Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...
and
Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabri ...
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. About
east of
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
, Rancho Cucamonga is the
28th most populous city in California. The city's seal, which centers on a
cluster of grapes, alludes to the city's agricultural history including
wine-making. The city's proximity to major transportation hubs, airports, and highways has attracted the business of several large corporations, including
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
,
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay, Inc. (; ) is an American food company that manufactures, markets, and sells snack foods. It began in the early 1930s as two companies, Fritos, the Frito Company and Lay's, H.W. Lay & Company, that merged in 1961. Frito-Lay itself merg ...
,
Big Lots,
Mercury Insurance Group,
Southern California Edison, and
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals.
The city had a population of 174,453 according to the
2020 United States census.
''
The Jack Benny Program
''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...
'' popularized the city's name, in particular the word "Cucamonga".
History

By 1200 AD, Kukamongan
Native Americans had established a village settlement in the area around present-day Red Hill, near the city's western border, where Red Hill Country Club stands today. Kukamonga derives its name from a
Tongva
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...
word meaning "sandy place."
Anthropologists have determined that this cluster of settlers likely belonged to the
Tongva people
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the people lived in as many as 100 villages and primarily identified by ...
or Kich people, at one time one of the largest concentrations of Native American peoples on the North American continent.
In the 18th century, following an expedition led by
Gaspar de Portola, the land was incorporated into the
Mission System established by
Father Junipero Serra and his group of soldiers and
Franciscan friars
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...
.

After a half century of political jockeying in the region, the land finally came under the control of
Juan Bautista Alvarado, governor of Mexico. On March 3, 1839, Alvarado granted of land in the area called "
Cucamonga" to Tubercio Tapia, a first-generation Spanish native of
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, ...
, successful merchant, and notorious smuggler.
Tapia went on to establish the
first winery in California on his newly deeded land.
Rancho Cucamonga was purchased by John Rains and his wife in 1858.
The Rains family's home, Casa de Rancho Cucamonga, was completed in 1860 and now appears on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
During the ensuing years the town prospered and grew. In 1887, irrigation tunnels were dug into Cucamonga Canyon by
Chinese laborers and the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996.
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...
was extended through the area. Among the town's economic mainstays was agriculture, including olives, peaches, citrus, and, most notably, vineyards.
In 1913, the
Pacific Electric Railway was extended through Rancho Cucamonga in an effort to improve crop transportation. Several landmarks in existence today pay tribute to the city's multicultural founding. In particular, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel remains as a relic of the area's Mexican agriculture laborers while the Chinatown House stands as a reminder of the Chinese immigrants who labored in constructing the area's infrastructure.
In 1977, the
unincorporated communities of
Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and
Etiwanda voted to incorporate, forming the city of Rancho Cucamonga.
Grapeland
The former community of Grapeland, first settled in 1869, lay roughly between today's Victoria Groves Park and Central Park. There was a schoolhouse which also doubled as a church. In 1890 an irrigation district was formed and $200,000 in bonds were sold to pay for improvements. The Sierra Vista reservoir was built in 1886–87 by J.L. Scofield as the focal point of a network of irrigation pipes. The system was unused, however, because the bond issue was declared illegal. "Orchards and vineyards began to die," ''
The Daily Report'' newspaper reported in a retrospective. "Residents moved out. The post office closed in 1905. Homes, buildings were destroyed or abandoned." The reservoir remained unused until 1956, when the Fontana Union Water Company filled it with of water. The local school district was merged with the
Etiwanda district in 1901. In 1957 the settlement was practically deserted, but there were still rabbit-proof stone walls marking boundaries of previous citrus orchards.
Geography
Rancho Cucamonga is part of the
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...
and
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 ...
, a region that lies inland from the Pacific coast and directly east of
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
. Rancho Cucamonga is located about east of
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, ...
, bordered by
Upland to its west,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
to its south, the
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...
to its north and
I-15 and
Fontana to its east.
Situated on an
alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...
with a
wildland–urban interface
The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is a zone of transition between wilderness (unoccupied land) and land development, land developed by human impact on the environment, human activity – an area where a built environment meets or intermingles ...
, bears occasionally wander through. Views of Cucamonga Peak, one of the tallest peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, are available. The city has a total area of , of which 99.98% is land and 0.02% is water.
Climate
The city's climate is classified as hot-summer Mediterranean, or ''Csa'', under the
Köppen climate classification system.
Summers are long and hot, and winters are generally comfortable with occasionally chilly days. Yearly precipitation is and the city experiences an average of 287 sunny days per year, compared to a national average of 205 days.
Demographics
2020
The
2020 United States census counted 174,453 people, 58,277 households, and 44,440 families in Rancho Cucamonga.
The population density was 4,349.4 per square mile (1,679.3/km). There were 60,129 housing units at an average density of 1,499.1 per square mile (578.8/km).
The racial makeup was 42.6% (74,323)
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 ...
or
European American
European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...
(34.35%
non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
), 9.22% (16,089)
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
, 1.12% (1,954)
Native American or
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
, 14.79% (25,809)
Asian, 0.28% (486)
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 ...
or
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiʻi was set ...
, 15.09% (26,326) from
other races, and 16.89% (29,466) from
two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race was 37.41% (65,261) of the population.
Of the 58,277 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18; 53.8% were married couples living together; 25.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 18.5% of households consisted of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.5. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 26.0% of the population.
22.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males.
For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 108.0 males.
The 2016–2020 5-year
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimates show that the median household income was $92,290 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,367). The median family income was $103,094 (+/- $3,474). Males had a median income of $50,894 (+/- $1,437) versus $37,094 (+/- $2,655) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $43,129 (+/- $1,515). Approximately, 5.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the
poverty line
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 ...
, including 7.9% of those under the age of 18 and 6.5% of those ages 65 or over.
German, Irish and English were the most common ancestries. Spanish was the second most common language.
2010
The
2010 United States census reported that Rancho Cucamonga had a population of 165,269. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rancho Cucamonga was 102,401 (62.0%)
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 ...
(42.7%
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
), 15,246 (9.2%)
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 ...
, 1,134 (0.7%)
Native American, 17,208 (10.4%)
Asian, 443 (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 ...
, 19,878 (12.0%) from
other races, and 8,959 (5.4%) from two or more races. There were 57,688 residents of
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino ancestry, of any race (34.9%).
The census reported that 162,145 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 136 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,988 (1.8%) were institutionalized.
Out of a total of 54,383 households, 23,055 (42.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 30,533 (56.1%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 7,514 (13.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 3,257 (6.0%) had a male householder with no wife present, as well as 2,995 (5.5%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 425 (0.8%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,956 households (18.3%) were made up of individuals, and 2,679 (4.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. Over the 41,304
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 ...
(76.0% of all households), the average family size was 2.90.
The age distribution of the city was as follows: 42,550 people (25.7%) under the age of 18, 17,365 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 48,600 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 43,710 people (26.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 13,044 people (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
There were 56,618 housing units at an average density of , of which 35,250 (64.8%) were owner-occupied, and 19,133 (35.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. 110,570 people (66.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 51,575 people (31.2%) lived in rental housing units.
During 20092013, Rancho Cucamonga had a median household income of $77,835, with 6.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
2000
As of the
2000 census, there were 127,743 people, 40,863 households, and 31,832 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 1,317.0/km (3,411.4/mi
2). There were 42,134 housing units at an average density of 434.4/km (1,125.2/mi
2). The racial makeup of the city was 66.53%
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 ...
, 9.00%
Asian, 0.67%
Native American, 5.99%
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 ...
, 0.27%
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 ...
, 13.25% from
other races, and 5.41% from a biracial or multiracial background.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 27.78% of the population.
There were 40,863 households, of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18. 60.2% of households consist of a
married couple
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together. 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present. 22.1% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were single-person and 4.1% had a person of 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city, the population spread was as follows: 29.9% were under the age of 18, 9.9% were from 18 to 24, 33.2% were from 25 to 44, 21.0% were from 45 to 64, and 6.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $78,428 and the median income for a family was $91,240. Males had a median income of $50,288 versus $40,952 for females. 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 ...
for the city was $23,702. About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
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 ...
, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
While most of the city's land area is devoted to residential areas, Rancho Cucamonga, like its neighbors
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and
Fontana, is a major center for the
logistics
Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...
industry in Southern California. This is due to its proximity to two
interstate highways
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National H ...
and
Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport is an international airport east of downtown Ontario, California, Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino. It is ow ...
, and the space afforded by the large tracts of former agricultural land in the southern section of the city.
In the area around Milliken Avenue, between Archibald and Etiwanda Avenues, Foothill Boulevard, and Fourth Street, about seven square miles of land are primarily occupied by numerous massive distribution centers, and even more, smaller manufacturing companies. This area is ringed by office parks, mostly along Haven Avenue, and shopping strips, such as the Terra Vista Town Center (part of a nearly two-square-mile master-planned community in the center of the city), and malls, such as
Victoria Gardens, and the
Ontario Mills, across Fourth Street in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
The city is also home to a
CMC Steel (formerly Gerdau, formerly TAMCO Steel)
minimill, the only producer of
long steel in California. This mill recycles ferrous scrap, such as junked cars and appliances, to produce
rebar
Rebar (short for reinforcement bar or reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or steel reinforcement, is a tension device added to concrete to form ''reinforced concrete'' and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid ...
.
The city hosts
LoanMart Field (formerly known as The Epicenter), a minor-league baseball stadium, home of the
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The Quakes' mascot, Tremor, is a "Rallysaurus."
Victoria Gardens
Victoria Gardens is a
lifestyle center near the eastern end of the city, at the intersection of Foothill and Day Creek Boulevards. Since the city had never developed a traditional commercial
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
like neighboring cities Ontario and
Upland had, efforts were made in the design of Victoria Gardens to bring elements of more traditional and urban town design to what had historically been a suburban city. While retaining many characteristics of traditional
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s, such as large anchor stores, a food court, and vast parking lots and garages, the smaller stores are arranged as city blocks in a grid of two-lane streets, featuring lush landscaping and metered "teaser parking" in front of the stores, which open onto the sidewalk. There are two "
Main Streets", which run from west to east across the center. Running from north to south between them is a pedestrian axis leading from one of the
Macy's
Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
anchor stores, through a "town square" between a pair of mixed-use office buildings, to the
Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, which contains the Lewis Playhouse (a 570-seat
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
) and a branch of the city library. The east side of the development has Southern California's first
Bass Pro Shops
BPS Direct, LLC, trade name, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held sporting goods retailer that offers hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation equipment, marine manufacturing and sales, and outd ...
Outdoor World superstore; the facility includes a Tracker Boat Center and the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant. There are restaurants throughout the center, both well-known chains and unique eateries. The center also features a 12-screen movie theater.
Top employers
According to the city's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:
Government
Local government
Rancho Cucamonga is a General Law City, incorporated in 1977 under the "Council-Manager" form of local government. The four-member Council, plus the Mayor, City Clerk, and City Treasurer, are all elected at-large by the voters of the city. The Council then appoints the City Manager, who acts as the administrative head of the city government and is responsible for the day-to-day operations, code enforcement, and the fiscal soundness of the municipal government. The council itself serves as a local legislative body.
The city's elections, which are plurality, are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
According to a city Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $278.3 million in revenues, $243.6 million in expenditures, $1,400.7 million in total assets, $492.1 million in total liabilities, and $583.3 million in cash and investments.
Politics
In the
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
...
, Rancho Cucamonga is split between , and .
In the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...
, Rancho Cucamonga is split between , and .
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 ...
, Rancho Cucamonga is split into three districts: ; ; and . Rancho Cucamonga voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election over Kamala Harris.
Law enforcement
Since incorporation in 1977, law enforcement services in Rancho Cucamonga City have been provided through a contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Rancho Cucamonga is also home to the Foothill Communities San Bernardino County Courthouse, which is housed in a building adjacent to the Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center, in a government complex located at Haven Avenue and Civic Center Drive in the city. The Civic Center houses the Rancho Cucamonga city hall, the city police department, and other local government offices.
Education
Schools
Rancho Cucamonga has multiple public K–12 schools, operating under several different school districts, within its borders: Alta Loma School District, Central School District, Cucamonga School District, Etiwanda School District, and
Chaffey Joint Union High School District. Private schools include United Christian Academy. In addition, Rancho Cucamonga is the home to
Chaffey College and satellite campuses of the
University of La Verne,
Cambridge College,
University of Redlands, Everest College, and
University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
, as well as the automotive trade school.
High Schools
*
Alta Loma High School
*
Etiwanda High School
*
Los Osos High School
Los Osos High School is a public high school located in the city of Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire in the United States. It operates as part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. The school was named a Cali ...
*
Rancho Cucamonga High School
Libraries
The city of Rancho Cucamonga has two public libraries, with a combined total of over 200,000 volumes. The library at 7368 Archibald Avenue opened in 1994 and was remodeled in the summer of 2008. The Paul A. Biane library at 12505 Cultural Center Drive at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center opened in August 2006. In 2013, the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library was a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services, the nation's highest honor that can be bestowed on a library or museum.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Rancho Cucamonga is served by
Omnitrans bus service, train service from
Metrolink's
Rancho Cucamonga station on the
San Bernardino Line, and nearby
Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport is an international airport east of downtown Ontario, California, Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino. It is ow ...
, one of four major Los Angeles-area passenger airports with multiple daily flights by most domestic carriers as well as a major shipping hub for companies like
UPS and
FedEx
FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...
.
Rancho Cucamonga has been identified as the initial western end-point of the
Brightline West
Brightline West is a proposed privately run high-speed rail route, currently in early construction, to link the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in Greater Los Angeles through the California high desert via Interstate 15. The line will ...
High Speed Rail (HSR) project to connect Southern California with
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 ...
. On December 5, 2023, it was announced that the project would be awarded a grant of USD3 Billion from the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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 ...
(I-15) and
State Route 210 (SR-210) run through Rancho Cucamonga as well as the historic
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...
(as Foothill Boulevard).
I-15 sits atop an elevated
berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of Soil compaction, compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a b ...
, and cuts a curve through the southeastern part of the city, isolating a mostly industrial area, a small shopping center, and several housing tracts from the larger part of the city. Further north, I-15 forms part of the northeastern border with neighboring
Fontana before entering the
Cajon Pass through the San Gabriel Mountains. I-15 provides connectivity with the
High Desert,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, and points north for the Inland Empire and much of Southern California.
Utilities
Rancho Cucamonga receives natural gas from the
Southern California Gas Company. The city's water supply and sewage are managed by the Cucamonga Valley Water District. Garbage collection is by Burrtec Disposal, phone service is from
Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. is an American telecommunications company. Known as Citizens Utilities Company until 2000, Citizens Communications Company until 2008, and Frontier Communications Corporation until 2020, as a communications pr ...
and cable TV is provided by
Charter Communications.
Electric power in Rancho Cucamonga is provided by
Southern California Edison and the Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility.
Before 2024, the city was home to the
Reliant Energy
Reliant Energy Retail Holding, LLC is an American energy company based in Houston, Texas. It serves the state of Texas.
History
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, is one of the largest Texas electricity ...
Etiwanda Generating Station, on Etiwanda Avenue. This facility, one of five Reliant stations in California, was a natural
gas-fired power plant
A gas-fired power plant, sometimes referred to as gas-fired power station, natural gas power plant, or methane gas power plant, is a thermal power station that burns natural gas to generate electricity. Gas-fired power plants generate almost a ...
, which began operation in 1963. At net capacity, it was Reliant's second-highest-capacity plant on the West Coast. It utilized four steam turbine generators; of which units three and four remained active after turbines one and two, as well as a combustion turbine, were retired in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Several systems are in place to control gas emissions, and annually, over of recycled water are used for cooling. As of 2024, all turbines and stacks and the entire electrical plant have been removed.
On November 29, 2011, the
Inland Empire Utilities Agency installed the first wind turbine in Rancho Cucamonga.
Notable people
*
Carlos Bocanegra, soccer player and sports executive
*
The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), professional wrestling tag team
*
Ejiro Evero, professional American football coach
*
C. J. Stroud, professional American football quarterback, selected second overall by the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
in the
2023 NFL draft
The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...
, 2023
Offensive Rookie of the Year
*
Nichkhun
Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul (; ; born June 24, 1988), better known mononymously as Nichkhun (), is a Thai and American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and model who is currently based in South Korea as a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM ...
, singer, songwriter, actor and model. Member of the boy band
2PM
*
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
, musician who lived in and worked in Cucamonga during the early 1960s. He bought the
Pal Recording Studio from a friend, Paul Buff, and renamed it "Studio Z". The studio closed in 1964 when the building was demolished in order to widen Archibald Avenue. ("Cucamonga" is also the name of a long-lived radio show on
Radio 1,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, as an obscure reference to Zappa.)
In popular culture
The name "Cucamonga" became well known to fans of
Jack Benny's popular radio program, in which an announcer, voiced by
Mel Blanc, would call out: "Train leaving on track five for
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
,
Azusa and Cu-camonga!" This running gag became so well known that it eventually led to a statue of Benny in Cucamonga.
The city is the primary setting of the TV series ''
Workaholics'' and the feature film ''
Next Friday''. Further mention of the city was made in the Netflix series ''
Unsolved''.
The city was claimed as the location where the "Flamin' Hot" flavor of
Cheetos was created in the 1980s at the Frito-Lay factory.
Cucamonga is referenced in the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
song "Pride of Cucamonga" on the album ''
From the Mars Hotel'', and in "Cucamonga" on
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
's album ''
Bongo Fury''.
See also
*
List of people from Rancho Cucamonga, California
*
List of U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations
References
External links
*
Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerceat citivu.com
{{authority control
Cities in San Bernardino County, California
Pomona Valley
Populated places in San Bernardino County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
1977 establishments in California
Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California