closed on December 25, 2009.

GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's ...

purchased

Cornell Companies Cornell Companies (NYSE:CRN) was an American corporation that operated correctional facilities, contracting them to state and local governments. The company's headquarters were located in Houston, Texas. On August 12, 2010, Cornell was acquired b ...

, its owner, on August 12, 2010. It had previously experienced escapes in August and November 1995 and two on July 15, 1997.

Geography and climate

Baker is located at (35.265099, -116.074768). Baker is located in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

at the junction of

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

and SR 127 (Death Valley Road). Its elevation is approximately above sea level, which is much lower than either Barstow or

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, due to its location at the southern end of the

geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the CDP covers an area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km), all of it land. Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed ; 2007 saw a record of .

Demographics

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

reported that Baker had a population of 735. The population density was . The racial makeup of Baker was 302 (41.1%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

(26.5% Non-Hispanic White), 1 (0.1%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 5 (0.7%) Native American, 10 (1.4%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 14 (1.9%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 380 (51.7%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 23 (3.1%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 502 persons (68.3%). The Census reported that 731 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 215 households, out of which 122 (56.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 106 (49.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 39 (18.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 23 (10.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (13.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 28 households (13.0%) were made up of individuals, and 4 (1.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 168

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.74. The population was spread out, with 277 people (37.7%) under the age of 18, 80 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 236 people (32.1%) aged 25 to 44, 121 people (16.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 21 people (2.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males. There were 303 housing units at an average density of , of which 116 (54.0%) were owner-occupied, and 99 (46.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 20.8%. 414 people (56.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 317 people (43.1%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Baker had a median household income of $33,068, with 9.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Baker's economy is based primarily on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

. The town is frequently used as a stop for food and fuel by drivers on

between

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and

. Baker is approximately southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the

Mojave National Preserve Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994, with the passage of ...

. Currently there is only one motel in Baker, the Santa Fe Motel, formerly the Wills Fargo Motel.

Baker Airport Baker Airport is a public airport located two miles (3 km) northwest of the central business district of Baker, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Managem ...

is a small facility owned by the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...

, Bureau of Land Management, but it is managed by San Bernardino County Department of airports Baker prison sign

Government

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Baker is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Baker is in . Since Baker is an unincorporated community of San Bernardino County, County CEO, Leonard X. Hernandez, would be considered the Chief Administrator of Baker. Water, Sanitary Sewers, Trash Collection Services, Fire Protection, Television Translators, Road Maintenance, Street Lighting, Park and Recreation is administered by the Baker Community Services District

Mars rover test site

The Mars Science Laboratory Team tested an engineering model of the ''

Curiosity Curiosity (from Latin '' cūriōsitās'', from ''cūriōsus'' "careful, diligent, curious", akin to ''cura'' "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans ...

'' rover in the desert near Baker.

Attractions

* The town's most prominent feature is a

thermometer A thermometer is a device that measures temperature or a temperature gradient (the degree of hotness or coldness of an object). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb of a mercury-in-glass thermometer ...

, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". Visible for miles, it was not operational from 2012 to mid-2014 when it was relighted following restoration. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, , in nearby

on July 10, 1913. The thermometer was featured on the television show '' Strange Inheritance'' season 1 episode 13 on the

Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenu ...

. *

Dumont Dunes Dumont Dunes is an area of the Mojave Desert containing large sand dunes, located approximately 31 miles north of Baker, California on California State Route 127. Bordered by steep volcanic hills and the slow running Amargosa River, the region is ea ...

Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a popular area for ATV riders. * Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by the

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...

. * A yearly race is held called "The Challenge Cup Relay: Baker to Vegas" or commonly referred as "Baker to Vegas" where law enforcement do a relay running race from Baker, CA to

Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually.

In popular culture

*'' The Big Empty'' *''

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a ''roman à clef'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follo ...

'' *In the video game '' Fallout: New Vegas'', the fictional town of Novac is located in the Mojave desert near the real-world location of Baker, and features as a main attraction the world's second-largest thermometer.

References

External links

Baker Chamber of Commerce

A history of Baker

Pilgrims in the Desert
- a book on the history of Baker

Mojave National Preserve
{{authority control Populated places in the Mojave Desert Census-designated places in San Bernardino County, California Census-designated places in California