Joshua Tree 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 counte ...

(CDP) in

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is locat ...

, United States. The population was 6,489 at the 2020 census. At approximately above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the High Desert of California. The center of the business district in Joshua Tree is on California State Route 62.

Geography

Joshua Tree is located in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total land area of 93.5 km (36.1 mi²). Joshua Tree is home to

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...

. Joshua Tree shares its eastern border with Twentynine Palms, its western border with

Yucca Valley Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 21,738 as of the 2020 census. Yucca Valley lies north of Palm Springs, and east of San Bernardino. Bordered to the south by the Joshu ...

, and its northwestern border with Landers; it is bordered on the south by the

Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...

. The Bartlett Mountains are northwest of the community.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Joshua Tree had a population of 6,489. The population density was . The racial makeup of Joshua Tree was 72.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.5% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.1% from other races, and 13.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.0% of the population. The census reported that 96.9% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2.5% were institutionalized. There were 2,783 households, out of which 21.7% included children under the age of 18, 34.9% were married-couple households, 10.0% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 31.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 23.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.9% of households were one person, and 15.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26. There were 1,515

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(54.4% of all households). The age distribution was 18.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% aged 18 to 24, 25.3% aged 25 to 44, 27.2% aged 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.1years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. There were 3,745 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,783 (74.3%) were occupied. Of these, 60.4% were owner-occupied, and 39.6% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 7.6% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 88.5% spoke only English at home, 8.2% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 2.3% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 0.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.6% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 91.9% were high school graduates and 25.0% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $64,036, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $33,512. About 14.6% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line. JoshuaTree 20150911

2010

At the 2010 census Joshua Tree had a population of 7,414. The population density was . The racial makeup of Joshua Tree was 6,176 (83.3%) White (73.9% Non-Hispanic White), 234 (3.2%) African American, 84 (1.1%) Native American, 104 (1.4%) Asian, 18 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 368 (5.0%) from other races, and 430 (5.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,308 persons (17.6%). The census reported that 7,263 people (98.0% of the population) lived in households, 30 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 121 (1.6%) were institutionalized. There were 3,088 households, 862 (27.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,209 (39.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 431 (14.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 162 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 237 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 30 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,018 households (33.0%) were one person and 358 (11.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35. There were 1,802 families (58.4% of households); the average family size was 2.97. The age distribution was 1,626 people (21.9%) under the age of 18, 813 people (11.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,756 people (23.7%) aged 25 to 44, 2,056 people (27.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,163 people (15.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. There were 3,808 housing units at an average density of 102.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,872 (60.6%) were owner-occupied and 1,216 (39.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 4,178 people (56.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,085 people (41.6%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Joshua Tree had a median household income of $39,492, with 21.8% of the population living below the

federal poverty line In the United States, poverty has both social and political implications. Based on Measuring poverty, poverty measures used by the Census Bureau (which exclude non-cash factors such as food stamps or medical care or public housing), America h ...

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Joshua Tree is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Joshua Tree is located in California's 23rd congressional district, which has a

Cook PVI The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, comp ...

of R+10 and is represented by . Joshua Tree is represented by San Bernardino County 3rd District Supervisor James Ramos – 2012.

Attractions

The Joshua Tree Visitor Center for

is located at the junction of Highway 62 and Park Boulevard in downtown Joshua Tree and the park's west entrance is located south. The community of Joshua Tree is unincorporated and is represented by the Joshua Tree Municipal Advisory Counsel (MAC) as the official liaison between the community and the

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, 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 th ...

government. Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art is of sculptures, assemblages, and installations mostly made from found material by Noah Purifoy. The World Famous Crochet Museum is also located in the area.

Wildlife

The

is home to a diverse range of wildlife, featuring 57 types of mammals, including elusive bighorn sheep and common coyotes, alongside 46 reptile species, like the increasingly rare desert tortoise. The park is also a key spot on the Pacific Flyway, recording over 250 bird species, making it a hotspot for birdwatching, from common ravens to migrating warblers. Within the city of Joshua Tree itself, animals like cottontail rabbits, coyotes, roadrunners and quails can be frequently seen.

Notable people

Natives

People born in Joshua Tree: * Less Bells, musician * Brent Bolthouse, entrepreneur *

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the founder and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he for ...

(born 1973), musician * Phillip Carl Jablonski (1946–2019), serial killer

Inhabitants

People who live/lived in Joshua Tree: * Alma Allen (born 1970), sculptor * Tara Beier, singer * Marjorie Cameron (1922–1995), actress *

Joey Castillo Joseph William Castillo (born March 30, 1966) is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age from 2002 to 2012. He is currently a member of Circle Jerks, The Bronx, DOOM Regulator, ...

(born 1966), musician * Dave Catching (born 1961), musician *

Edie Fake Edie Fake (born 1980) is an American artist, illustrator, author, and transgender activist. Fake is known for their comics/zines, gouache and ink paintings, and murals. Fake has an award winning comic-zine series about Gaylord Phoenix, a bird-li ...

(born 1980), artist *

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

(1917–2003), composer * Conrad Lambert, musician known as "Merz" * Myshkin, singer *

Johnette Napolitano Johnette Napolitano (born Jonette L. Napolitano; September 22, 1957) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and bassist for the alternative rock group Concrete Blonde. Early life Johnette Napolitano was born and r ...

, musician and artist * Simon Rex (born 1974), actor *

Wayne Static Wayne Richard Wells (November 4, 1965 – November 1, 2014), known professionally as Wayne Static, was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, and primary lyricist for the industrial metal band St ...

(1965–2014), musician * John Whooley, musician * Charles M. Wysocki (1928–2002), painter

Deaths

People who died in Joshua Tree: * Charles H. Gray (1921–2008), actor * Ish Kabibble (1908–1994), comedian * Art Kunkin (1928–2019), journalist * John F. Logan (1946–2013), musician known as "Juke" *

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

(1946–1973), musician * Noah Purifoy (1917–2004), artist * Tera Wray (1982–2016), pornographic actress

Gallery

File:Joshua_Tree_Welcome_Sign.jpg, Joshua Tree Welcome sign off Highway 62 File:Joshua Tree CA 20170907.jpg, Southward view of Joshua Tree Town Center in front of the mountains of Joshua Tree National Park File:Twenty-Nine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree, CA.jpg, Southwesterly view of the

San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...

from Twenty-Nine Palms Highway (CA Route 62) File:Joshua_Tree_Downtown_2017.jpg, Downtown Joshua Tree looking southwest File:Joshua Tree Visitor Center - 12.jpg, Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center File:JTCA RetreatCtr2 20140905.jpg, Southwesterly view of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center File:Copper Mountain College 2016.jpg, Copper Mountain College File:JTCA 2 20140905.jpg, Backcountry road off of Olympic Road in Joshua Tree

Climate

References

External links

Joshua Tree: The Complete GuideThe Joshua Tree Visitors Guide
{{authority control Census-designated places in San Bernardino County, California Populated places in the Mojave Desert Census-designated places in California