Pine Mountain Club is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in southwestern

Kern County, California Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County comprise ...

. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,315. It is one of the

Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass The Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, or the Frazier Mountain Communities, in the San Emigdio Mountains is a region of California that includes Lebec, Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Pinon Pines, and Pine Mountain Club, in Kern Count ...

Geography

Pine Mountain Club has an area of . It ranges from in elevation. The community sits in a deep valley of the

San Emigdio Mountains The San Emigdio Mountains are a part of the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, extending from Interstate 5 at Lebec and Gorman on the east to Highway 33–166 on the west. They link the Tehachapis and Temblor Range and form the southern ...

, on the

San Andreas fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that extends roughly through California. It forms the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, and its motion is Fault (geology)#Strike-slip fau ...

. It is surrounded by

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...

. The settlement lies between Apache Saddle and Pinon Pines Estates along Mil Potrero Highway. It is west of Frazier Park,

Lebec Lebec is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place in southwestern Kern County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 1,468. Geography Lebec is located in Castac Valley ...

, and

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

History

Founding and development

Pine Mountain Club was developed in 1971 by

Tenneco Tenneco (formerly Tenneco Automotive and originally Tennessee Gas Transmission Company) is an American automotive components original equipment manufacturer and an aftermarket ride control and emissions products manufacturer. It is a Fortune 50 ...

. The first announcement was made from Houston, Texas, in April of that year when the company said it would develop "more than 1.1 million acres of land in Arizona and Southern California."Associated Press, "Tenneco Tells Plans for Major Land Developments," ''Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 14, 1971, image 14
/ref>Associated Press, "Homes Will Surround New Bakersfield Campus," ''Oakland Tribune,'' April 18, 1971, image 67
/ref> Tenneco was the Bakersfield-based western land-development arm of Tenneco, Inc., of Houston. About half that acreage was to be in

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

, where the projects would include the residential development of 6,500 acres surrounding the then-new California State College near Bakersfield and 3,200 acres in the

, also mostly for residences (Pine Mountain Club). The forest project was to set aside a thousand acres for vacation home sites and 2,200 acres "for permanent preservation in their natural state." The program was to be directed by John E. Sommerhalder, president of Tenneco West.Dick Turpin, "Pine Mountain Resort," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 13, 1971, image 148
/ref> The land was part of a 3,200-acre tract of pine forest and meadowland, formerly a private

preserve The word preserve may refer to: Common uses * Fruit preserves, a type of sweet spread or condiment * Nature reserve, an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or other special interest, usually protected Arts, entertainment, and media ...

."Vacation Resort Area Being Built," ''Daily News-Post,'' Monrovia, California, June 17, 1971, image 11
/ref> Tenneco West was a Bakersfield subsidiary that administered all the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

holdings of

, "the parent, Houston-based, multi-industry company."Turpin, "Pine Mountain Club: Family Hideaway," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 13, 1971, image 125
/ref>

Adjacent to the clubhouse will be a nine-hole executive golf course and other recreational facilities are a heated swimming pool, archery range, volleyball and basketball courts, a lake stocked with fish and a community barbecue area.

Tenneco West President Sommerhalder said the club was believed to be among the largest all-electric family recreational resorts in California. Three kinds of "vacation or weekend homesites" were to be offered: (1) One- to three-bedroom dwellings, (2) modular homes, and (3) space for mobile homes.

Hiking trails, bridle trails (16 miles marked for from one-hour to all-day rides), an equestrian center with 10-stall barn, tack room, riding ring and corrals for boarding horses also will be available. . . . Later this year, a general store and laundromat will be added.

The prices were estimated to begin from about $13,500 for a one-bedroom house and lot.Dick Turpin, "Pine Mountain Resort," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 13, 1971, image 148
/ref> At the time of the announcement in 1971, "four deep wells" had already been sunk and an "extensive network of reservoirs and pipelines" laid, with a filtration plant near the commercial center. Sommerhalder said the developer had the "assistance of Simon Eisner, nationally known environmental planner." Eight months after the opening, seventy-nine percent of the 1,309 purchasers indicated in a survey that construction of a vacation home was the prime reason for buying a lot and 43% of that group said they intended to start building during 1972. The development's sixth and final section, on a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

some thousand feet higher than the clubhouse, went on sale in March 1973.

Mil Potrero Highway

Tenneco West improved a "winding, steep, one-lane dirt road" called ''Mil Potrero'' west from Pine Mountain Club to California State Highway 33 into a "comfortable, convenient and safe way . . . to view what is generally regarded as

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

's most strikingly beautiful scene." The cost for the 6.5-mile segment was estimated at nearly a million dollars. John E. Sommerhalder, the company president, said the road opened up "a large segment of the os Padres Nationalforest that, until now, has been almost inaccessible.""It's Now Mil Potrero Road," ''The Hanford Sentinel,'' February 26, 1972, image 90
/ref>

The job was unusually difficult, partly because of the mountainous terrain and partly because of protective and restorative measures taken to reduce to a minimum the disturbance to the natural surroundings. . . . The project had to conform to the specifications and requirements of both
Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...
and the
U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
. In effect, it is already a public road, although Tenneco must maintain it for a year before the formal dedication as a public road can take place.

To keep damages to the forest at a minimum, contractors Yeager Construction of Riverside and Desert Construction of Victorville were required to do all the work from the existing

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

and forbidden to build a temporary construction road alongside. Fire-protection equipment had to be on hand at all times.

Fruition

By 1988, Pine Mountain Club had a small

commercial district A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is Commerce, commercial activities (Retailing, shops, offices, Theater (structure), theaters, restaurants and so on), as opposed to a residential ...

with about forty businesses, ranging from a

Mobil Mobil is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil. The brand was formerly owned and operated by an oil and gas corporation of the same name, which itself merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil in 1999. ...

gas station to a place called "Pheasants by Frank." According to the ''Newhall Signal,'' the district was "more or less shut down on Mondays and Tuesdays . . . because there are so many people with weekend homes that the stores choose to stay open Saturday and Sunday."J.J. Jackson, "Carl's Leads the Way to 'The Hill,'" ''The Signal,'' Santa Clarita, September 18, 1988, image 22
/ref> On July 31, 2021, the community celebrated its fiftieth birthday with a barbecue picnic on blankets spread beneath the trees next to the golf course. Also noted was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mil Potrero Mutual Water Company.

Demographics

2010 census

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 servin ...

reported that Pine Mountain Club had a population of 2,315. The population density was . The racial makeup was 2,079 (89.8%)

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 on ...

, 29 (1.3%)

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 ...

, 25 (1.1%) Native American, 45 (1.9%)

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 ...

, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 58 (2.5%) 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 79 (3.4%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 231 persons (10.0%). Pine-Mountain-Club-Rocks

There were 1,062 households, of which 226 (21.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 585 (55.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 62 (5.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 36 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 49 (4.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Three hundred eighteen households (29.9%) were made up of individuals, and 111 (10.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18. There were 683

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. Ideall ...

(64.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.68 persons. Four hundred eleven people (17.8%) were under the age of 18, 105 were (4.5%) aged 18 to 24, 355 (15.3%) aged 25 to 44, 929 (40.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 515 (22.2%) 65 years or older. The median age was 51.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 103.2 men. There were 2,181 housing units at an average density of , of which 880 (82.9%) were owner-occupied, and 182 (17.1%) were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 17.8%. Exactly 1,884 people (81.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 431 (18.6%) in rentals.

2000 census

The 2000 census found that almost 91 percent of the sixteen hundred residents were

. There were nine

blacks Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

. There were 146

Hispanics 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 former ...

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

of any race. Other residents included 19 American Indians or

Alaska natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

and 12

Asians Asian people (or Asians, sometimes referred to as Asiatic people)United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purpos ...

. It was a relatively aged population, the median age being 45 years compared with 35 years for the nation as a whole. PMC also had more veterans than its share — 263, or 21 percent, compared to 13 percent around the country. In contrast with the country at large, where 64 percent of the people were working, Pine Mountain Club had just 56 percent employed. Those who were working had to travel about an hour to their jobs, compared to 25 minutes for most Americans. It was a high-income area — $62,750 median family income, compared to $50,046 in the nation at large. In per capita income, it stood at $25,465 — just between

Diamond Bar Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2010 census it had a population of 55,544, and in 2019 the population was estimated to be 55,720. It is named after the "diamond over a bar" branding iron re ...

and Mira Monte among other towns in California. Yet there were still 55 families (or 15 percent) below the

poverty level The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

in Pine Mountain Club in 2000. That is greater than the 12 percent for the country as a whole. Almost two-thirds of its 1,737 housing units (61.5 percent) were vacant when the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

was taken in March 2000. Owners lived in about eight of every 10 occupied units (84 percent), renters in the other two (16 percent).

Community management

The PMC community is managed by the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association, Inc., which is governed by a nine-member volunteer board of directo

and a group of documents: the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R'

, bylaws, the association rules, and an HVAC, Environmental Control (EC) cod

The association maintains several recreational facilitie

including a nine-hole Golf, golf course, pool, clubhouse, and stables. It manages the Pine Mountain Patro

and publishes a monthly newspaper, the ''Condor'

Education

Pine Mountain Club is part of the

El Tejon Unified School District The El Tejon Unified School District serves kindergarten-through-12th-grade students in the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, which include Frazier Park, California, Frazier Park, Lebec, California, Lebec, and Pine Mountain Club, California, ...

, and students are transported by bus to local public schools, including Frazier Mountain High School. The community hosts a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

, Peak to Peak Mountain Charter, serving grades

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through seventh. The private Mountain Community Christian School serves kindergarten through sixth-grade pupil

Transportation

Kern Regional Transit KERN (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Medi ...

provides bus service Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer to Frazier Park, Gorman,

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (french: Lac des Bois, oj, Pikwedina Sagainan) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,55 ...

, and Pinon Pines. It offers a dial-a-ride service all year. Connections can be made in Frazier Park or Lebec to a scheduled service to

Grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...

and

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

and further connection there to

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Commerce and economic development

The area is served by the Mountain Communities

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

.Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce.
/ref>

Picture gallery

Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.1.jpg Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.2.jpg Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.3.jpg Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.4.jpg

Pine Mountain Club is a private community.
''Click the images to see larger versions of the photos, all from 2008.''

External links

* "Pine Mountain Club Family Resort Opens," ''Valley News,'' Van Nuys, California, June 20, 19

References

Newspapers

''The Mountain Enterprise''''Bakersfield Californian''
The ''Californian'' discontinued circulation in the Mountain Communities effective May 1, 2009
Source: ''Mountain Enterprise,'' April 3, 2009

External links

The Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association
{{authority control Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass Census-designated places in Kern County, California San Emigdio Mountains Unincorporated communities in Kern County, California Unincorporated communities in California

Geography

History

Founding and development

Mil Potrero Highway

Fruition

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Community management

Education

Transportation

Commerce and economic development

Picture gallery

See also

External links

References

Newspapers

External links