Baker, California
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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 counte ...
located 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 ...
, US. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 442. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within
area codes 442 and 760 Area codes 760 and 442 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of California. These area codes serve an overlay complex that comprises much of the southeastern and southernmost portions of Californ ...
.


History

Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908 and was named for Richard C. Baker, business partner of Francis Marion Smith in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself. Baker was established in 1929 by Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (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. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05) and
Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshon ...
(1910). It is the site of a vacant, 223-bed for-profit prison 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 headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The company ...
purchased Cornell Companies, 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 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 ...
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, Ca ...
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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, due to its location at the southern end of the
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community. 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 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 2020 United States census reported that Baker had a population of 442. The population density was . The racial makeup of Baker was 21.3%
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 ...
, 0.5%
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 ...
, 36.9% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 1.1%
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 ...
, 28.1% from other races, and 10.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 78.1% of the population. The whole population lived in households. There were 125 households, out of which 40.8% included children under the age of 18, 52.8% were married-couple households, 8.8% 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, 16.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.6% of households were one person, and 5.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.54. There were 89
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 ...
(71.2% of all households). The age distribution was 33.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% aged 18 to 24, 24.7% aged 25 to 44, 24.4% aged 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 28.6years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. There were 167 housing units at an average density of , of which 125 (74.9%) were occupied. Of these, 28.0% were owner-occupied, and 72.0% were occupied by renters.


Economy

Baker's economy is based primarily on
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
. The town is frequently used as a stop for food and fuel by drivers on
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, Ca ...
between
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. Baker is approximately southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to
Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is a national park of the United States that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern sect ...
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, US, between Interstate 15 in California, Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, ...
. Until recently there was one motel in Baker, the Santa Fe Motel, formerly the Wills Fargo Motel, but as of 2023 the motel has closed.
Baker Airport Baker Airport is a public airport located two miles (3 km) northwest of the central business district of Baker, California, Baker, in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is owned by the U ...
is a small facility owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
, but it is managed by San Bernardino County Department of airports


Government


State and federal representation

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). ...
, Baker 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 ...
, 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 , from "careful, diligent, curious", akin to "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. Curiosity helps Developmental psyc ...
'' rover in the desert near Baker.


Education

The CDP is in the Baker Valley Unified School District.
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Attractions

* The town's most prominent feature is a
thermometer A thermometer is a device that measures temperature (the hotness or coldness of an object) or temperature gradient (the rates of change of temperature in space). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb ...
, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, , in nearby
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
on July 10, 1913. It was created by Willis Herron, who owned many businesses in Baker and, at one point, was said to have employed half of Baker's population. Hoping to draw more visitors into Baker, Herron partnered with Young Electric Sign Co. in 1991 to build the monument. It originally cost $750,000 to build and was blown over by high winds before it was officially lit. It was quickly rebuilt with a sturdier design. In 2005, Herron sold several of his businesses to Matt Pike in 2005 before passing away in 2007. Visible for miles, Pike temporarily stopped its operation in 2012 due to expensive electric bills of $8,000/month and inaccurate temperature readings. When Herron's widow Barbara learned that the beloved landmark was being considered for demolition, she repurchased and refurbished it. The thermometer was relighted following restoration on July 10, 2014. ** 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 conservative business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios ...
. * Alien Fresh Jerky, a quirky store selling various types of jerky and alien-themed merchandise. The store is itself a tourist attraction with statues of aliens and architecture resembling galactic ships. Billboards on
I-15 I15 may refer to: * Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America * Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft * I15 (band), a band * , of the Imperial Japanese Navy * Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment ...
commonly feature the store. In 2020, the store came under fire for controversial racist remarks against Asians. * Abandoned structures, such as the tiki-inspired Arnie's Royal Hawaiian Motel (opened in 1957, closed in 2009, formerly known as Grace's Oasis) and Bun Boy Restaurant and Motel (opened in 1926, closed in 2013), are popular amongst urban explorers. * Dumont Dunes 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, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...
. * 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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-larg ...
. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually.


In popular culture

* The 2003 film '' The Big Empty'' takes place in Baker, California. It was also filmed on-location. * 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. * The second season of the ''
Fallout Nuclear fallout is residual radioactive material that is created by the reactions producing a nuclear explosion. It is initially present in the radioactive cloud created by the explosion, and "falls out" of the cloud as it is moved by the ...
'' TV series utilized Baker as a filming location for scenes set in Novac.


See also

* List of census-designated places in California


References


External links


Baker Chamber of Commerce

A history of Baker
* - 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