Baker, California
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| Baker, California | |
|---|---|
| Census designated place | |
Aerial view of Baker looking north: I-15 jogs south around the town, leaving Baker Boulevard, the main street, to show where the pre-interstate highway (US 91 and US 466) went. Baker Airport sits just north of the city alongside northbound CA 127, the "Death Valley Road".
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 Baker, California
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Land | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation[2] | 942 ft (287 m) |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | |
| • Total | 735 |
| • Density | 270/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 92309 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-03512 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 238894, 2628708 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Baker, California | |
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA.[2] As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area codes 442 and 760.
Contents
History
Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908, and was named after Richard C. Baker, business partner of Francis Marion Smith in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself.[3][4]
Baker was established in 1929 by Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (1857–1942), who was an American prospector, entrepreneur and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05) and Shoshone (1910).
It was the site of a private prison operated by Cornell Corrections which experienced a major riot on December 2, 2003, four weeks before it was permanently closed.[5]
Geography and Climate
Baker is located at (35.265099, -116.074768). Baker is located in the Mojave Desert at the junction of Interstate 15 and SR 127 (Death Valley Road). Its elevation is approximately 930 feet (283.5 m) above sea level, which is much lower than either Barstow or Las Vegas, due to its location at the southern end of the Death Valley geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.
| Climate data for Baker, California. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
106 (41) |
116 (47) |
119 (48) |
124 (51) |
124 (51) |
119 (48) |
110 (43) |
92 (33) |
82 (28) |
124 (51) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 63.1 (17.3) |
68.6 (20.3) |
76.8 (24.9) |
84.3 (29.1) |
94.9 (34.9) |
104.8 (40.4) |
110.2 (43.4) |
107.9 (42.2) |
100.2 (37.9) |
87.1 (30.6) |
72.6 (22.6) |
62.4 (16.9) |
86.1 (30.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 34.6 (1.4) |
39.4 (4.1) |
45.6 (7.6) |
51.7 (10.9) |
61.3 (16.3) |
70.2 (21.2) |
77.0 (25) |
75.4 (24.1) |
67.2 (19.6) |
54.7 (12.6) |
42.8 (6) |
33.9 (1.1) |
54.5 (12.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 16 (−9) |
21 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
34 (1) |
38 (3) |
43 (6) |
53 (12) |
54 (12) |
42 (6) |
32 (0) |
23 (−5) |
14 (−10) |
14 (−10) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.47 (11.9) |
0.71 (18) |
0.51 (13) |
0.20 (5.1) |
0.11 (2.8) |
0.07 (1.8) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.46 (11.7) |
0.41 (10.4) |
0.25 (6.4) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.41 (10.4) |
4.19 (106.4) |
| Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[6] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census[7] reported that Baker had a population of 735. The population density was 273.5 people per square mile (105.6/km²). The racial makeup of Baker was 302 (41.1%) White (26.5% Non-Hispanic White),[8] 1 (0.1%) African American, 5 (0.7%) Native American, 10 (1.4%) Asian, 14 (1.9%) Pacific Islander, 380 (51.7%) from other races, and 23 (3.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 502 persons (68.3%).
The Census reported that 731 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 215 households, out of which 122 (56.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 106 (49.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 39 (18.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 23 (10.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (13.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 28 households (13.0%) were made up of individuals and 4 (1.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 168 families (78.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.74.
The population was spread out with 277 people (37.7%) under the age of 18, 80 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 236 people (32.1%) aged 25 to 44, 121 people (16.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 21 people (2.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.1 years. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.
There were 303 housing units at an average density of 112.7 per square mile (43.5/km²), of which 116 (54.0%) were owner-occupied, and 99 (46.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 20.8%. 414 people (56.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 317 people (43.1%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Baker had a median household income of $33,068, with 9.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[9]
Economy
Baker's economy is based primarily on tourism. The town is frequently used as a rest stop by drivers on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker is approximately 90 miles (144.8 km) southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the Mojave National Preserve. Currently there is only one motel in Baker, the Wills Fargo Motel.
The town's most prominent feature is a 134-foot (41 m) thermometer, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". Visible for miles, it was not operational from 2012 to mid-2014 when it was relighted following restoration.[10] Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, 134 °F (56.7 °C), in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913.[11] Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed 110 °F (43.3 °C); 2007 saw a record of 125 °F (51.7 °C).
Baker Airport is a small facility owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
Baker is the starting point of the annual Baker To Vegas Challenge Cup relay race.
Appearances in films and television
In 1991 the town was the setting for a skit on Fox's comedy show Totally Hidden Video.
It is referenced in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a stop for Raoul Duke on his way back from Las Vegas going to Los Angeles.
The surrounding desert areas in Disney's Dinosaur were shot here.
It is a major setting of the 2003 science-fiction film The Big Empty.
An episode of the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured the Mad Greek's Diner in Baker.
Baker and the surrounding area were featured in two episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels when Gene Simmons broke down outside of Baker on Route 127. Episodes 5 and 6 of season 3 ran in March 2008 and featured the town.
Baker is referred to three times in the 1958 SciFi movie, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman; the title character's doctor is off in Baker, the local police contact the authorities in Baker, and they wait for the state troopers to come down from Baker.
Mars Rover Test Site
The Mars Laboratory Science Team tested an engineering model of the Curiosity Rover in the desert near Baker.[12][13]
Attractions
- Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a popular area for ATV riders.[14]
- Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by the California State University.
- A yearly race is held called "The Challenge Cup Relay: Baker to Vegas" or commonly referred as "Baker to Vegas" where law enforcement do a relay race from Baker, CA to Las Vegas, NV. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually.[15]
- The World's Tallest Thermometer (and gift shop) pictured here and featured in the cable TV show Strange Inheritance episode Death Valley Thermometer on the Fox Business Network.
Transportation
Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach had a stop located at a Jack in the Box restaurant and Shell gas station at 72352 Baker Blvd., and its Amtrak station code was BKR, but the stop was discontinued in November 2010. Low ridership and cost savings were cited as the reason for discontinuing the stop, but the Amtrak bus can still be seen driving down the freeway from the bus stop, even though it no longer stops.
Gallery
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View of Baker from the east while on I-15.
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Cat Dune sand ramp, Cronese Mountains.
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Dumont Dunes, 30 miles north of Baker
See also
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References
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- ↑ Prison Riot Investigation Underway, KLAS-TV, December 3, 2003. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
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External links
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for [[Wikivoyage:Baker (California)#Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 863: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Baker (California)]]. |
- Baker Chamber of Commerce
- A history of Baker
- Pilgrims in the Desert - a book on the history of Baker
- Mojave National Preserve
