Victorville is a city in

Victor Valley The Victor Valley is a valley in the Mojave Desert and subregion of the Inland Empire, in San Bernardino County in Southern California. It is located east of the Mojave's Antelope Valley, north of the Cajon Pass and the San Bernardino Valley, n ...

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 ...

. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

defined by 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 Victorville– Hesperia– Apple Valley urban area had a population of 355,816 as of the 2020 census, making it the 117th largest in the United States.

History

The

Serrano people The Serrano are an Indigenous people of California. Their autonyms are Taaqtam meaning "people", Maarrênga'yam meaning "people from Morongo", and Yuhaaviatam meaning "people of the pines." Today the Maarrênga'yam are enrolled in the Moron ...

were the first Native Americans to inhabit the area. In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Crossing." For many years it provided shelter and supplies for people journeying across the desert from the east to

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

. Lane's Crossing was on the

Mojave River The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the ti ...

on today's Turner Road, two miles north of where

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 ...

crosses the river. Lane was a veteran of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

who had had malaria during that war. Originally he migrated west to join the

California gold rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, but he learned that he could make a better living selling supplies to the miners. Lane settled in Ione, near

Sutter's Mill Sutter's Mill was a water-powered sawmill on the bank of the South Fork American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. It was named after its owner John Sutter. A worker constructing the mill, James W. Marshall, found go ...

in northern California, during those years, but migrated to San Bernardino in 1857. He settled on the Mojave River in 1858, where he established his waystation. He later sold out to Texan John Fry Miller, who changed the name of Lane's Crossing to Pioneer Station. Miller was a rancher and became involved in Mojave Valley politics, setting up the first polling place in the area at his home. That first year, ten citizens cast their votes at Lane's residence rather than making the long trip to San Bernardino. Census records show that ten people lived in two residences on the river by 1860. Listed in Dwelling No. 703 were Aaron Lane, William R. Levick, and the Nicholson family, consisting of George, Frances, and their three children aged 9 to 13. Joseph and Mary Highmoor lived in Dwelling No. 704, with a seven-year-old girl named Anna. The Levick, Nicholson and Highmoor families were Mormon pioneers. Highmoor established a way station called Highmoor's Crossing near today's Oro Grande bridge of the National Trails Highway (known as

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 ...

), over the Mojave River at what is called the Lower Narrows. The Nicholson family moved downriver a few miles and established a way station at "Point of Rocks" in today's Helendale area. In 1867, Lafayette Meacham, a Mormon who ran a way station near today's Barstow area, made a new wagon road from his stage stop to what is now Old Town Victorville. It crossed the Mojave River at today's Sixth Street. This new road, now called Stoddard Wells Road, was a shortcut across the desert and became a popular route for muleskinners and freighters. The river crossing was called Mormon Crossing and the surrounding area became known by that name. In the 1870s, Heber "Pete" Huntington established a stage stop, Huntington Station, at Mormon Crossing. Also a Mormon pioneer, Huntington was leader

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

's nephew. Huntington later bought out the Stoddard brothers, who had a waystation halfway to today's Barstow from Victorville, and the Meachams, who ran the stage stop named Fish Ponds or Mormon Grocery. In 1885, the newly established telegraph station at the railroad siding of "Victor", named for the

California Southern Railroad The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between wha ...

's General Manager Jacob Nash Victor, was the beginning of what developed as today's Old Town Victorville. The village that sprang up around that railroad facility became known by the same name of Victor. In 1901, at the suggestion of local postmistress Abbey Turner, the U.S. Post Office Department changed that name to Victorville to stop the postal confusion with the town of

Victor, Colorado The City of Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. Gold was discovered in Victor in the late 19th century, an omen of the future of the town. With Cripple Creek, the mining district became the second largest gol ...

. In 1926, U.S. Route 66 was begun, being marked in many areas on existing roads. In Victorville, US 66 is marked on D and Seventh streets, with a section of Interstate 15 going towards the Cajon Pass. It is the primary street through Old Town Victorville. In 1940,

Herman J. Mankiewicz Herman Jacob Mankiewicz ( ; November 7, 1897 – March 5, 1953) was an American screenwriter who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for ''Citizen Kane'' (1941). Both Mankiewicz and Welles went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Orig ...

and

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

wrote the first two drafts of the

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

for the film ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

'' in Victorville. They worked in seclusion for 12 weeks while residing at the North Verde Ranch, now called the Kemper Campbell Ranch. The quiet ranch allowed Mankiewicz to complete his writing without the temptation of drinking, as he struggled with alcoholism. The Victorville Army Airfield was constructed beginning in 1941. It was renamed the

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

when the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

was established in October 1947. After decades of service to the Air Force, in 1992 George Air Force Base was closed. Its land was turned over to other uses. Part of it is now the

Southern California Logistics Airport Southern California Logistics Airport , also known as Victorville Airport, is a public airport located in the city of Victorville, California, Victorville in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California, approximately n ...

. The former Air Force base housing area is now vacant. It forms a ghost town used for military training by troops from the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Fort Irwin Military Reservation Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a major training area for the United States military in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of . It is located northeast ...

. The Victorville Federal Penitentiary has been built on another part of the former air base. USP Victorville USGS 1994

The city of Victorville was officially incorporated by the State of California on September 21, 1962. In 2003, the

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

and Dale Evans Museum was moved from Victorville to

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...

. It closed before 2015. On November 3, 2007, Victorville hosted the DARPA Urban Challenge, a six-hour autonomous robot driving contest through the streets of the Southern California Logistics Airport. The $2 million first prize went to the

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

team.

Geography

Victorville is located at the southwestern edge of 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 ...

, northeast 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, ...

, north of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, southwest of

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 ...

, south of Barstow, east of

Palmdale Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On August 24, 1962 ...

, and north of

through the

Cajon Pass Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andr ...

. Victorville is the location of offices of the "Mojave Desert Branch" of the San Bernardino County government. Victorville is bordered by Apple Valley on the east, Hesperia on the south, and

Adelanto 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 ...

on the west. The

flows sporadically through Victorville. The elevation at City Hall is approximately above sea level. According to the

, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water. The total area is 0.76% water.

Climate

The city is in the High Desert, an area known for its unique and moderate weather patterns. The

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

has maintained a weather station in Victorville since 1917. Official records show that Victorville has a

cool arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BWk'') with four distinct seasons. Due to the higher elevation and inland location of the High Desert, the climate tends to be more extreme than in the

Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east–west trending chains of mountai ...

and other Southern California lowland regions. Winter is the region's wet season, when Victorville receives the most storms. Due to the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

effect caused by the

San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain ...

and

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 ...

, the rainfall received is less than in the Los Angeles basin or even the San Bernardino Valley. Temperatures tend to be cool, with overnight low temperatures dropping to or below freezing on average. While the high temperatures average around a pleasant , there are periods in which the high temperature fails to reach or even . Low temperatures can dip below on occasion, with very cold temperatures possible; the record lowest temperature was . Snowfall and other wintry precipitation is also possible, although any snowfall tends to be very light and melt quickly; significant snowstorms as seen in the San Bernardino Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains are very rare.

Black ice Black ice, sometimes called clear ice, is a coating of glaze ice on a surface, for example on streets or on lakes. The ice itself is not black, but visually transparent, allowing the often black road below to be seen through it and light to be ...

is also possible during the winter. Summer days are generally hot to sweltering, with average high temperatures approaching . It is also the time of year in which Victorville, and Southern California as a whole, receives the least precipitation. The higher elevation prevents the temperatures from matching the extreme heat seen in lower desert cities such as

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

or Needles. However, heat waves can still raise the temperature to , with the all-time record high being . Also unlike lower desert communities, the

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

is greater, allowing substantial relief to occur at night with average low temperatures approaching . In the later part of the season, the average precipitation amount experiences an uptick due to the North American Monsoon bringing possible thunderstorms to the region. These thunderstorms can cause flash flooding, lightning, hail, and bring relief from the very hot summer days. Spring is a transitional season, with warm high temperatures and low temperatures remaining quite cool. Summer-like weather usually begins to appear in May while rainfall tapers off. Autumn also has generally warm to very warm high temperatures on average, with temperatures falling from hot in September to pleasant in November, and rainfall rates increasing. Winter-like weather usually begins to appear by late November. High wind events are common in Victorville year-round and particularly during the spring; they can down power lines and cause dust storms that reduce visibility. There are an average of 109 days with highs of or higher and an average of 79 days with lows of or lower. The average annual rainfall in Victorville is . There are an average of 28 days annually with measurable rain. The wettest "rain year" recorded was from July 1982 to June 1983 with and the driest from July 1960 to June 1961 with . The most precipitation in one month was in February 1944. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on February 24, 1998. Snowfall in Victorville averages only annually. The most snowfall in one month was in January 1949, including on January 14.

Demographics

5.3% are German, 4.3% Irish, English 3.0%, Italian 1.7%, French (except Basque) 1.3%, Norwegian 0.8%, Polish 0.7% and Scottish 0.4%.

2020

55.4% were Hispanic or Latino.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Victorville had a population of 115,903. The population density was . The racial makeup of Victorville was 56,258 (48.5%)

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 ...

(28.3% Non-Hispanic White), 19,483 (16.8%)

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 ...

, 1,665 (1.4%) Native American, 4,641 (4.0%) Asian, 489 (0.4%)

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 ...

, 26,036 (22.5%) from other races, and 7,331 (6.3%) from two or more races. There were 55,359

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 residents of any race (47.8%). The Census reported that 110,800 people (95.6% of the population) lived in households, 341 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4,762 (4.1%) were institutionalized. There were 32,558 households, out of which 17,256 (53.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,036 (52.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,487 (19.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,397 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,478 (7.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 258 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,081 households (15.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,954 (6.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 25,920

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 ...

(79.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.77. The population was spread out, with 38,023 people (32.8%) under the age of 18, 12,136 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 33,479 people (28.9%) aged 25 to 44, 22,853 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,412 people (8.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males. There were 36,655 housing units at an average density of , of which 20,137 (61.8%) were owner-occupied, and 12,421 (38.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.1%. 66,600 people (57.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 44,200 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units. During 2009–13, Victorville had a median household income of $50,034, with 25.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

In 2000, the city was estimated to contain 64,029 people, 20,893 households, and 15,883 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 61.1%

(47.5% Non-Hispanic White), 11.9%

, 1.1% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.2%

, 16.3% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. 33.5% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 20,893 households, out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were

married couples 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, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.47. In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $66,763, and the median income for a family was $66,866. Males had a median income of $40,149 versus $26,138 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 $18,731. 19.24% of the population and 16.03% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 24.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Government

Local government

Victorville is a

charter city Home rule in the United States relates to the authority of a constituent part of a U.S. state to exercise powers of governance (i.e., whether such powers must be specifically delegated to it by the state—typically by legislative action—or a ...

and operates with a council-manager form of government. The current city council members and city manager are: * Mayor: Debra Jones * Mayor pro tem: Leslie Irving * City council members: Elizabeth Becerra, Blanca Gomez * City manager: Keith C. Metzler

List of mayors

This is a list of Victorville mayors by year. The mayor is appointed in December. * 1974–1976 Terry E. Caldwell * 1978–1980 Terry E. Caldwell * 1986–1988 Terry E. Caldwell * 1990–1992 Terry E. Caldwell * 1994–1996 Terry E. Caldwell * 1998–2000 Terry E. Caldwell * 2002–2004 Terry E. Caldwell * 2010–2012 Ryan McEachron * 2012–2013 Jim Cox * 2014–2020 Gloria Garcia – First Hispanic woman mayor. *2020- Elizabeth Becerra

State and federal

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). ...

, Victorville 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 ...

, Victorville is in .

Education

The following

school districts A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary or secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school district and is used to assign stud ...

serve Victorville: Elementary and middle school: * Victor Elementary School District (VESD) * Adelanto Elementary School District (AESD) * Oro Grande Elementary School District
Text list
/ref> High school: * Victor Valley Union High School District Unified: * Hesperia Unified School District * Snowline Joint Unified School District Victor Valley Community College also serves the city.

Media

Print

The Victor Valley '' Daily Press'' is published in Victorville.

Transportation

Victorville is located along

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

Southern Transcon The Southern Transcon is a main line of the BNSF Railway comprising 11 subdivisions between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in its current alignment in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Be ...

Intercity rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

service is provided at the Victor Valley Transportation Center. The

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 intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and American Southwest ...

'' stops in each direction daily. The Transportation Center also hosts

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

intercity bus services.

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 ...

is a long planned

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

line at the Victor Valley station in the adjacent town of Apple Valley with direct service from

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The gra ...

FlixBus FlixBus (; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost Intercity bus service, intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. It is owned by , which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, , and Greyhound Lines. F ...

stops at 14618 7th Street, with buses to several destinations, including

Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populo ...

, and

. Local bus service is provided by the

Victor Valley Transit Authority Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA), the second largest transit operator in San Bernardino County (with over 1,020,119 passengers a year), is a transit agency providing bus service in the Victor Valley, California area. In , the system had a r ...

. The city is home to the

Landmarks

There are several notable areas and locations within Victorville such as Spring Valley Lake, the Old Sheriff's Office, and

Old Town Victorville

A revitalization project started in 1995 in the ten square blocks along Historic Route 66. After years of setbacks in developing Old Town, the city, with input from residents and local business owners, created an Old Town Strategic Action Plan in 2007. In 2008, demolition of hazardous and dilapidated buildings began. In 2010, as the economy declined, the state eliminated Redevelopment Agencies which had funded the project and further work was put on indefinite hold. As of 2012, the area still had problems with crime and homelessness, and many buildings remain boarded up. Projects include the Veteran's Memorial on the corner of Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue, the Route 66 Museum, the Transportation Center, and the Old Victor School. Several large murals have been painted on the sides of buildings in Old Town.

Filming location

Victorville has been used for commercial filming several times: * ''

From Dusk till Dawn ''From Dusk till Dawn'' is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino from a concept and story by Robert Kurtzman. Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Tarantino, Ernest Liu, and Juliet ...

'' (1996), the restaurant scene early in the movie * '' Times Like These (Version 2)'' (2004) was filmed at the Mojave River Bridge in Victorville. * '' The Hills Have Eyes'' (1977) was filmed in and around Victorville.

Neighborhoods

* Sunset Ridge

Notable people

* Mike Alessi, motorcycle racer *

Armida Armida is the fictional character of a Saracen sorceress, created by the Italian late Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso. Description In Tasso's epic '' Jerusalem Delivered'' (), Rinaldo is a fierce and determined warrior who is also honorabl ...

, Mexican actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillian * Earl W. Bascom, rodeo pioneer, cowboy artist and sculptor, Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee *

Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American music composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimal music and avant-garde scene of Southern California ...

, Los Angeles–born ambient composer *

Matt Chapman Matthew James Chapman (born April 28, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays. Chapman ...

, Major League Baseball infielder *

Jesse Chavez Jesse David Chavez (born August 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. He played college baseball at Riverside Community College, and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 42nd round of the 2 ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Ryan Garcia Ryan Garcia (born August 8, 1998) is an American professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim lightweight title in 2021. Amateur career Garcia started boxing at the age of seven and dreamed of one day representing the ...

, professional boxer * Amir Garrett, professional baseball pitcher *

John W. Henry John William Henry II (born September 13, 1949) is an American businessman and the founder of John W. Henry & Company, an investment management firm. He is the principal owner of Liverpool Football Club, the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pengu ...

, businessman *

Patty Jenkins Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films '' Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), and '' Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020). For the film ''Monster'', sh ...

, writer and director of 2017 film ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' * Trever Keith, musician, and front man of punk-pop group Face to Face *

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

, drag queen and performer *

Tony Renna Anthony James Renna (November 23, 1976 – October 22, 2003) was an American racing driver who competed in Indy Lights and the IndyCar Series, Indy Racing League (IRL) from 1998 to 2003. Renna began competitive racing at the age of six, winning ...

, racing driver *

Dominick Reyes Dominick Reyes (born December 26, 1989) is an American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of Ap ...

, MMA fighter and UFC light heavyweight title challenger * Lee Rodriguez, actress * Stevie Ryan, writer, comedian, and star of

Stevie TV ''Stevie TV'' is an American comedy television series that starred Stevie Ryan and aired on VH1. The series, which aired from March 4, 2012, through July 12, 2013, parodied films, television shows, and actors. VH1 canceled ''Stevie TV'' in Febr ...

LaKeith Stanfield LaKeith Lee Stanfield (born August 12, 1991) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in '' Short Term 12'' (2013), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He received further recognition for his roles in the fil ...

, actor *

Jason Vargas Jason Matthew Vargas (born February 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Philad ...

, professional baseball pitcher *

Travis Van Winkle Travis Scott Van Winkle (born November 4, 1982) is an American actor, best known for starring in the feature film ''Accepted (film), Accepted'' (2006), the 2021 You season 3, third season of the Netflix Streaming television, streaming television s ...

, actor * Joel Pimentel, vocalist, former member of

CNCO CNCO was an American latin boy band based in Miami, Miami, Florida. The group consisted of Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colón, Christopher Vélez and ZABDIEL, Zabdiel De Jesús; Joel DELEŌN, Joel Pimentel was a member until his departure in M ...

References

External links

Victorville city government site
{{authority control Cities in the Mojave Desert Cities in San Bernardino County, California Victor Valley Populated places established in 1895 1895 establishments in California Incorporated cities and towns in California