Yucca Valley is an
incorporated town
An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation.
Canada
Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.
United States
An incorporated town o ...
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. The population was 21,738 as of the
2020 census. Yucca Valley lies north of
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 ...
, and east of
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 ...
. Bordered to the south by the
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...
and to the west 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 ...
, the town of Yucca Valley 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 roughly above sea level.
History
Native Americans inhabited the area.
Norman J. Essig was key in the late 1950s in working towards establishing Yucca Valley as a place for entertainment celebrities to come and live in privacy. He personally acquired hundreds of acres of land during this time and owned and ran Glenn Realty. He helped to put in the main roads that are running throughout the town off of Hwy 62. He was personal friends with
Jimmy Van Heusen
James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song, Academy Awards for ...
the composer and gave him prime real estate in Yucca Valley to build his house which can still be seen atop the highest hill in the center of the town.
In 1992, three large earthquakes occurred near the city, the magnitude 6.1 Joshua Tree earthquake on April 22, and on June 28 the
7.3 Landers and
6.5 Big Bear earthquakes.
The 7.1 magnitude
Hector Mine earthquake on October 16, 1999, had an epicenter north of town.
On July 11, 2006, a wildfire started by lightning raced through neighboring
Pioneertown
Pioneertown is an unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of the High Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is an 1880s-themed town developed as a shooting location for actors working on Western films and T ...
. The blaze, named the
Sawtooth Complex fire, also burned into
Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 21,738 as of the 2020 census. Yucca Valley lies north of Palm Springs, and east of San Bernardino. Bordered to the south by the Joshu ...
and nearby
Morongo Valley
Morongo Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) on State Route 62 in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2010 census, up from 1,929 at the 2000 census. The town is bordered by Yucca Valley, Californ ...
and destroyed roughly of desert landscape.
Geography

Yucca Valley lies in the middle of the
Morongo Basin
The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California.
The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire region, and is not considered to be the easternmost portion of the Greate ...
at a base elevation of 3,300 feet. Joshua Tree National Park is adjacent to its southern border.
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 town has a total area of . All of it is land and none of it is covered in water. Yucca Valley is located north of the
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...
, while the
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and ...
and many hills cover a large percentage of city area.
This High Desert community has an elevation (city hall) at above sea level. Snowfall occurs almost annually whenever the snow level drops to elevations under . The area's terrain is prone to wildfires (such as the Pioneertown fire in July 2006), resulting from plant growth during the rainy seasons and flash floods. The plants within the town and among the chaparral in the mountains outside of the San Bernardino National Forest wilt and perish from the summer heat, providing ample fuel during a fire.
Yucca Valley has experienced high levels of seismic activity. Fault lines criss-cross the town and the Morongo basin.
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Yucca Valley has a
cold desert 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 ...
, abbreviated "BWk" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020
The
2020 United States census reported that Yucca Valley had a population of 21,738. The population density was . The racial makeup of Yucca Valley was 71.3%
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 ...
, 3.7%
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 ...
, 1.5%
Native American, 2.7%
Asian, 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 ...
, 8.1% from
other races, and 12.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
of any race were 23.3% of the population.
The census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.6% were institutionalized.
[
There were 8,807 households, out of which 27.2% included children under the age of 18, 41.1% were married-couple households, 8.0% 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, 29.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 30.2% of households were one person, and 15.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44.[ There were 5,494 ]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 ...
(62.4% of all households).
The age distribution was 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% aged 18 to 24, 23.8% aged 25 to 44, 25.9% aged 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 42.9years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males.[
There were 9,896 housing units at an average density of , of which 8,807 (89.0%) were occupied. Of these, 66.4% were owner-occupied, and 33.6% were occupied by renters.][
]
2023 estimates
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 8.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 80.8% spoke only English at home, 15.3% spoke Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
, 2.2% spoke other Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, 1.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.4% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 89.6% were high school graduates and 20.9% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income was $55,302, and 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 ...
was $32,643. About 13.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
Economy
Personal income
The median income
Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...
for a household in the town was $30,420, and the median income for a family was $36,650. Males had a median income of $35,037 versus $25,234 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 town was $16,020, lower than most of Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. About 16.2% of families and 19.5% 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 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Employment
Yucca Valley has the Twentynine Palms Base (US Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
) 20 miles to the east and the Morongo Basin
The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California.
The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire region, and is not considered to be the easternmost portion of the Greate ...
is home to temporary residents who work on the base.
Tourism
Yucca Valley borders Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...
. Amenities include a bowling alley
A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...
, various retail stores and an "Old Town" area. On Grubstakes Day, held the day before Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.
It i ...
, there is a parade.
Old Town Yucca Valley is located on Highway 62 at the intersection of Pioneertown Road. The California Welcome Center is located at 56711 Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley; it provides information on where to stay, eat and play while in the area.
Yucca Valley is home to the Desert Christ Park
Desert Christ Park is a sculpture garden in Yucca Valley, California. The park was sculpted and created by Antone Martin, a former aircraft worker who died in 1961 at the age of 74. Martin started sculpting the figures out of steel-reinforced c ...
sculpture garden
A sculpture garden or sculpture park is an outdoor garden or park which includes the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings.
A sculpture garden may be private, owned by ...
, as well as the geoglyph
A geoglyph is a large design or motif – generally longer than – produced on the ground by durable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth. A positive geoglyph is formed by the arrangement and alignment ...
"Atlatl", created by artist Andrew Rogers.
Government
Municipal
Yucca Valley is governed by a Town Council. The community's Mayor is Jeff Drozd. Other town council members are Mayor Pro-Tem Merl Abel and Council Members Jim Schooler, Rick Denison and Robert Lombardo.
Yucca Valley contracts its police and public safety services from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Fire suppression and ambulance services are provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department and Cal Fire.
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). ...
, Yucca Valley is in , 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 ...
, Yucca Valley is in .
Education
Public education in Yucca Valley is under the administration of the Morongo Unified School District. Yucca Valley has three neighborhood elementary schools (Onaga Elementary, Yucca Mesa Elementary, and Yucca Valley ope
Ope () is a locality situated in Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway ...
Elementary), one middle school (La Contenta Middle School), and two high schools (Yucca Valley High School
Yucca Valley High School is in the town of Yucca Valley, California. The high school, school has 1,690 students in grades 9–12. and Black Rock Continuation High School).
Private schools
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...
in Yucca Valley include Our Lady of the Desert, a Christian school for K–12; Valley Community Chapel School and Daycare offering Preschool, Kindergarten and before and after school Daycare; Joshua Springs Christian School, non-denominational affiliation for PK–12; Grace Christian School, Brethren affiliation for K–12; Hi-Desert SDA Elementary, a 1–6, Seventh Day Adventist affiliation school; and Yucca Valley Christian School, affiliated with The Assembly of God, for PK–12. Hope Academy lost its charter with the Morongo Unified School District in 2016 and was unable to find another charter and subsequently closed. Adult tutor
Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects.
A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...
ing is also available in Yucca Valley, with tutoring information available at the Yucca Valley Public Library.
Transportation
Yucca Valley has two major means of highway access; California State Route 62
State Route 62 (SR 62) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that cuts across the Little San Bernardino Mountains in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Its western terminus is at Interstate 10 in unincorporated Riverside County ...
(Twentynine Palms Highway) runs east–west and is the main thoroughfare through town and terminates at the south end at Interstate 10 and Parker Dam
Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River downstream of Hoover Dam. Built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation, it is high, of which are below the riverbed (the deep excavation was necessary in ...
on the Arizona border at the east end. California State Route 247
State Route 247 (SR 247) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. The road passes through the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, connecting SR 62 in Yucca Valley to Interstate 15 (I-15) in Barstow. SR 247 runs along Old Woman ...
(Old Woman Springs Road) begins in Yucca Valley and extends north through Barstow and terminates at Interstate 15. Basin Transit
Basin Transit, formerly Morongo Basin Transit Authority (MBTA), is the transit agency that serves the Morongo Basin in San Bernardino County, California. It is a joint powers authority between Yucca Valley, California, Yucca Valley, Twentynine P ...
serves the area with scheduled bus service around town and the lower desert. The service connects passengers to the Palm Springs International Airport
Palm Springs International Airport , formerly Palm Springs Municipal Airport, is an airport two miles east of downtown Palm Springs, California, United States. The airport covers 940 acres and has two runways. The facility operates year-round, ...
direct bus lines to 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, ...
. The area is served locally by the Yucca Valley Airport.
Media
Yucca Valley is served by the bi-weekly Hi Desert Star newspaper.
There are several commercial radio stations with studios located in the Coachella Valley
The Coachella Valley ( ) is an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California in Riverside County. The valley has been referred to as Greater Palm Springs and occasionally the Palm Springs Area due to the historic promine ...
(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 ...
) with local broadcast signals located in the Morongo Basin
The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California.
The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire region, and is not considered to be the easternmost portion of the Greate ...
.
* 91.7 KHCS (Christian) broadcasts on 92.1,
* 92.1 KXCM
KXCM (96.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Joshua Tree, California. The station broadcasts a country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United Stat ...
(country) broadcasts on 96.3,
* 94.3 KNWZ "K-News" on 103.7 FM and 1250 AM,
* 106.9 KDGL
KDGL (106.9 FM, "The Eagle") is a classic hits /classic rock station serving the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin markets of inland Southern California.
KDGL's studios are located at 1321 North Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs, California ...
(70s-90s hits)
* 106.1 KPLM
KPLM (106.1 FM) is a radio station in Palm Springs, California. The station broadcasts a country music format. The station is owned by Marker Broadcasting.
The station, then called KPAL, was founded in 1974 by Los Angeles radio personality M ...
(country)
There is one local station on 107.7 KCDZ (z107) with studios located in Joshua Tree.
There are several county run television repeaters (from Palm Springs, Riverside/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 ...
and Greater Los Angeles
Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...
) broadcasting from Pinto Mountain south of Twentynine Palms that can be received in the Yucca Mesa area but not in the city proper. Television service (and high speed cable internet) in town is provided by Charter Spectrum. WISP (wireless internet service provider) is offered from Mojave WiFi, Frontier and Flashbyte Digital.
References
External links
*
Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
1971 establishments in California
Populated places in San Bernardino County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places in the Mojave Desert
Populated places established in 1971