Adelanto, California

Adelanto (Spanish for "Advance") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is approximately northwest of Victorville in the Victor Valley area of the Mojave Desert, in the northern region of the Inland Empire.Linthicum, Kate;
Los Angeles Times.com: "Small town with several detention centers debates if it needs another"
November 18, 2014. The population was 38,046 at the 2020 census.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the Serrano Native American tribe.

Adelanto was founded in 1915 by E. H. Richardson, the inventor of what became the Hotpoint electric iron. He sold his patent and purchased land for $75,000. He had planned to develop one of the first planned communities in Southern California.

The name ''Adelanto'' means 'progress' or 'advance' in Spanish, and was first given to the post office that was established on the site in 1917.

Acres of deciduous fruit trees once grew in the city, which became known in the state for its fresh fruit and cider. The orchards thrived until the Great Depression, when they were replaced by poultry ranches. As the wartime emergency developed early in 1941, the Victorville Army Air Field was established with land within the Adelanto sphere of influence. In September 1950, the airfield was named George Air Force Base in honor of the late Brigadier General Harold H. George.

Adelanto continued as a "community services district" until 1970 when the city incorporated, and Adelanto became San Bernardino County's then smallest city. The city became a charter city in November 1992.

Adelanto had a card room called the Hi Desert Casino which operated from 1975 to 1997. The casino was located across from city hall at the corner of Air Expressway and U.S. Highway 395. It boasted a fine restaurant and bar and people came from all over San Bernardino County to play cards.

During the 2000s United States housing bubble, many large suburban subdivisions were built in the southern portion of the city, along Highway 18. Like neighboring Victorville, Adelanto suffered severely from the collapse of real estate values after the 2008 financial crisis. While most of California has seen property values rise to historic highs, much of the Victor Valley region has yet to recover to the 2006 peak. However, in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a resurgence in suburban and exurban housing demand. Formerly affordable areas in the Inland Empire have become increasingly expensive, and the region has experienced a major boom in logistics and industrial development. As a result, residents and businesses seeking affordable properties have been increasingly looking further north along Interstate 15 and into Victorville and Adelanto.

Geography

Adelanto is in the Victor Valley of the south-central Mojave Desert, north of the Cajon Pass and San Bernardino Valley.Adelanto location coordinates: (34.575990, -117.432713);

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.03%) is water.

The average elevation of the city is .

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Adelanto has a Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

Adelanto first appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. Census; and then as a city in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2023 estimates

According to the 2023 American Community Survey, the median household income was $68,419, and the per capita income was $19,480.

Of those aged 5 or older, 52.7% spoke only English at home, 45.2% spoke Spanish, 0.9% spoke other Indo-European languages, 0.9% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 73.5% were high school graduates and 7.8% had a bachelor's degree.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Adelanto had a population of 38,046. The population density was . The racial makeup of Adelanto was 22.2% White, 19.4% African American, 2.2% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 38.6% from other races, and 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63.5% of the population.

The census reported that 92.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 7.0% were institutionalized.

There were 9,185 households, out of which 57.2% included children under the age of 18, 45.4% were married-couple households, 10.7% were cohabiting couple households, 27.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 11.8% of households were one person, and 3.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.84. There were 7,594 families (82.7% of all households).

The age distribution was 32.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% aged 18 to 24, 29.9% aged 25 to 44, 19.7% aged 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 29.2years. For every 100 females, there were 109.6 males.

There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,185 (95.7%) were occupied. Of these, 58.4% were owner-occupied, and 41.6% were occupied by renters.

Economy

Historically Adelanto was a fruit-growing town.Devine, Jimi.
Pot to replace prison economy in California town

Archive
. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. February 23, 2016. Retrieved on February 25, 2016. Prior to 1992, much of the economy was related to the George Air Force Base. After its closure the city began having economic difficulties. The openings of several area prisons began in 1991, and the city government approved the construction of two private prisons. The prisons were not required to hire people within the Adelanto city limits.Tinoco, Matt.
Inside the Small California Town with a Lot of Prisons, but Not Much Opportunity

Archive
. ''Vice''. February 3, 2015. Retrieved on February 25, 2016. The city, as of 2016, collects $160,000 annually in total from the prisons within the city limits. That year Jimi Devine of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' wrote that the prisons "had mixed effects on the community for 25 years." Matt Tinoco of ''Vice'' wrote that "the prisons have failed to stimulate lasting growth in Adelanto" and that "all ultimately ended up contributing little to the city's coffers." Tinoco further stated that Adelanto had an "image as one big jail."

The privately owned Adelanto Detention Center, run by the GEO Group to house immigrant detainees, was built in Adelanto in 1991 as a state prison. In 2014, when a private developer proposed another prison, the city council approved a development agreement with the private developer that under California subdivision law allows the city to negotiate terms to provide additional benefits to the city. The city had little latitude to deny the private project as the land was appropriately zoned for use as a prison.

The city has only a few retail stores and restaurants. A bed tax contributes about $200,000 annually from the detention facilities. The small city has struggled as tax revenue fell far short of the city budget. In 2013, they closed a fire station and laid off a quarter of the town's staff. Residents though turned down a nearly 8% utility users tax in November 2013.

Cannabis

Upon the legalization of the sale and distribution of cannabis in 2016, marijuana cultivation was considered a possible new source of revenue for the city. Companies must be licensed by the local agency and the state to grow, test, or sell cannabis and the city may authorize none or only some of these activities. Local governments may not prohibit adults, who are in compliance with state laws, from growing, using, or transporting marijuana for personal use.

The city decided to allow multiple types of marijuana businesses, including cultivation, manufacturing and retail sales. By 2019, two cannabis dispensaries were serving recreational users as the city council considered proposed changes to the city's cannabis laws to generate additional revenue to help close the city budget gap. The city is the only Victor Valley municipality to allow storefront cannabis dispensaries. A indoor cultivation facility was opened in 2019 by the California arm of Tikun Olam.

Federal prisons

Federal prisons of the Federal Bureau of Prisons near Adelanto:
* United States Penitentiary, Victorville
* Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville (on portions of the former George Air Force Base)

Arts and culture

Established in 1921 as part of the San Bernardino County's library system, the Adelanto Library began in the office of a fruit company.

El Mirage Dry Lake, west of Adelanto, has been used for filming movies and television commercials, most notably the opening sequence of the later episodes of the TV series '' Sky King''.

Sports

From 1991 to 2016, the city was home to the High Desert Mavericks, a Minor League Baseball team of the Class A-Advanced California League.

For the 2017 season, the Pecos League established the High Desert Yardbirds to fill the void at Adelanto Stadium. The team closed their last season at the stadium in 2019.

Government

In the state legislature, Adelanto is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Adelanto is in .

Education

The majority of Adelanto is in the Adelanto Elementary School District (AESD) for preschool, elementary and middle school levels, while a very small portion is in the Oro Grande Elementary School District.
Text list
/ref> The Adelanto Elementary District has nine elementary schools, three combined K-8 schools (one of them a virtual school, and three middle schools. High school-aged students in all of those elementary and middle school districts attend schools in the Victor Valley Union High School District (VVUSD), including Adelanto High School, the first high school in Adelanto city limits, or in the neighboring Snowline Joint Unified School District centered in Phelan.

Charter schools include:
*Taylion Academy
*Mojave River Academy
*Desert Trails Preparatory Academy - Formed in 2013 after a parent trigger law was used to remove Desert Trails Elementary from AESD controlYarbrough, Beau.
Adelanto will not renew charter for Desert Trails parent trigger school
" '' San Bernardino Sun''. December 1, 2015. Retrieved on May 8, 2016.

Infrastructure

Until 2001, Adelanto had its own police department, which was disbanded due to corruption, but now contracts with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for police services.Kelly, David (March 26, 2008
"A low ebb for high desert's Adelanto"
''Los Angeles Times'' The Adelanto Substation is on US Highway 395 and Bartlett Avenue. The station provides full service law enforcement for the City of Adelanto, and unincorporated areas of the Victor Valley such as Phelan, Lucerne Valley, and Spring Valley Lake. The former regional station (next to the Victorville Courthouse), serving unincorporated areas of the Victor Valley, was consolidated into the Adelanto Station in 2009.

Until 1999, fire protection was provided by the city's own fire department. The city now contracts with the San Bernardino County Fire Department. There is one station within the city limits providing paramedic service as well as fire and rescue services. Ambulance and patient transportation is provided by American Medical Response.

See also

* Interstate 15

References

External links

*
Adelanto North 2035 Sustainable Community Plan

{{Authority control

Cities in San Bernardino County, California
Populated places in the Mojave Desert
Victor Valley
Populated places established in 1970
1970 establishments in California
Incorporated cities and towns in California