Everything about Hesperia California totally explained
The City of Hesperia is part of
San Bernardino County, California located in the
Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the
High Desert. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,582. In
2006, the Hesperia municipal government estimated the population at 80,000.
Geography and environment
Hesperia is situated within the
Mojave Desert Geomorphic Province on
volcanic rock with upper soils characterized by light to dark brown silty sand.(Earth Metrics, 1989) The
California Aqueduct traverses through the Hesperia area. Much of the native
flora of Hesperia is classified as California
desert vegetation, dominated by
junipers,
joshua trees and
sagebrush. The elevation rises from 3,200 in the north to about 4,000 feet above sea level to the south. The
San Andreas Fault, a major tectonic plate boundary of the Pacific and North American plates is a few miles south of Hesperia in the Cajon Pass, has occassional seismic activity.
Geography
Hesperia is located at (34.412903, -117.306189) and at above sea level.
The
Mojave River flows north through the east side of the city. The
California Aqueduct splits the city down the center from north to south where it then heads underground on its way to
Silverwood Lake.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 174.6
km² (67.4
mi²). 174.4 km² (67.3 mi²) of it's land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.10%) is water.
Hesperia is the 4th largest city in the Palmdale Metropolitan Area.
Also, on the southern edge of Hesperia, where the city meets the desert, is a somewhat pronounced mesa, which the locals refer to as simply "the mesa".
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 62,582 people, 19,966 households, and 15,773 families residing in the city. The
population density was 358.8/km² (929.3/mi²). There were 21,348 housing units at an average density of 122.4/km² (317.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.28%
White, 4.03%
African American, 1.27%
Native American, 1.07%
Asian, 0.19%
Pacific Islander, 14.46% from
other races, and 4.69% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 29.40% of the population.
There were 19,966 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were
married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 3.47.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,201, and the median income for a family was $43,004. Males had a median income of $39,776 versus $25,665 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,487. About 11.1% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
There are many elementary schools in the district, two junior high schools, and two highschools with the names of Sultana HIgh School and Hesperia High School. Every year the football teams compete in a game known as "Key Game" where whoever wins for that year gets the key to the city.
History
Hesperia's origins began as a Spanish land grant:
Rancho San Felipe, Las Flores y el Paso del Cajon founded in 1781 and the first inhabitants are
Serrano Indians whom lived in the normally dormant Mojave River bed, but the land was sparsely inhabited desert during
Spanish-
Mexican rule in the 19th century, but the U.S. annexed the region along with Southern California after the
Mexican-American war in 1848 and homesteaders, especially
Mormons dispatched from the
Utah Territory in 1854 began to live there.
The town site was originally laid out in 1891 by railroad company land developers of the
US & Santa Fe Railroad completed that year. Hesperia was named for "
Hesperus", the
Greek god of the west as the Greeks called west by the name. The railroad land developers published pamphlets distributed across the country with boosterism of Hesperia, California is a potential metropolis: to become "the Chicago of the West" or projections to have over 100,000 people by the year 1900, but only 1,000 moved in.
Hesperia grew relatively slow until the completion of U.S. Routes 66, 91 and 395 in the 1940's followed by Interstate 15 in the late 1960's. A total of 30 square miles of land was laid out for possible residential development: roads were set up, but hardly any houses build, until the wave of newcomers arrived to Hesperia in the 1980's. Suburban growth transformed the small town of 5,000 people in 1970 to a moderate-sized community of over 50,000 in the year 2000.
Places of Interest
Hesperia has its own man-made lake (Hesperia Lake) on the southeastern edge of the town. This lake is where various town activities are held, including fourth of July activities and Hesperia day activities. Camping and fishing are permitted here, as well as various junior leagues for sports.
Hesperia has a golf course that runs the rift between the 'mesa' and the adjoining land on the other side. Here there's also the Hesperia country club. The golf course is open to the public but county club amenities are reserved for members only.
On the southern tip of Hesperia, there are several miles of barren desert. To the east of Hesperia, the Mojave river runs from south to north, although the riverbed is usually dry it'll fill up if Hesperia experiences a rare heavy rain. Hesperia is bordered to the north by the city of Victorville, and to the east by the town of Apple Valley.
On the southern edge of Hesperia, there's the unfinished Las Flores housing project which left the desert devoid of all plant life. This unfinished project was little more than cleared out desert, with differing slopes of dirt designed for the purpose of placing a gated housing community there. Since this project fell through and was never completed, many people used this area for riding motor cycles and ATVs. As such, this area was dubbed "Honda Valley" by the locals. Recently, however, this area has undergone recent construction and all ATVs have been kept off the property, in accordance with a 2005 city ordnance prohibiting anyone from riding on private property without express written permission from the property owner.
Public Safety
The City of Hesperia contracts with the
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services using a small station on Santa Fe Avenue next to the
BNSF railroad tracks. Additional deputies can respond as backup from the Victor Valley Regional Station in neighboring Victorville.
The city now contracts out with the San Bernardino County Fire Department for fire services; however, shortly after Hesperia incorporated as a city in 1988, it created its own fire protection district.
Politics
In the
state legislature Hesperia is located in the 17th
Senate District, represented by
Republican George Runner, and in the 59th
Assembly District, represented by Republican
Bob Margett. Federally, Hesperia is located in
California's 41st congressional district, which has a
Cook PVI of R +9 and is represented by Republican
Jerry Lewis.
Notable people from Hesperia
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hesperia California'.
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