Yucaipa, California

Yucaipa ( Serrano: ''Yukaipa't'') is a city located east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 54,542 at the 2020 census, up from 51,367 at the 2010 census. Yucaipa has the distinction of being the longtime home to a large population of Serrano Native Americans.

History

Prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the arrival of European settlers from Mexico, the Yucaipa Valley was known as ''Yukaipa't'', which meant "green valley" in the Serrano American Language. The land was home to the Serrano Native Americans for thousands of years. Today, some of their descendants are enrolled in the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

Yucaipa Rancheria

Yucaipa Valley supported a large population of Serrano Native Americans. The fertile valley was watered by springs and creeks running out of the San Bernardino Mountains. The Serrano Americans lived in this location most of the year, but would make excursions into the mountains to gather acorns and other food items during their harvest season. The Rancheria is marked by California Historical Landmark #620.

Yucaipa Adobe

Near the Rancheria is the Yucaipa Adobe, which is believed to be the oldest house in San Bernardino County. Diego Sepúlveda, nephew of Antonio María Lugo, built the Adobe in 1842 on land that was part of the Rancho San Bernardino granted in 1842 to the Lugos. It had formerly been land controlled by San Gabriel Mission. The Rancho suffered losses of cattle and horses from raids by Native Americans coming through Cajon Pass and Banning Pass from the deserts. Eventually, they sold the Rancho to Mormon settlers in September 1851. The Adobe's later owners included John Brown Sr., James W. Waters, and the Dunlap family; it was acquired by San Bernardino County in 1955. The site is marked by California Historical Landmark #528.

The nearby Oak Glen area is best known for its apple orchards, some of which are operated by the direct descendants of the original founders (the Parrish, Wilshire, Rivers, and Law families). The Parrish Pioneer Ranch and orchard were founded by Enoch Parrish in 1876, with the other families coming into the area later.

21st century

At 1:53 p.m. on June 16, 2005, Yucaipa experienced a 4.9 Mw earthquake that was centered north of the center of town. It had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (''Strong'') and was felt from downtown Los Angeles to some areas of San Diego. Three people were injured.

In 2016, Yucaipa broke ground on a multipurpose performing arts center on the corner of Acacia Avenue and California Street. Sitting on in the heart of uptown, the venue hosts a variety of events, including community theater, open-air concerts, dance, and other arts-related events. The performing arts center officially opened in Spring 2019.

Geography

Yucaipa is located in southern California, approximately east of Los Angeles. The city is approximately above sea level and is bordered by Redlands to its west and Calimesa to its south. The unincorporated communities of Cherry Valley, Mentone and Oak Glen collectively account for Yucaipa's northernmost outskirts.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Parks

Yucaipa is home to Yucaipa Regional Park, Flag Hill Veterans Memorial Park, Seventh Street Park, "I" Street Park, Wildwood Park, Yucaipa Community Park, the Bryant Glen Sports Complex, the Rick McCowan Regional Soccer Complex, and Wildwood Canyon State Park.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Yucaipa has a Mediterranean climate, abbreviated ''Csa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Yucaipa had a population of 54,542. The population density was . The racial makeup of Yucaipa was 64.1% White, 1.5% African American, 1.5% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 15.3% from other races, and 14.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.4% of the population.

The census reported that 99.2% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.

There were 19,479 households, out of which 34.1% included children under the age of 18, 51.8% were married-couple households, 6.2% were cohabiting couple households, 26.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.0% of households were one person, and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 13,944 families (71.6% of all households).

The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% aged 18 to 24, 25.0% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.6years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males.

There were 20,190 housing units at an average density of , of which 19,479 (96.5%) were occupied. Of these, 72.7% were owner-occupied, and 27.3% were occupied by renters.

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 10.5% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 77.2% spoke only English at home, 18.8% spoke Spanish, 2.3% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 89.2% were high school graduates and 26.2% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $92,401, and the per capita income was $38,468. About 7.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

Government

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

In the .

From November 1999, Richard (Dick) D. Riddell was the longest-serving mayor (and the oldest, at age 88) in Yucaipa's history. In November 2012, at the request of newly sworn councilman Bobby Duncan, Denise Hoyt was named the new Mayor. , Yucaipa's City Council was composed of Mayor Greg Bogh, Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Duncan, Councilman David Avila, Councilman Jon Thorp and Councilman Justin Beaver. Beaver was elected to Yucaipa's 4th district as the youngest councilman in the city's history at 32 years of age.

Education

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District serves both cities, with the following schools:
* Elementary (K–5): Dunlap, Chapman Heights, Calimesa, Ridgeview, Valley, Wildwood, Inland Leaders Charter School, Competitive Edge Charter Academy
* Middle school (6–8): Park View Middle School, Mesa View Middle School (in Calimesa), Competitive Edge Charter Academy, Inland Leaders Charter School
* High school: Yucaipa High School (9–12), Green Valley High School (10–12)

The city is also home to Crafton Hills College, operated by the San Bernardino Community College District.

Public safety

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department serves Yucaipa—including the nearby unincorporated towns of Mentone, Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, and Mountain Home Village—from its regional station at 34282 Yucaipa Boulevard (a larger replacement opened on July 1, 2014, next to City Hall at 34144 Yucaipa Boulevard). Since there is no official jail facility at this station, suspects are booked at either Central Jail in downtown San Bernardino or the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Yucaipa has contracted operation of its fire department to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (now known as " Cal Fire") which serves the city from three stations: the 33000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard, Bryant Street (in the "North Bench" area), and the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Wildwood Canyon Road. Cal-Fire also provides paramedic level emergency medical service while patient transport by ground is handled by American Medical Response.

California Historical Landmark

Marker at the site reads:
*''NO. 620 YUCAIPA RANCHERIA - Yucaipa Valley supported a large population of Serrano Indians. The fertile valley was watered by springs and creeks. The Indians called this area 'Yucaipat' which meant 'wet lands.' These Native Americans lived at this village site most of the year, with occasional excursions to the mountains to gather acorns and other food items during the harvesting season.''

Marker at the site reads:
*''NO. 528 YUCAIPA ADOBE - Constructed in 1842 by Diego Sepúlveda, nephew of Antonio María Lugo, this is believed to be the oldest house in San Bernardino County. The land, formerly controlled by San Gabriel Mission, was part of the Rancho San Bernardino granted to the Lugos in 1842. The adobe's later owners included John Brown Sr., James W. Waters, and the Dunlap family, it was acquired by San Bernardino County in 1955''.California parks, California Historical Landmarks
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Notable people

* Susan Anton - Miss California 1969, singer and actress
* Matt Carson - professional baseball player
* Tyler Chatwood - professional baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays
* Matt Davidson - professional baseball player
* Noble Johnson - actor
* May Montoya Jones - writer, lecturer
* Corky Miller - professional baseball player
* Lois Rodden - astrologer, author of ''Data News''
* Mark Teahen - professional baseball player
* Taijuan Walker - professional baseball player

See also

* California Historical Landmarks in San Bernardino County, California
* History of San Bernardino, California

References

External links

City of YucaipaThe website for the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School DistrictThe Yucaipa Valley Chamber of Commerce

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Cities in San Bernardino County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places in San Bernardino County, California
Populated places established in 1989
California Historical Landmarks